Word of Mouth Marketing: Creating Buzz and Engaging Influencers

September 2011Social Media Masters NYC

@wikibrandsSean Moffitt @seanmoffitt

Who is Sean Moffitt….Just A Blonde Guy With a Cause

Agent Wildfire – Canada’s Word of Mouth People

We WoM with these Influencers…

Authored by Sean Moffitt and Mike Dover

Published by McGraw-Hill Link

Twitter: @wikibrands

Facebook group: Wikibrands

Now also a Business Consultancy

Wikibrands - 2011 Booklist Business Book of the Year

“Something you Buy”1850

“Something you Trust”1910

“Something you Want”1950

“Something you Prefer”1980

“Something you Love”2000

“Something you Participate In”

2011

A Premium Brand is Now a Mark of ParticipationWikibrands - There’s a new currency on

how to build business…

Evangelism

Escape

EffiliationExperience

Exchange

EquityEntimate

EstheticsEntegrity Exposed Education

EnnovativeEntertainment

Company-driven User-driven

Basic Drivers

AdvancedDrivers

PremiumDrivers

MissionDrivers

Forget Marketing’s 4Ps…the Wikibrand 13Es

Would you recommend my brand to a friend or

colleague?Well would you?

Web WoM is credible, shareable, action-driving and consideration-driving

Social Business Word of Mouth Social Media

“Word of mouth is social media’s daddy, social business is its granddaddy.”

Social Business Word of Mouth Social Media

Technology and tools are less than 20%

of the deal

“The diffusion of innovation is based more on sociology and psychology than on technology.”

Everett Rogers, 1962- The Diffusion of Innovations

- Word of mouth- Grassroots marketing- Social influence- Customer participation- Digital engagement- Online community- Connected media- Member collaboration- Awesome customer experience- Distributed Content

Equalssuccess in business

Discovering The Ten Continents of the Wikibrand World

The 4 Laws of the Social ‘Net

Awesomeness Socialness AuthenticityCustomer-Driven

There is only one thing in the world worse than being talked about, and that is not being talked about.

Oscar Wilde, The Picture of Dorian Grey

The 1st Law of the Social Net #1 - Awesomeness

September WoM in New York

September WoM in New York

Who were #1, #2 and #3 people to fly across the Atlantic?

Only 1.5% of Tweet conversations…

Are three levels (replies) deep

Only 0.9% of Facebook Users have… More than 500 friends

The Law of Awesomeness Online

Source: Y&R Brand Asset valuator

Top 8 Differentiation

Drivers

1. Unique2. Dynamic3. Different4. Distinctive5. Innovative6. Visionary7. Daring8. Progressive

In a Wikibrand World- Act different, be different, think different

19

19

The 2nd Law of the Social Net #2 - Socialness

To Survive

To Connect

To Make Sense of the World

To Reduce Risk & Uncertainty

To Benefit Economically

To Relieve Tension

Six Core Human Instincts on Why We Talk

– Online Community Motivation – Why Do People Join?

#1 - Social Connection#2 - Shared Community Values/Culture#3 - Expression/Creativity/Venting#4 - Establishing influence with key decision makers#5 - Access to Special Information/Advice#6 - Appealing to Hobbies/Interests#7 - Making a difference/to matter/support a cause

Source: Agent Wildfire 2011 Community Management Survey

1800People

Strength

Me in 1992Me in 2011

150150

2000

5000

3500

8000

4000

X 12

X 12

X 500

X 190

X 170

X 170

X 170

5.4 MillionPeople

Strength

800 X 40

The 3rd Law of the Social Net #3 - Authenticity

You don’t “Do, Kill, Buy, Trade in Social”, YOU LIVE IT

MASS MARKETING

DIRECT MARKETING

SOCIAL INFLUENCE MARKETING

A Culture Change is Required

Top Reasons – Why Now Social Media?

