On April 16, former Apple chief evangelist Guy Kawasaki and marketing expert Andy Sernovitz will hold a master class on Google+ and the secrets of word-of-mouth marketing with SmartBrief readers via conference call, sharing their best tips for generating word of mouth. And we want you to have access.
Want a FREE pass to this exciting event? We’ve got two ways you can win one!
No. 1: Twitter entry: Follow @SBoSM on Twitter, then send out the following tweet to enter a random drawing for a pass.
Check out SmartBrief on Social Media for tips on getting your followers talking: http://ow.ly/a7KfX #SBWOM #contest
You can tweet as many as two times per day. Each tweet is an entry to win. We’ll randomly draw the winner April 15. All tweets must have the #SBWOM hashtag to be eligible.
No. 2: Written entry: Write a post on your blog about your favorite word-of-mouth case study or your favorite tip for generating word of mouth. (read more…)
We are all influencers now. Everyday consumers have an unprecedented amount of power when it comes to shaping a brand’s image, and starting or joining the conversation. This democratization of social influence will affect all marketing disciplines.
A marketing channel is being created: influential people (or you can call them customers, advocates, superfans). Advocacy or influencer programs that engage a few hundred influencers today will look quaint in two years as brands learn to harness the power of amplification by engaging hundreds of thousands of advocates and fans. In particular, the public relations and word-of-mouth industries are waking up every day to this reality — the era of personalized PR but on larger scale.
Marketers need to actively seek out and establish relationships with the people who are best equipped to amplify their messaging — and do it all at scale. This is where influencer-relationship marketing comes in.
Influencer-relationship marketing is a long-term strategy for building and managing authentic, enduring and direct relationships between brands and tens of thousands influencers. (read more…)
Word-of-mouth marketing is more than a marketing tactic — it’s a fundamental philosophy that changes businesses forever.
When you earn customers for free through recommendations and referrals from raving fans, you can always beat someone who pays for it. Becoming great at this gives you a recession-proof competitive advantage that will carry you through good times and bad.
At our last word-of-mouth event, I talked about how earning love from customers can save your brand.
A few of my ideas:
- Your brand isn’t what you say; it’s what other people say about you. Advertising might open the door — it might create awareness –- but that only drives people to your word of mouth: their friends, Google and online reviews. If your word of mouth isn’t fantastic, no amount of advertising will compensate for that.
- There’s love for everyone. It doesn’t matter who you are, what you sell or what industry you’re in -– you can earn love and word of mouth.
Wil Merritt is CEO of Zooppa, a firm for online video contests and design competitions. He has also served as a senior vice president for Corbis and spent 18 years with Time-Warner in posts worldwide, including president for Europe, Middle East and Africa for the TIME and Fortune publishing division.
Crowdsourcing has evolved from a buzzword into a practical approach for organizations and individuals. Today, it enables various tasks to be accomplished faster and more thoroughly using the latest technology and social media tools.
Software development, malaria research and fundraising for the arts are all notable examples of fields in which crowdsourcing has not only been employed successfully, but delivered impressive results.
Brand marketers are also using this practice to source a new generation of creative content for promotional campaigns. But mobilizing a crowd’s creativity requires much more strategy and art than offering cash awards and hoping for the best. (read more…)
Did you know Foursquare grew 3,400% last year? The location-based social tool is incredibly popular, and despite fierce competition, it continues to expand. It’s so widely used that even if you don’t participate, customers are probably already using it to check in to your location, leave tips and reviews, and connect with friends.
Like any tool, you should make sure your fans are actually using Foursquare before you invest time with it. But, if they are, there are many ways you can use it to create word of mouth.
A few things to try: (read more…)
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