Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing

Description

Learn to capitalize on online word of mouth, leverage its power, and measure results of your initiatives

Savvy, strategic, and right on time, Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing is the essential guide for any company or organization needing to understand the dynamics of online word of mouth. This powerful book will coach you to identify your own set of online influencers, craft the stories that will resonate with your consumers, and spread messages through cybercitizens who are social media experts.

Guides you to identify and engage your online influencers to manage your reputation, promote your brands, and sell your products

Reveals how word of mouth disperses online

Explores strategies for your organization to engage its online advocates, tap into networks, and to mobilize the masses

Explains how to design online word of mouth campaigns

Includes measurement tools to gauge the impact word of mouth campaigns

Filled with case studies, research, and check lists, this invaluable guide will definitively show you how to leverage the power of online advocates to pass along stories, deliver recommendations, and draw people to purchasing points.

---

Preface.Acknowledgments.Part I: Understanding Online Word of Mouth.Chapter 1. The Need for Word of Mouth Information.Trust in Media.

The Rise of Social Media.

Online Word of Mouth.

Chapter 2. The Web Advantage.The Power Line.

The Dell Turnaround.

Thoughts on AOL.

Hoboken Online.

Transportation Security Administration. 

TSA Hears the Laughing Squid.

The Frozen Pea Fund.

Helping Earthquake Victims.

Tsunami Wikis.

Notes.

Part II: Finding Networking Agents.Chapter 3. How to Find Networking Agents.Assessing Online Influence.

Reach.

Relevance.

Authority.

Advocacy.

Comments.

Offline Roles.

Notes.

Chapter 4. Tapping Into the Power of Networking Agents.Screening for Networking Agents.

Building Conversation Forums.

Joining Conversation Forums.

Notes.

Chapter 5. Earning Networking Agents’ Trust.Accepting Reviews and Suggestions.

Being Responsive.

Providing Conversation Materials.

Addressing Problems Head On.

Being Available.

Notes.

Part III: Communicating with Networking Agents.Chapter 6. Crafting Messages for Networking Agents.Telling a Newsworthy Story.

We Can Blend Chuck Norris and Your Shoes.

One in Six of Us Do Not Have Water.

Creating an Engaging Process.

Downloading and Touching Applications.

Running – For the Love of It.

Creating an Image Online.

Monkeying around at Work.

Offering Value.

Share Your Knowledge.

Let Networking Agents Take the Stage.

Appeal with a Cause.

Notes.

Chapter 7. Reading the Message Environment.Tapping into the Public Sentiment.

Revealing the Unknown.

Challenging Status Quo.

Infiltrating Networks.

Following the Audience.

Making It Easy to Pass Along and Share.

Notes.

Chapter 8. Keeping in Touch with Networking Agents.Need for Relationship Platforms.

Sampling through Word of Mouth Panels.

Product Development through Online Communities.

Fueling Word of Mouth on Popular Social Networks.

Creating Multiple Touch Points.

Networking on the Go.

Guidelines for Long-Term Engagement.

Ask for Permission and Create a Contact List.

Communicate with Your Networking Agents on a Regular Basis.

Solicit Feedback.

Encourage Peer-to-Peer Activity.

Celebrate Wins and Success Stories that Emerge from the Community.

Bring Utility and Deliver Value.

Commit to a Long-term Plan.

Notes.

Chapter 9. Delivering on Promises to Networking Agents.Turning Negative Buzz into Positive Buzz.

Comcast Cares.

Norton Brand Advocates.

Online Reviews Propel Sales.

Probe, Fix, and Communicate.

Notes.

Part IV: Creating Online Word of Mouth Campaigns.Chapter 10. Helping Networking Agents Spread your Messages.Building Online Communities.

Who to Recruit?

How Many Members to Recruit?

How to Engage?

What Does Engagement Yield?

Customer Loyalty and Incremental Revenue.

New Products, Services, and Partnerships.

Conversation and Connectivity.

How to Maintain Online Communities.

What Should the Incentive Be?

How to Quantify Success.

Notes.

Chapter 11. Building a Social Media Campaign.Set up Shop and Create a Base in Social Media.

Understand What Matters to People and Acknowledge Current Events.

Update Your Content Regularly.

Stick to Your Topic of Expertise.

Inform Networks and Lead Them to Action.

Notes.

Chapter 12. Measuring Reach and Impact of Online Word of Mouth.Designing a Measurement Plan.

Before the Campaign.

During the Campaign.

After the Campaign.

Methods.

Desktop Keyword Searches.

Online Monitoring Analyses.

Audience Surveys.

Web Activity Reports.

Measures.

Reach.

Relevance.

Outcome.

Metrics.

Reach Metrics.

Relevance Metrics.

Outcome Metrics.

Notes.

Epilogue: The Future.Appendix: An Assessment Worksheet.Stating Your Mission.

Conducting Your Research.

Preparing Your Message.

Delivering Your Message.

Managing Online Relations.

Measuring Impact.

Index.Idil M. Cakim is Vice President of Inter-active Media at GolinHarris, a global public relations firm. She served on the board of the Word of Mouth Marketing Association, whose members include Dell, Microsoft, Hilton, Amway Global, 1-800-Flowers, and the AARP. She regularly publishes articles in business magazines and trade publications on social media and word- of-mouth strategies and has been quoted as an expert in online communications in the New York Times, the Financial Times, Harvard Business Review, CNet News, the Chicago Tribune, and other media.

---

Put online word of mouth to work right away for your organization! Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing coaches you through every step, from identifying your own set of online influencers to crafting the stories that will resonate with your consumers and spreading messages through cybercitizens who are social media experts. Filled with case studies and best practices, this timely book delivers smart social media plans, relevant examples, and cost-effective tactics you can use immediately.

Written by social media expert Idil Cakim, this revolutionary book shows you how to:

• Use the Web to find, gather, and spread information
• Spot online conversation leaders, earn their trust, and start long-term relations with them
• Launch word-of-mouth programs
• Understand social and cultural trends
• Dialogue effectively with your audience
• Transform cybercitizens into advocates
• Compel influencers to pass along word-of-mouth messages
• Measure the impact of word of mouth during and after communication programs

Today, blogs and social networks are popular. Tomorrow, people will rush to more advanced online platforms. Those who can act as networking agents and harness the Internet’s power in connecting people with resources will be tomorrow’s success stories. Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing deftly reveals how your organization can leverage the power of online advocates to prepare, launch, and sustain successful online word-of-mouth marketing programs.

---

Praise for Implementing Word of Mouth Marketing

“Packed with solid and practical advice, this book presents a systematic approach to stimulating online word-of-mouth. It’s insightful, readable, and, most important, useful! Read it and tell your friends.”
—Emanuel Rosen, author of The Anatomy of Buzz Revisited

“Whether growing a small business, rallying the masses around a cause, or protecting an established brand’s reputation, readers will find the strategies and tactics they need in this book. Cakim shows how to jump-start and fuel online word-of-mouth programs.”
— Pauline Ores, Principal Consultant, Market Insights & Innovation, IBM Corporation

“Cakim gets it—and always has! Great word of mouth starts with basics like product quality and customer service. Her book is a treasure trove of ‘get started now’ suggestions on how to better serve consumers, and their most genuine, authentic, and meaningful stories.”
—Pete Blackshaw, Executive Vice President, Digital Strategic Services, Nielsen Online

---

Additional information