#1 The Need for Authenticity and Transparency -42%

#2 The rise of social networks - 38%#3 Increasing role of wireless/mobile - 35%#4 Customers/people waning attention spans - 25%#5 Media fragmentation - 22%#6 Change in mass marketing effectiveness - 20%

Agent Wildfire -The Buzz Report, April 2010

The 4th Law of The Social ‘Net – Customer-Driven

Executives who believe the Customer

Experience is the new battleground

- 95%

Executives who believe they are

delivering a positive customer experience - 80%

Customers who agree - 8%

Customer Experience Reigns- Who Knows Better Than Your Customer -

• iTunes, Craigslist, Zipcars

Freedom

• Nike, Converse, Jones Soda

Customization

• Amazon, RED, Wikileaks

Scrutiny

• Innocent Drinks, Vans, Trader Joes

Integrity

• John Fluevog, Wikipedia, Doritos

Collaboration

• Red Bull, Axe, YouTube

Entertainment

• Zara, Calvin Klein, Google

Speed

• Toyota, Apple, Netflix

Innovation

The Modern Customer’s Key Needs- Engage Me, Excite Me, Make it Easy or Pay the Price -

Great Brands Are Like Great Sports Teams…

Turning Users, Customers andConsumers

Into Authors, Producers, Scouts, Testers and Collaborators &

Broadcasters

Into True Fans, Community Members, Advocates,

Ambassadors and Evangelists

Thinktank/Sounding

Board

Scout/MysteryShopper

AdvisoryCouncil/Cause

Torchbearer

SeededAdopter/

Beta Tester

Customer

User

Consumer

Collaborator/Producer

Evangelist/Ambassador/

Advocate

CommunityMember/VIP Insider

Brand Fan

The best brands treat customers like valued fans

Customers Fan Brands All the Time…

- 85% of people want companies engaging with their customers in social media

- Twitterers are three times more likely to embrace brands than average population

Where to Start with WOM?

Claire: Oh, we got both kinds. We got Country, and Western.

Elwood: Er.. what kind of music do you usually have here?

Source- Intersection Consulting

WOM Comes in a Few Flavours…

-Buzz – offline

- Viral - online

-Ambassador programs

- Community

-Recommend- ations (direct)

-Badging (indirect)

-Pass along Referrals (direct)

- Social Influence (indirect)

What are the biggest elements to WoM?

Conversation Worthy Idea/Concept?

Great Product/Brand?

Customer Experience?

Audience who participates?

Culture/employees of a company?

Method of interaction?

Incentives for referral?

Strong process?

Creative/design used?

Tools used /platforms built?

Top 10 Ranked WoM ElementsGreat ideas that spread are rare and valuable

#1 Conversation Worthy Idea/Concept*

#2 Great Product/Brand

#3 Customer Experience provided

#4 The Audience who participates*

#5 Culture/employees of a company

#6 Method in which it interacts with its audience

#7 Incentives for referral

#8 Strong process

#9 Creative/design used

#10 Tools used /platforms built*

What the Big Idea?Buzzworthy, Spreadable, Repeatable, Visual, Online/Offline

W

L

I

D

Influencer Recruitment Find, connect and invite the connected, savvy opinion

leaders

Lay the FoundationDevelop the platform, forum and tentacles for content and activity

Deliver an ExperienceOnline, cause-related, event, incentive or VIP experience

WOM

Fan the FlamesRebroadcast content, expand referral, share testimonials

F

R

I

E

Incubate the ConversationOngoing dialogue, moderation, content and incentives

Research and Insight Feedback, analysis, adjustment and action

ExpansionFuel larger geography, portfolio, activity, features and/or scope

WILDFIRE

OVERVIEW:

Processes and ToolsAgent Wildfire – an 8-step

process

Some of these people are not like the others….The Influencer Matters

"We are like chameleons, we take our hue and the color of our moral character, from those who are around us.”

1690 – John Locke

"Who shall set a limit to the influence of a human being?"

"The best efforts of a fine person is felt after we have left their presence.”

1844 – Ralph Waldo Emerson

1991 – Geoffrey Moore

“This consumer is part of the herd. They're word-of-mouth creatures

... They're asking their friends and colleagues, 'Are you using that camera yet? Me, neither.'

But if they ask around and people say, 'Yeah, I use it all the time,' then they'll rethink and try it out.”

The Law of The Few:

“The answer is that the success of any kind of social epidemic is heavily dependent on the involvement of people with a particular and rare set of social gifts.”

Malcolm Gladwell, The Tipping Point 

2002 – Malcolm Gladwell

“The new opportunity is that it's easier than ever to find, organize, and lead a tribe.

The Web has enabled an explosion of all kinds of tribes -- and

…created shortage of people to lead them. This is the growth industry of our time.”

2008 – Seth Godin

The open web has not reduced, but instead, exposed the importance of influencers….

