Technology and Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Traditional marketing communications operate like a two-way street, with information flowing between the marketer and the consumers. The way that consumers actually receive information about a brand more closely resembles a roundabout, with many ideas coming to the consumer simultaneously from several sources and intermixing before exiting the roundabout and driving the consumer to a purchase decision.
These ‘other sources’ consist of information obtained from the word-of-mouth (WOM) channel, including family, friends, coworkers, plus what can be an overwhelming amount of information from independent sources on the Internet (other consumers, bloggers, forums and discussion groups, etc.) Often this channel is comprised of acquaintances and relatively independent sources who have had experience with the product or service, meaning that the consumer is likely to place a higher level of trust in information received via this channel.
For example, in a global study of 18,000 kids (aged 8-14 years) and young people titled Circuits of Cool/Digital Playground, MTV, Nickelodeon, and Microsoft Digital Advertising Solutions found that technology has “enabled young people to have more and closer friendships thanks to constant connectivity”, and that “friends influence each other as much as marketers do [and] are as important as brands.”
With the consumer at the center of this whirlwind of information, the marketer’s message may be distorted or otherwise misperceived by the consumer, if not lost entirely. To preserve the original message, and to take advantage of additional opportunities to promote the message, the marketer will need to engage the consumer in the WOM channel. The previously mentioned Internet technologies, which can be implemented cheaply and scaled quickly, bring the ability to maintain a presence in the WOM channel within the reach of almost all marketers.
For marketers just beginning to participate in the WOM channel, here are three ideas that can help to introduce him to the consumer as another trustworthy source of information:
1. Test the water before diving in. For each brand, there will be some conversations that simply cannot or should not be entered by the marketer. Likewise, there will be conversations that, though attractive to participate in, simply are too expensive for a first effort. The marketer should not falsely assume that technology has made WOM marketing practically free, but by performing thorough research and analysis in selecting the right conversations, the marketer will maximize his return.
For example, when selecting a new conversation to enter, the marketer should seek out one where the participants are already active and engaged in discussing either the marketer’s product or industry. In addition, the conversation should be one where the marketer has something valuable to add from the consumers’ point of view, and not just a restatement of the marketer’s message.
2. The marketer must always be a model citizen by being a good contributor, starting with being a good listener. When entering a new conversation, the marketer should always identify himself or herself truthfully. Honesty is always appreciated, and the consequences of being caught otherwise are too great.
3. The marketer should never try to control a conversation outright, especially as a neophyte entering an established discussion, but try to champion the message without responding to just criticism. This means that he must always be prepared to seek help, especially at the outset of entering into new conversations. If he has any hesitation or uncertainty about the Internet technologies and other IT resources involved, he must either wait until the organization builds internal expertise, or look for outside assistance.
Traditional marketing communications are much more static than the dynamic conversations that Internet technologies have enabled. Communicating via the Internet, whether in an online forum or blog, resembles traditional face-to-face conversations more than traditional marketing communications. Careful and unobtrusive guiding will be of primary importance to the marketer who wishes to steer these conversations in directions that accomplish the brand’s goals.
As a word of caution against launching a WOM campaign without proper planning and preparation, leading management thinker Jack Trout argues that without a solid product or service for consumers to talk about, any WOM campaign will gain little more than talk, and certainly not a noticeable increase to the bottom line. According to Jack, “Buzz can get your name mentioned but you can't depend on much else.”
If anything and at the very least, the marketer needs to be aware of the new conversation spaces that technology is creating and removing so rapidly and constantly evaluate where their message fits within those spaces.