Beware of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
ORLANDO, Fla. – From water-cooler conversations about American Idol to once-popular-but-quickly-forgotten products like Beanie Babies, what makes consumers talk about some brands and not others? One study by the Keller Fay Group, a word-of-mouth market research company, revealed that over 32 million consumers are considered WOM leaders and generate 1.5 times more conversation about products than a normal consumer. As the emphasis on word-of-mouth marketing increases are there secrets to harnessing the power of word-of-mouth marketing?
Marketing expert and partner at Nonbox Consulting, BJ Bueno believes the answer resides in the kind of experiences a product or service creates for a customer. His latest release, Why We Talk: The Truth Behind Word-of-Mouth (Creative Crayon Publishers, February 2007, ISBN: 0971481539, $24.95), provides seven principles to creating amazing customer experiences–the kind of experiences that prompt customers to talk. Most marketers have focused on WHAT people talk about but have ignored WHY people talk. Based on extensive research into psychology, marketing, and consumer behavior, Why We Talk explores what motivates consumers to spread the word about a company and its products.
“Perhaps the most important skill in business is not strategic planning, or marketing savvy, or risk management, or investment analysis. Rather it is simply the ability to LISTEN,” says Darryl Cobbin, Chief Marketing Officer and Vice President at Boost Mobile. “Why We Talk compellingly and elegantly illuminates why listening to your customers with your eyes, your heart, and your instincts is more important than listening exclusively with your ears.”
As a guest, Bueno can discuss:
- How to generate authentic product gossip
- The seven principles to sparking customer conversations
- Why hiring “fake fans” does not work
- How to successfully deliver your message in our “hypersonic-word-of-mouth world”
Bueno is the co-author of the popular marketing book, The Power of Cult Branding, which received rave reviews from leading marketing mavens like Al Reis, Jay Conrad Levinson and Jeffrey Fox. Bueno is also a partner in Nonbox Consulting, a consumer insight think tank located in Orlando, Fla. He is a member of the Retail Advertising & Marketing Association (RAMA) and is on the board of the Chief Marketing Officers (CMO) for top international retailers. He has advised companies like Kohl’s Department Store, LA Lakers, Thomas Nelson Publisher, Scheels, and the Magic of David Copperfield. Bueno currently lives in Orlando, Fla.
For more information about Why We Talk: The Truth Behind Word-of-Mouth, please visit cultbranding.com/blog.