Your topics are what fuel you word of mouth. A great one isn’t a slogan or a generic brand message — it’s something simple that spreads easily among friends. And remember, if your topic works well in a traditional press release, it’s probably a bad one.
What to look for:
- Emotional. People share things that make them happy — the funny, surprising, and remarkable elements of products and experiences.
- Portable. A portable topic is something that can be slapped in a blog post, an e-mail signature, or a T-shirt. If it’s too complicated or needs explaining, nobody will repeat it.
- Repeatable. If someone has to make an effort to remember what to say, they won’t say anything.
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Hi Andy – how about a couple of examples for each?
LOVE THESE 3 WORDS … Thanks!
[...] Andy’s Answers: The 3 characteristics of a great word of mouth topic …Smart Bolg on Social Media [...]
great post! I'm going to forward it to clients!
Hi Andy, Sound advice. I’d add to the emotional bullet… also people share what makes them angry. However your post made me happy, so I have shared this with my team.
I love the idea as it ties in with Appreciation Marketing and building long term relationships.
YourCardGuy
Great advice Andy. We are emotional beings who seek happiness; we'll always note something which makes us happy before anything else. Ryan
Thanks for the great response on this. Some folks asked for examples — here are some of the classics:
Krisy Kreme: Hot Donuts!
VW Bug: Flower vase on dashboard
Zappos: 365 day returns
Duct Tape: StuckAtProm.Com
Dry cleaner who cleans suits free if you have a job interview
Restaurant that gives free samples while you wait in line
Seth Godin's Purple Cow book that shipped in a milk carton
Container Store has free valet parking on weekends
Freshbooks.com held a pankake breakfast outside SXSW
[...] Andy Sernovitz has a good rule on social media and brands. In a refreshingly short piece in Smart Blog on Social Media he provides a simple check list for word of mouth — make it (a) emotional; (b) portable; and [...]
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[...] SmartBlog On Social Media » Andy’s Answers: The 3 characteristics of a great word of mouth topic smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/06/30/andys-answers-the-3-characteristics-of-a-great-word-of-mouth-topic – view page – cached Your topics are what fuel you word of mouth. A great one isn’t a slogan or a generic brand message — it’s something simple that spreads easily among friends. And remember, if your topic works well in a traditional press release, it’s probably a bad one. — From the page [...]
[...] SmartBlog On Social Media » Andy’s Answers: The 3 characteristics of a great word of mouth topic smartblogs.com/socialmedia/2009/06/30/andys-answers-the-3-characteristics-of-a-great-word-of-mouth-topic – view page – cached Your topics are what fuel you word of mouth. A great one isn’t a slogan or a generic brand message — it’s something simple that spreads easily among friends. And remember, if your topic works well in a traditional press release, it’s probably a bad one. — From the page [...]