4 Misconceptions about Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM)
Internet marketing is the best job in the world - really
. Every day marketers get to talk to individuals and groups about how to use the Internet to grow their organizations. Over the last two and a half years or so, I've personally had hundreds of conversations introducing social media marketing to companies. While every company has specific goals, audiences and cultures, there are common threads in all these conversations.
One common thread is the misconceptions about Word of Mouth marketing. Here are the four most often heard:
1. My target market doesn't use social networks and doesn't make buying decision based on word of mouth -
Wrong. Your target markets really do use social networks and are exposed to word of mouth - and yes, it impacts their buying decisions. In my experience, everyone, from home buyers to pet owners to B2B software buyers to investors to non-profit donors to voters to job candidates make decisions based on word of mouth. While some of these stats are dated, research backs us up. When people tell us that moms, or boomers, or truck drivers, or CIOs, or company presidents don't use social networks, Internet marketers can quickly pull numbers from LinkedIn, Facebook, Fastpitch or other networks that show all these audiences are using social networks in large numbers.
2. We can't measure word of mouth -
Yes you can. There are great social media tools out there that can measure word of mouth activity across multiple geographies and utilize demographic restrictions and filters at a microscopic level. For instance, using these
social media and word of mouth tools, you can find out what 30-35 year-old single mothers of 2 in Laredo, TX are talking about and compare it directly with the same demographic in Phoenix, AZ.
You can also correlate WOM episodes with goals around site traffic, sales, leads, media placement or other business goals. Internet marketers and social media consultants build profiles for their clients measuring current online buzz and then track how increased buzz correlates to business goals.
3. No one will take me seriously if I'm on Twitter (aka: "Social Networking is for Kids") -
Wrong again! Many of the top "business class users" of social networks are in the healthcare and wellness industry - surgeons, medical supply manufacturers, health care systems and cancer research to name a few. Are they serious businesses? You bet. What is the common denominator that customers, patients, reporters, blogger, analysts and can all use to quickly find these medical businesses? Social networks like Facebook and Twitter. Why have dozens of unique and dedicated communications channels when you can have one simple tool (or network) that serves multiple purposes? It will always be easier for WOM to spread along one broad channel.
4. But my industry is just different -
Okay, this one is true. Selling ocean-front real estate is different than electing a governor. In certain respects. The reality is, in either case, there is an online conversation happening. If you create great content, find (or build) a great place to seed the conversation, and have measurable goals then your industry is probably right for a word of mouth marketing program.
4 Misconceptions about Word of Mouth Marketing (WOM)
By: William Balderaz
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