Generate Buzz Online and Offline

Going back to the old-school word-of-mouth marketing: Share Magnet and Street Teams

      We have entered into the digital age…yet, the best advice Li and Bernoff can give us is to focus on word of mouth marketing? I thought we were moving forward here with the groundswell but it seems as though we needs to go back to old-school marketing tricks. “Word of mouth is a powerful amplifier of brand marketing marketing,achieving results no media campaign can achieve”. Word of mouth marketing succeeds because it’s believable, self-enforcing and self-spreading. 

     After watching that video, it’s hard to disprove that this form of marketing is the most credible and believable. For more information, you should check out WOMMA, a non-profit organization dedicated to advancing and advocating the discipline of credible word of mouth marketing. They believe that it is a solution to business challenges and a key component in the creation of Talkable Brands. If you were a brand, wouldn’t you want online communities raving about your product? Of course! The reason why word of mouth marketing is so effective is because you are building up your brand’s list of loyal customers. Loyal customers who are enthusiastic about your product become brand ambassadors who will share powerful positive opinions with the online world. Let's learn more about Share Magnet...

     Share Magnet brings advertisers and customers together with the power of sharing. It relies on its users to spread advertisements with word-of-mouth advertising. Advertisers can set up a "magnet" which is a link that goes to their website. 90% of consumers trust peer recommendations! Users get paid a small amount per click. Share Magner is an advertising platform that brings together businesses ("advertisers") that create ads ("magnets"), with individuals who are willing to share those ads on their social media networks ("sharers"). Share Magnet's is clever by capitalizing on the popularity of social media and the amount of time we spend on it sharing information with each other. This sharing is advertising for them and they are willing to pay us for it! I would love to get paid to do what I love doing: sharing my interests with other online.

Clever brands have discovered ways to excite their existing customers, who in turn market to brand for this company. Getting your existing customers to identify personally with the brand is always the best way to start. Li and Bernoff argued that smart companies would design strategies and choose technologies that match the relationships they already had, and provided ways for their customers to extend those relationships. Spartan Race is an obstacle course racing company that is fully dedicated to social media marketing. Their product is experience-based, which means that every racer undoubtedly has the potential to become their best marketer. My boyfriend and I race with Spartan Race and promote their brand online through my facebook statuses, tweets or instagram photos. Spartan Race extended the whole idea of word of mouth marketing by encouraging people to join their ‘street team’. As part of their street team, you promote their brand in local communities by encouraging people to “step out of their comfort zone, lead healthier lives and ultimately try a Spartan Race’. An active street team spreads the Spartan message. Social media is a platform for affordable marketing strategies, but at the same time, what can be done online should also be translatable offline, and then into sales! 

Word of mouth marketing is powerful! Energize your customers and they will become your most loyal customers and your best marketers. Energizing will lead to embracing, whereby relationships between brand and customer deepen. Just a friendly caution note: tread carefully as the groundswell “leads you to a space where you’re less and less in control of your own business”.

Please share your thoughts, comments or questions.