0.7% of Wikipediausers edit…

50% of the articles

1.7% of Wikipediausers author…

70% of the articles

Influencers Answer Questions

2.2% of Twitterusers account for…

58% of the tweets

1.7% of Twitterusers have …

More than 1,000 followers

Influencers Stay on Top of What’s Current

0.7% of Facebook pages have…

More than 100k fans

8.7% of FacebookUsers …

Update their status daily

Influencers Fan, Poke, Pic, Share…

0.8% LinkedIn members …

Visit each day

1% of LinkedIn members…

…are responsible for 34% of the site’s traffic

Influencers Hire and Network

High authority bloggers post …

300x more frequently than low authority bloggers

Only 9% of top blogs…

Get over 10,000 visitors per month

Influencers Generate Lots of Content

13.8% of online population…

…create 80% of the online influence posts

6.2% of online population…

…create 80% of the online influence impressions

Influencers are Big Online

Influence ≠ Followers

Influence ≠ Popularity

Influence is Interest Specific

Influence Can’t Be Peddled

Now we can provide the raw evidence

Brand Advocacy - as a marketer, Influencers are your “people market” multipliers

Brand Buzz - as a media person, Influencers are a grassroots complement and amplifier

Brand Perception – as a PR person, Influencers are game-changing allies

 

Influencers Help Grow Stuff…

Brand Content – as an agency or innovator, Influencers are potential creative partners and crowdsourced sources of solutions and ideas

Brand Insight - as a researcher or innovator, Influencers are a savvy alchemy of outsider wisdom and feedback

Brand Support - as an organization, committed Influencers are extraordinarily effective and valuable brand ambassadors and customer service agents 

Influencers Help Change and Build Stuff…

Should we care? Why do we care?

The marketing influence model is being turned upside down

Influence is not Distributed Equally…

Spreading messages effectively on the social web happens in two steps …

The Influencers

The Crowd

You can’t chase everybody…

“The suggestion that a firm merely needs to participate in a conversation is a little naive.

Microsoft was mentioned 2.5 million times in the blogosphere the previous year, and we have eighty-nine thousand employees.

How can you realistically be expected to operationalize a response to all of them?”

Why are they so damn valuable?

R E C Sx x x

Four sources of Influencer power

Reach Exposure Credibility Suasion

=

R E C Sx x x

Reach – deep and wide circles of influence

Reach Exposure Credibility Suasion

- More intimate/close friends- More colleagues and associates

- More affiliations to groups of interest- More links to other influencers

- More amplification channels of connection

=

R E C Sx x x

Exposure – more opportunity to flex influence

Reach Exposure Credibility Suasion

- Adopt earlier/pay more attention to trends- Exposed to more interests

- Make sense of the world more easily - More prolific content production

- Receive and pass along more recommendations

=

R E C Sx x x

Credibility – they are perceived to be…

Reach Exposure Credibility Suasion

- Better informed- More authoritative- Honest and care

- Relevant and Timely- Accreditized by trusted others

=

R E C Sx x x

Suasion – able to convince the others

Reach Exposure Credibility Suasion

- Passion and commitment to subject/brand/topic- Likability

- Reciprocation and involvement- Expressiveness/strong communication

- Confidence in messenger

=

Who are they?

The Influencers – Word of Mouth Powerbrokers

“The Message Creators” – 1.1% of the population- Creators, The Vanguard, Prosumers, Innovators, Activists, Trailblazers, The Edge, Mavericks

“The Message Radar” – 0.7% of the population- Conversations Starters, Alphas, Coolhunters, In-the-know, Early Adopters, Style hounds, Culture savvy,

“The Message Sellers” – 1.9% of the population-Evangelists, Salespeople, Persuaders, Change agents, Rainmakers, Proselytizers, Bellwethers, The Momentum 

“The Message Credibility” – 3.6% of population- Gatekeepers, Databanks, Authorities, Filters, Gurus, Torture Testers, Filters 

“The Message Magnets” 0.8% of the population- Endorsers, Mega Hubs, High Priests, Fame Magnets, A-Listers

“The Message Spreaders” - 1.8% of population- Organizers, Sneezers, Bees, Social Glue, Converters, Chatterers, Promiscuous, Connectors

Find Your Real Hardcore FansInvite them into The Front Row or On

Stage

Why We Word of Mouth? 36 Reasons

The Short Version - The Three Basic Reasons Why Ideas Spread through Word of Mouth

