Good stuff from Sernovitz for those of you getting ready to launch your first WOMM campaign.
Original link here: HOW TO GET YOUR WOMM PROGRAM OFF THE GROUND.
“[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]
You can have amazing word of mouth. You can get your happy customers and fans telling everyone about you — you can be great at this. Here’s how to get started:
1> Focus on a single group of talkers
2> Test something today
3> Repeat
1> Focus on a single group of talkers
Don’t start by trying to get everyone talking — start by trying to get someone talking. Maybe it’s a group of local daycare moms, restaurant servers, librarians, or auto mechanics. A good focus on specific talkers means you’ll have a better chance of creating something they want to share.
2> Test something today
By the end of the day, test a new topic with this group. Invite them to an event, give them a special sample, ask them for feedback, or just say thanks. It might not work, but that’s OK. There’s always tomorrow.
3> Repeat
Next week, try it again. This time with a different group and a different topic. When you find something that works, try it again — but bigger this time. There’s no science or secret recipe to great word of mouth, just a commitment to trying lots of ideas designed to find your talkers and figure out what gets them sharing.”
Check it out, this was some darn good WOMM… they just forgot the “Tool”…
A colleague, Chip, and his wife frequent the Capital Grille, which has dozens of the locations throughout the country.
Recently, they were at a Florida location, and as Chip’s wife was ordering, she looked at the menu, and exclaimed to the waiter, “You don’t have broccoli this evening? I love your broccoli!!”
The waiter responds, “I’m sorry ma’am, we do not. However, there’s a Whole Foods two blocks down the street, and if you’re not in too much of a hurry, we’d be happy to walk down, purchase, and cook the broccoli to your liking.”
Solid. In addition, the waiter then shared that they will update Chip’s profile to include that his wife enjoys the Capital Grille broccoli, and when they call in advance for a reservation, they will assure they have broccoli on hand for that evening.
Chip told me this story just last week; the only thing missing was an easy way for Chip to “tell-a-friend.” A Tool.
Idea: gimme a card that says “Chip’s buddy, take care of me,” and I promise you the next place I eat would be Capital Grille.
Make sure you follow the 5T’s, found here.
Some seriously BRILLIANT WOMM I ran into last night. It’s straight up from Sernovitz’s WOMM Manifesto, Rule #7.
Situation Report: Vines Grille & Wine Bar – quality steaks, fish, & live jazz. Great place.
And no nuts.
Check out the bar. No “snack food,” just a basket of bacon for their patrons.
That is some great stuff.
Sernovitz Rule #7: Be Interesting, or Be Invisible.
Well done, Vines.
(Only improvement: make it easier for us Talkers to “tell-a-friend!!!”)
Bruce Temkin’s top 25 posts from 2010… this gentleman knows “just a little bit” (sarcasm intended) about The Customer Experience. Some great stuff if you find the time to read them.
READ ALL HERE
Here’s a great post from Guy Kawasaki… the #1 below is my favorite:
“I love to do business with small businesses—in-store, online, for myself, for others, for pleasure, for work—it doesn’t matter to me. I love to find great products and services made by entrepreneurs who are trying to change the world. And I love to help small business owners because they aren’t flying around in corporate jets and lunching with investment bankers. American Express’s idea for Small Business Saturday is a marvelous one, and I’d like to help out by them explaining 10 ways that small businesses can enchant their customers.
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Put likable, competent and passionate people on the front line. I prefer to interact with employees who smile, know what they’re talking about, and love what they sell. However, companies often put the lowest-paid, least-experienced employees behind the counter or at the front desk and hope for the best. This doesn’t make sense. Ask yourself this question: Is the first impression of my business a good one? Because if it’s a bad one, it may also be the last one.“
Continue reading the rest of Guy’s post HERE.
