Word of Mouth and Viral Marketing
I’ve run across several articles on this over the past view weeks, so I thought I would post some thoughts:
flogs
You Tube can be very attractive to any marketer. I can’t blame them for wanting to jump on the band wagon. I probably get an average of 30 emails and IMs a week containing links to the newest and coolest you tube clip, many of them branded for one product or another. But, nothing is hated more than a fake video that is meant to look “grassroots” or “user-generated.” I recently had to tackle this topic with a client; the conversation alone was painful. Their intent was fine, but their execution was all wrong. Eventually, they won; but I’m pretty sure there shaking in their boots after the sony debacle.
seeding
In a pretty generic Adotas article about WOM marketing, Brent Hill writes, “WOM marketers usually begin by identifying the people that are most likely to talk about a product or service - the influencers - and making them aware of new features, benefits, or selling points. If successful, this “seeding” effort initiates a viral marketing phase, in which the influencers share their opinions and experiences with others.”
That’s my job in a nutshell… my job description doesn’t get any more basic. But there is more to it. When seeding, we also have to remember that most of the influencers know they are influencers; they expect some respect, and rightfully so. As pointed out at DHADM in this sobering open letter to viral marketers, bloggers and site editors don’t enjoy being told how or what to post. They’re also smart enough to easily spot fakes, so don’t insult their intelligence: “We’re not autistics that someone planted in front of a computer to post stuff. We’re obviously interested and engaged in the online world, so treating us like rubes won’t do you any favors. Unless negative mentions are what you’re looking for, that is.”
And you really don’t want to piss these guys off. According to this article in PROMO, a recent study released by the Keller Fay Group claims there are 4.5 billion brand mentions a day. “In fact, a mere 15% of the population makes 1.5 billion brand mentions to friends each day…” Intuitively, these are the same people you are seeding, and not all of those brand mentions are positive.
The lesson here, as I see it, is to remember that your audience is more than pageviews and pass-alongs. They’re smart and they’ll see right through any attempt marketers make to pull the wool over their eyes. If your influencers aren’t happy, you’ll never reach your full target market.