“It’s Who THEY Are” “It’s WHAT You Do” “It’s Who YOU Are”

10 Audience Attributes 15 Buzz Firestarters 11 Inescapable Traits

ExplicitlyMotivated

Extrinsic-ally

Motivated

Intrinsic-ally

Motivated

The Brand/Product

The Experience

The Person

THE BUILDING BLOCKS OF WORD OF MOUTH

– THE 36 REASONS WHY PEOPLE BUZZ -

Passionate About the Topic

Logo Lovers

Knowledge Seekers

Social Brokers

Altruistic

Self-Expressives

ReciprocityDealers

Ego-Driven

Involved/Committed

$$

Social Currency

Brand Experience

Fame

VIP treatment/Customization

Scarcity

Intimacy

Influence

Visibility

Tight Boundaries

Rallying Cry

Rewards

Expertise

Bite-Sized Participation

Network Effects

Memes

Remarkable/Outrageous

Innovative

The Best At What You Do

Authentic

Liberating/Problem Solving

Trustworthy

Edgy

Likable

Easy to Talk About

Sensory

Ritualistic

Feedback Seekers

The Who

It’s because of them

#1 - Passionate about the topic#2 - Logo Lovers#3 – Knowledge Seekers#4 - Social Brokers#5 – Altruistic#6 – Involved/Committed#7 – Feedback Seekers#8 – Ego-driven#9 – Reciprocity Dealers#10 – Self-Expressives

"Life is either a daring adventure or nothing. – p.s. just survived an intentional parachute failure at

10,000ft”

# 2 – Logo Lovers# 2 – Logo Lovers# 1 – Passionate about The Topic

# 2 – Logo Lovers

“D’OH! The Simpsons’ effect on TV is like the Beatle’s effect on music. We will buy them until they have nothing left to do.”

# 3 – Knowledge Seekers

“Just another day of blowing something up”

# 4 – Social Brokers

“You wanna hug it out?”

# 5 – Altruistic

“Move that bus!”

# 6 – Involved / Committed

“We're not the only people on this island and we alllllll know it!"

# 7 – Seeking Feedback

"What does that mean when the fitness instructors are ahead of the mayors?"

# 8 – Ego Driven

“Show me someone without an ego, and I`ll show you a loser.You’re Fired.”

# 9 – Reciprocity Dealers

“But we can only offer this level of programming with your help.”

# 10 – Self – Expression

“SOME PEOPLE THINK BEAUTY IS SOMETHING YOU'RE BORN WITH......AND NOT SOMETHING YOU CAN CREATE......HOW NAIVE!!!!”

It’s because of what you provide

#11 – Social Currency #12 – Brand Experience(s)#13 – Fame#14 – VIP Treatment/Customization#15 – Scarcity#16 – Influence#17 – Intimacy#18 – Visibility#19 – Tight Boundaries#20 – Rallying Cry#21 – Rewards#22 – Expertise#23 – Bite-Sized Participation#24 – Network Effects#25 – Memes

The What

# 11- Social Currency

“I thought it'd be great, you know? have some time alone with my thoughts... turns out, I don't have as many thoughts as you'd think."

# 12- Brand Experience(s)

“I think it’s really down to the wire, and we’re afraid we’re last.”

# 13 – Fame

“I genuinely believe with all my heart that we have found (a worldwide star) with you.”

# 14 – VIP Treatment / Customization

“Sophie gets what Sophie wants and Sophie is always right”

# 15 – Scarcity

” Watch out—I’m coming to town and I can’t bring all my friends, so I’ve decided to look for a new BFF. I

need a best friend who is hot, who can keep up with me, and most of all, who is real and won’t be a

backstabber.”

# 16 – Influence

“You can only vote for him, you can't actually adopt him. Call now."

# 17 – Intimacy

“Will you accept this rose?”

# 18 – Visibility

“The top 10 CNN heroes -- remarkable everyday people changing the world -- were revealed by CNN's Anderson Cooper. All were nominated by CNN viewers inspired by their hard work and commitment.”

# 19 – Tight Boundaries

“Yeah, I'm obnoxious, yeah, I cut people off, yeah, I'm rude. You know why? Because

you're busy. “

# 20 – Rallying Cause

“And remember you can make a difference…”

# 21- Rewards

“DEAL OR NO DEAL”

# 22 – Expertise

“So now America, with an open heart and an empty stomach, I say unto you in the words of my uncle: Allez cuisine!”

