WOMM, or Word of Mouth Marketing, is what people are talking about… Literally.  Why you ask? With all the messaging out there, it is harder than ever to cut through the clutter and get your customers’ attention. WOMM, first and foremost, has one of the highest ROIs of any medium. It’s essentially free advertising (and who doesn’t like to get something for nothing…) in the form of a testimonial from an existing client who is marketing your company to a person who trusts their opinion. In turn, they now trust you! Genius!! So what is WOMM exactly and how do you leverage it?

Vocus presented a PDF from Ted Wright of Fizz Corp. recently, discussing WOMM in detail. I’ve taken the liberty of highlighting some key points below:

• People trust others – 68% trust other people “like themselves”
• That trust extends to product advice – 92% cite WOMM as best source for product ideas
• People talk and do so frequently – 112 marketing relevant conversations per person occur per week
• The majority of WOM conversations are occurring offline – 71% of conversations are face-to-face

So what is the recipe for WOMM success?

• Identify a “leadership” group
• Find the talkers
• Give them something to talk about
• Create the tools to get the movement started
• Allow people to join the movement
• Measure results

Let’s give ‘em something to talk about, let’s talk about WOMM!

I have been on Twitter for exactly 24 hours. For those of you who know me, this is asking a LOT. It’s true that I have been painstakingly slow to the social media uptake. I started (and stopped) with LinkedIn almost 2 years ago. About 6 months prior I began to Digg and just last month I posted my first blog. But joining Twitter has truly felt like braving a new world…

My experience first and foremost has been fascinating! Yesterday we commented on if social media is right for B2B companies. It really is the wave of the marketing future – but intimidating nonetheless. What should I tweet? Who should I follow? Who’s following me and WHY?!?! What if I let the twitter-sphere down with a terrible tweet? And how in the world do I upload a profile pic?! Perhaps some of you share my sentiments (or you’re tweeting this to your friends as a joke…) Nevertheless, social media CAN be daunting. But it IS necessary and once you get the hang of it, it can actually be fun, not to mention profitable!

If you’re a twitter-phobe (like me) follow these quick tips to your first tweet:

1. Sign up (It SOUNDS simple enough, but this is half the battle)
2. Import contacts from your other accounts (email, Facebook, LinkedIn)
3. Fill out your profile (add a bio and picture)
4. TWEET

And finally, follow me @aliciamfranks

Tweet ya later!

Facebook: It started as a social experiment by a college kid and his friends (we’ve all heard the Zuckerberg story, and soon, we can watch it!). Now, it is powerful, huge and definitely here to stay for at least the next 5 years (really, who knows what’s going to happen after that?). But, Facebook is no longer just about college kids and chatting with friends. Facebook has become the new it place for businesses to build branding and reach out to their customer base. By the thousands, companies are setting up groups and fan (like) pages in order to have one more way to send messages and reach out to customers, and potential customers.

While there are many just taking the leap and going head first, many are unsure of what to do. It is intimidating to take the leap into something new, especially when there are so many businesses already doing it – many very well, and many, not so much. The ones that do it well have found great results – even without having to create completely custom FBML coding. A great example of page with tons of fans, tons of comments and a simple page? Buffalo Wild Wings! With over 2 million fans, they are really doing something right. They run contests, ask questions, people share pictures and have created a really awesome community. While I can’t tell you if it has improved their business fiscally, I have a hard time believing it hasn’t had at least some effect!  But not everyone can (or will) do this.

It is because of the fear of failure, and the desire to succeed that we are often asked the question: How do I know if I need a Facebook Business page?

So, we have put together a list of 10 reasons your business might want a facebook business page. These reasons are fairly basic, as need to be delved into much further before actually making the leap, but they give you an idea.

1. You sell a consumer product.
2. You sell a service that is tangible.
3. You create something people like to share.
4. You are in an industry that people get involved.
5. You have a business that people can gather around.
6. You want to create a feeling of community around a subject.
7. You want to open lines of communication.
8. You want a place to share with your audience.
9. You want to give away prizes and specials.
10. You understand that people want access to you.

As I mentioned, not all businesses are right for facebook pages. It takes the desire and effort combined in order to make it work. You must dedicate time and energy to build it, just as you would any other marketing tool!

Do you have a facebook business page? Does it work for you?

Last week, I mentioned that I would be testing out foursquare for a week and then reporting back on what I thought. According to my feed, during my test week I checked in at:
@Kohl’s (2 days ago)
@Unveiled Fitness (3 days ago)
@Sushilicious (4 days ago)
@Mission Viejo Post Office (5 days ago)
@Unveiled Fitness (6 days ago)
@Starbucks (6 days ago)
@The Corner Bakery (6 days ago)
@Starbucks Coffee (1 week ago)
@Trader Joe’s (1 week ago)

While it may seem like a small list, this really is everywhere that I went in one week that I could check in at. I don’t go out a ton, I work from home, and only have one day a week where I am in meetings. My schedule makes it hard for me to visit a ton of places, but I did visit enough places to see how it works. Here are just a few of my impressions:

1. It isn’t really beneficial to anyone who doesn’t visit places a lot. None of the places I visited offered any “first timer” rewards, I didn’t get a thank you from anyone for checking in and I kind of felt like I was just saying I was there for no reason other than to say I was there.
2. I didn’t meet anyone new at the locations because I said I was there, and the tips that were given from people who had been there before were not anything more than “try the x drink” or “go to the place next door for x”. I didn’t feel like it opened up conversation.
3. I understand the value rewards based on visitation for the frequent travelers or those who visit the same coffee shops/restaurants a lot…but, I don’t see why this has to be done through foursqaure. Most of these companies are already on twitter, and with just a little work, it would be easy to figure out who is visiting your stores. Reward them on twitter, where it is public and more people can see it rather than on another tool that people have to use. I am all for simplicity and organization, and foursquare just seems like overkill and a waste of time.
4. It is just one more site in an already over crowded world of social media. And not one that I find valuable personally.

Have you used foursquare? What are your thoughts?

1. Not only is this ad gorgeously done, but it became a part of pop culture, different than what all the other alcohol companies were doing.
2. It is an ultra premium brand using an ultra premium artist.
3. Was it successful? I would say so, Absolut was just sold to Pernod Ricard for $8.3 billion.

Let’s start with a quick list of the most popular marketing tools:

• Print marketing in magazines and newspapers
• Television ads
• Radio ads
• Social networks (twitter, facebook, linkedin, youtube)
• Blogging
• Web (adwords, banner ads, etc)
• Direct mail
• Cold calling

The marketing tools you should use are directly correlated to what you want your marketing to do. By this I mean, if you want millions of people to see it, you need to make a statement and money is no object, TV ads may be for you. If you have a budget and need people to understand more about you, to learn before they buy, blogging and social media are probably a better solution. If your services only benefit a very specific group of individuals, combining direct mail and cold calling may be just what the marketing doctor ordered.

Today, we want you to take a step back from your busy schedule for just 5 minutes and answer these 5 questions about your marketing strategy.

1. Which tools do you use to market your business?
2. Are those the most appropriate for your business strategy or are those just the tools you’ve been using?
3. Are they bringing you more business than you can handle?
4. Do you wonder what else is out there to market your business?
5. Should you choose a new strategy or tools?

Don’t forget to share your results in the comments!