Getting people to talk about you is easy. Accepting what they think/say is a different story.
Many people are gun-shy about launching a word of mouth campaign because they fear they’ll get diarrhea of mouth instead. The truth is, having people talk about you (good, bad and ugly) is better than silence.
Sure, you may find a few comments that are off-message, give raw feedback or incorrect information altogether. But the truth is, at least people are talking, and if you’re a part of the conversation you can gently help eliminate mis-communications as they’re uncovered.
At MGH, we’ve developed a support program for clients who are dealing with, living in fear of and on the path to recovery from “word-wounding syndrome.” We know it’s hard to put yourself out there and it’s harder still to pour money into an outreach that makes you vulnerable to the world. We like to believe that our support gives clients the tools they need to defuse issues, redirect problems into solutions and find ways to benefit from customer feedback. It’s that kind of agency love that makes our word of mouth campaigns seem less threatening and completely manageable.
A FEW THINGS WE’VE LEARNED ALONG THE WAY
You CAN have a good measure of control: When you start a word of mouth campaign, you aren’t signing your life over to the masses. Instead, you’re developing a campaign that allows you to get as close to your consumer as possible. Sometimes this means building controls into communications (user-only posts, no-post messages, ambassador program vetoes, etc.) to make you feel comfortable. Also, quality of message, selection of target audience and careful monitoring make a big difference in the peace of mind you’ll get from a WOM campaign.
You won’t be alone: MGH is always scanning, reporting, revising, reevaluating and completely monitoring your WOM outreach. Whether it’s a blog, a forum, ambassador program, street team, podcast or viral email… it’s best to have hands on deck to identify and solve problems as they arise.
You know your consumer pretty well: The thing most people forget is that these bloggers/social network avatars and Facebookers are no different than the core consumer you target through traditional outreaches daily. You already know these people, you just haven’t learned to speak their social language. Instead, you’ve spoken yours. It’s like having a neighbor you grill with on the weekends and one day bump into him at his corporate office. It’s the same guy, just in a slightly different environment. Two settings, same dude. Same goes for WOM
Bad and ugly turn warm and cuddly pretty quickly: Marketers tend to pucker up and get nauseous when they hear so much as a “I’m not crazy about the screen resolution” or “That flavor isn’t as good as grape” from consumers. These are not negative comments, they are opinions…and they’re great. If you let it ride, consumers will interject their own thoughts and experiences naturally. Sometimes honest fans will emerge to sway the group in your direction. Credibility like that can’t be contrived and it’s frequently more powerful than unidirectional messaging.
