Why do some brands become huge successes without a penny of promotion, while other multi-million-pound marketing campaigns fail to get noticed?
It’s simple. Successful companies get customers to market their products for them, using word-of-mouth marketing.
In the simplest terms, WOM is the unpaid spread of a positive marketing message from person to person.
Organisations that excel at it are Apple (people camp outside Apple stores to get their hands on new products), the ALS Association (anyone heard of the Ice Bucket Challenge?), and Nike (do the words “Just Do It,” ring a bell?).
While each of these brands is completely different, they all follow the basic principles of a good word-of-mouth campaign – and are continuing to reap the rewards today.
The WOM principles
Be unique:
Whether you’re offering a new product, service, or idea, your campaign has to be unique.
While you may not have the means to develop a whole new unique product line, you do have the means to think about marketing that product in an innovative and engaging way.
Send a message:
Just as important as being unique is having a clear point of difference for your brand. People don’t just love Apple because their products perform well – they love the brand because of what it stands for – their products are trendy, user-friendly, and attractive.
When you purchase an Apple product, you’re saying, “I’m hip,” or “I’m technologically savvy,” i.e., the message that Apple sends to its customers is that an Apple product will make you cool. If you want people to talk about your product, you need to create a message that they’ll want to spread.
Build the buzz:
If loads of people are talking about your product, that’s great – your WOM marketing campaigns are working. But a few people talking about your brand isn’t going to make it go viral.
Once people start talking, it’s your job to build on the buzz, by interacting with communities on social media, reaching out to influencers, and sharing exciting product updates and news.
Back to basics:
Make sure you don’t forget about the most basic element of your word-of-mouth marketing campaign – your customers. If you want them to talk about how much they love you, you have to be loveable.
Offering great customer service and going out of your way to keep customers happy are the most essential aspects of a WOM marketing campaign.
Hotcow is a non-traditional creative agency that specialises in experiential marketing that goes viral. Our campaigns generate buzz through crowd participation, PR and content sharing. Contact us on 0207 5030442 or email us on info@hotcow.co.uk.
