October 2007 Lawlor Focus
The Power of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
A milestone for the concept of "generating buzz" came in 2004 with the formation of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA). Another came this past summer, as WOMMA's founding CEO Andy Sernovitz, author of Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking, taught what is believed to be the world's first graduate course focused entirely on word-of-mouth marketing. It was hosted by the Integrated Marketing Communications graduate program at Northwestern University's Medill School of Journalism. Within 10 weeks, Sernovitz's students went from knowing very little about viral marketing to conducting real word-of-mouth campaigns for local companies, live and in the field. "It proves a bigger concept about word of mouth, which is that it's something you just do," says Sernovitz. "It's as simple as coming up with great reasons for people to talk, and then having a conversation."
Sernovitz will be a featured speaker at next month's American Marketing Association Symposium for the Marketing of Higher Education, along with Lois Kelly, co-founder of Foghound and author of Beyond Buzz: The Next Generation of Word of Mouth Marketing, who will show how social networking is transforming higher education marketing. "Marketing to teens is changing so rapidly," Kelly notes. "For example, Emily, a family friend, organized her high school graduation party this summer in less than five minutes by posting an invitation on her Facebook wall. A year ago, Emily would have sent her friends a text message. Two years ago, she would have e-mailed them. (E-mail is, like, so over.)"
A study released in August by the National School Boards Association found that 96 percent of students aged 9-17 who have Internet access have used social networking technologies such as chatting, text messaging, blogging or visiting online communities such as Facebook and MySpace. When this data is paired with the findings of a DoubleClick survey that 90 percent of Internet users consider a friend's recommendation to be an important influence when it comes to buying a product or service, the power of word-of-mouth marketing is clear. What's more, Deloitte found that 62 percent of Internet users read product reviews written by other consumers, and that 80 percent of those who read these reviews say the reviews have affected their buying decisions. eMarketer predicts that the percentage of internet users who act as word-of-mouth influencers (those whose advice is sought, trusted and acted upon by consumers) will increase from 16 percent currently to 20 percent by 2011.
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Don't forget that traditional offline communication is still an important component of word-of-mouth marketing (as is the integration of online and offline marketing activities). For example, simple tools like referral cards work well when accompanied by incentives to use them. But recent innovations in word-of-mouth marketing have proceeded hand-in-hand with the rise of Web 2.0 and the interaction it allows. Gone are the days when your web site could function solely as an "information island," as ClickZ's Dave Evans has pointed out. He writes, "Thinking, ‘Our audience is online. We have a web site for them' is no longer sufficient. Instead, it's being present, like air, at the point of the (social) transaction that ensures your customers will use you."
Having this presence requires making information about your institution available inside the social networks that prospective students are already in. That's where word-of-mouth marketing campaigns can thrive. Once you are able to open the flow of dialogue, make sure you provide opportunities on your own web site for prospective students to "talk back"—enable comments on your blogs, give them a widget for their own sites, or post their authentic viral content such as this Tour Guide Song produced by a student at the University of Redlands.
Other word-of-mouth marketing ideas for colleges and universities include:
- Hosting counselor fly-ins. (When people have authentic experiences, they are more likely to tell others about it.)
- Asking for other names from teachers who write references. (Saying "thank you" for their letters of recommendation can also establish the goodwill that leads to word-of-mouth referrals.)
- Adding a "forward to a friend" feature to any e-newsletter or certain e-mail messages and web pages.
- Adding icons such as "Save to del.icio.us" or "Share on Facebook" to news articles, blogs posts, etc., on your web site.
- Utilizing video or Flash to produce electronic holiday cards that can "go viral."
- Making screen savers with campus scenes available for download to computers or cell phones.
- Making your fight song and/or school song available as a ring tone.
In the News: Anatomy of a Buzz Campaign
The Wall Street Journal Online examined "how a blockbuster was born" via word-of-mouth promotion of Elizabeth Gilbert's memoir, Eat, Pray, Love. As a Church of the Customer Blog posting points out, a combination of enlisting the appropriate "evangelists" and making emotional connections with customers and fans propelled sales of more than 1.5 million copies, even though the book's initial printing last year was only 30,000.
Did You Know?
Among U.S. mobile phone users, 43 percent of those aged 18-24 use text messaging daily, compared to 22 percent for ages 25-44, 16 percent for ages 45-54, and 10 percent for ages 55-64. More than two-thirds of adult mobile phone users in the U.S. have phones that allow them to send and receive text messages.
Source: eMarketer
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