SmartBlogs on Social Media

Tools are what make it easier for fans to talk about you. It’s nice when a fan tells a friend about you, but it’s even nicer when they can tell the whole world.

As a word-of-mouth marketer, your job is to put these tools in the hands of your talkers to motivate them, to remind them and to make them feel good about spreading the word. Some simple concepts to get you started:

• Make it ready to cut and paste. Create stuff that’s easy to steal. Offer logos, banner ads, icons, sample text and ready-to-forward e-mail messages. Ever notice how eMarketer’s charts are ready to paste right into your PowerPoint presentation?
• Put something in their hand. Never let someone walk out of your store without something to share. Try giving away stickers, coupons, calendars, magnets — whatever a fan can use to help share what you do.
• Load up the package. If you’re mailing products to your customers, the box itself is a big opportunity to create conversations. Try the basics like multiple coupons, extra catalogs and fliers — then try the fun stuff, like a handwritten thank you note, a giant bag of M&M’s or some extra samples.