Andy’s Answers: The 3 characteristics of a great word of mouth topic
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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Tags: andy sernovitz, Word of Mouth
Categories: Andy's Answers
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Posted by Web Media Daily – Tues. June 30, 2009 | Reinventing Yourself... on June 30th, 2009 at 9:02 am
[...] Andy’s Answers: The 3 characteristics of a great word of mouth topic …Smart Bolg on Social Media [...]
Posted by KerryatDell on June 30th, 2009 at 11:02 am
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.
Posted by Steve on June 30th, 2009 at 11:06 am
Hi Andy – how about a couple of examples for each?
Posted by tom ferry on June 30th, 2009 at 3:47 pm
LOVE THESE 3 WORDS … Thanks!
Posted by Frank Amdur on June 30th, 2009 at 4:09 pm
I love the idea as it ties in with Appreciation Marketing and building long term relationships.
YourCardGuy
Posted by renee kische on June 30th, 2009 at 4:31 pm
great post! I’m going to forward it to clients!
Posted by Jerrys Juicebar » Blog Archive » Wash, Rinse, Repeat on July 1st, 2009 at 4:25 am
[...] 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 [...]
Posted by Twitted by TraciGere on July 1st, 2009 at 5:44 am
[...] This post was Twitted by TraciGere [...]
Posted by cash gifting on July 1st, 2009 at 6:19 am
Great advice Andy. We are emotional beings who seek happiness; we’ll always note something which makes us happy before anything else. Ryan
Posted by Andy Sernovitz on July 1st, 2009 at 7:47 am
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
Posted by Twitter Trackbacks for SmartBlog On Social Media » Andy’s Answers: The 3 characteristics of a great word of mouth topic [smartblogs.com] on Topsy.com on September 2nd, 2009 at 2:00 pm
[...] 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 [...]