I picked up Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking by Andy Sernovitz at the library and at first I was not enthralled with the book. It was a lot of common sense information and started to get repetitive: what is word of mouth (WOM), what is marketing, customer service is the most important piece of word of mouth, be honest, blah, blah, blah.
However, I found that as I got through the first chapter and a half, I was getting to the meat of the information and it was getting valuable.
Sure, it is great to say you are committed to customer service but I suggest you really take a look at going above and beyond delivering your product or service. This gets people talking. I can't tell you how many people I have recommended Apple computers to just because of their Apple Care customer support line. I never have to wait more than a few minutes on hold and they are always great with any question from the mundane to the difficult. I am an Apple Computer Talker.
Using customer service as your foundation, the book gives excellent examples of ways to increase your exposure to your Talkers. Sernovitz details his "Five Ts of Word of Mouth Marketing" leveraging people who are already or willing to talk about your company, thanking them personally, sending them advance information, replying to their comments and understanding what they are saying - the good, bad and ugly.
One of the suggestions is to start a VIP or fan club and mentions the Maker's Mark Ambassador Club for connoisseurs of bourbon whiskey. They actually have their talkers pledge to introduce Maker's Mark to other people and these people are absolutely thrilled to do so! Its exclusive, its a bond that people can share and people love it.
The bottom line is that Word of Mouth Marketing is virtually free and already happening. Be part of the conversation and get involved!
I recommend this book and even though I have borrowed it from the library, I am considering purchasing the book for my office library.
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