How to use the most effective form of marketing-word of mouth

In business, we talk about "effectiveness" a lot. And, of course, we use it in different ways; it's got different levels of meaning. When we're talking about marketing and word of mouth and effectiveness, though, we're pretty much talking about the supreme and highest meaning of the word in the business world. Why? Well, let's consider a few reasons.

1. Marketing covers a pretty broad range of issues. It's not just commercials, advertising, etc., it's how you, as a businessperson, relate to the market as a whole. The beauty of word of mouth marketing is that it not only covers a wide range of marketing concerns, it won't cost you a penny in the process.

2. When people talk about a thing they like, they generally go on about it. That is, they talk about it for quite a while; they get more information in than your average television commercial or magazine advertisement. The person they're talking to is hearing about your product, prices, customer service, and so forth, all in one blow, and, best of all, from someone they trust. They're getting information that normally you'd have to deliver in a variety of ways, and at some cost as well, in something as simple, single, and safe as a conversation between friends.

3. So, that being the case, how does a businessperson use this most effective of all marketing tools? It's fine enough to talk about how fantastic it is-but how do you actually get a customer to talk excitedly to their friends and family about what you do?

4. The first step in getting a decent word of mouth marketing campaign going is, perhaps, blatantly obvious, but oftentimes it's the blatantly obvious things we overlook when discussing the most important matters. If you want word of mouth to work in your favor, you've got to give your customer something favorable to talk about. "Favorable" here means-the basics. Quick, friendly customer service. A useful and needed and endurable product. Great deals, customer loyalty rewards, immediate customer feedback. In other words, you've got to put together a basic package of things that are universally desired by consumers. Do that, and your word of mouth marketing campaign has begun.

5. Now, let's say that you've got this package basically already in place. You've got great customer service, you've got a great product, etc. Now what? What can you do to increase the amount of word of mouth marketing going on regarding your business?

6. This is where a good, creative marketing team comes in. This is where being keyed into public concerns, politics, cultural trends, and so on comes in. These are things you should take advantage of in your marketing campaign. In other words, you've got to give your customers something extra to talk about it, something topical, something of immediate interest and import. You've got the foundation laid, you've got what doesn't change, what shouldn't change, in place. Now you've got to start dealing with the things that do change, the things that seem to change from moment to moment at times.

7. Let's say, for example, that an oil tanker crashes on the Great Mississippi and the country's hopping mad about it. Oil on everything, oil killing the fish, oil killing the plants, oil killing the little ragged barefoot boys on homemade rafts. What could you do to kick your word of mouth marketing campaign into high gear here? Get involved! Give discounts to clean-up volunteers, hand out free T-shirts and sweaters to all volunteer workers and non-volunteer workers on the Great Mississippi Oil Disaster of '07. These T-shirts, of course, would proclaim the "clean up!" message as well as your company logo.

8. These are just a few ideas when it comes to word of mouth marketing campaigns. Invest a little time and energy and creativity into generating ideas ideally formed for your company, and watch the profits roll in.