# 23 – Bite-Sized Participation

“There’s no such thing as 110%. It stops at 100.”

# 24 – Network Effects

“Books were my pass to personal freedom. I learned to read at age three, and soon discovered there was a whole world to conquer that went beyond our farm in Mississippi.”

# 25 – Memes

“No soup for you! There was shrinkage! Vanderlet Industries! Man hands

The bro and manziere. Happy Festivus. Yada, yada, yada.”

It’s because of who you are

#26 - Innovative#27 –Remarkable/ Outrageous#28 – The Best at What You Do#29 – Authentic#30 – Liberating/ Problem Solving #31 - Edgy#32 – Trustworthy#33 – Likable#34 – Easy to Talk About#35 – Ritualistic#36 - Sensory

# 26 – Innovative

"The following takes place between ??:?? and ??:?? pm"

# 27 – Remarkable/Outrageous

“What's the quickest you've ever knocked anyone out? 18 seconds including the ten-count. I think you're gonna break that today. “

# 28 – The Best At What You Do

“That was unbelievable.”

# 29 – Authentic

“This is NOT fashion camp!”

# 30 – Liberating / Problem Solving

“Dead body, Bonus!”

# 31 – Edgy

“Move forward. This never happened. It will shock you how much it never happened”

# 32 – Trustworthy

“I understand that you want to make finance entertaining, but it's not a f***king game”

# 33 – Likeable

“Just go up to somebody on the street and say "You're it!" and then run away.”

# 34 – Easy To Talk About

“You’re engaged ?”

# 35 – Ritualistic

“The belief in a supernatural source of evil is not necessary. Men alone are quite capable of every wickedness.”

# 36 – Sensory

“Who will speak for Planet Earth?”

Summary - The 36 Reasons Why People Word of Mouth

It’s because of them

It’s because of what you provide

It’s because of who you are

#1 - Passionate about the topic#2 - Logo Lovers#3 – Knowledge Seekers#4 - Social Brokers#5 – Altruism#6 – Involved/Committed#7 – Feedback Seekers#8 – Ego-driven#9 – Reciprocity Dealers#10 – Self-Expression

#11 – Social Currency #12 – Brand Experience(s)#13 – Fame#14 – VIP Treatment/Customization#15 – Scarcity#16 – Influence#17 – Intimacy#18 – Visibility#19 – Tight Boundaries#20 – Rallying Cause#21 – Rewards#22 – Expertise#23 – Bite-Sized Participation#24 – Network Effects#25 – Memes

#26 - Innovative#27 –Remarkable/ Outrageous#28 – The Best at What You Do#29 – Authentic#30 – Liberating/ Problem Solving #31 - Edgy#32 – Trustworthy#33 – Likable#34 – Easy to Talk About#35 – Ritualistic#36 - Sensory

The best preparation? The top ideas? The right squad? The golden touch?

Avoiding the potholes? Building relationships?

30 Hard-Won Tips to WoM

#1-5 Live in the tribe ….

- Find your lifestyle target, read their content, listen to their exchanges

- Make a scouting report about their likes, dislikes and interest

- Know who they hang with

- Link to their content, credit their work

- Go easy - Make a friendly first connection

•Face to face

•Video chat•Phone call•Chat service (AIM, Skype)

•E-mail

•Facebook message

•Facebook wall post

•TweetLowest engagementGreatest reach

Highest engagementLowest reach

Are you listening to me?

#6- Understand desired level and degree of engagement that they want and you can support

#7-11 Get a Buzzworthy WoM-able Idea• Is your idea in the top 1% of awesome, socialable, authentic and customer-driven concepts you’ve ever seen?

• Does it combine your brand traits, with motivating activities and a primed audience?

• Does it max out on one of the 36 reasons why people word of mouth (and three of them on a secondary basis)

• Does the experience and follow up match the promise that’s been set up? Does your buzz have longevity?

• Does it live offline and online?

#12-15 Do You Have The Right Team….• Do they have adequate levels of reach, exposure, credibility and suasion?

• Are you grabbing the right type and combination of influencer (tastemaker, trendspotter, opinion leader, expert, social ringleader, celebrity) at the right time and motivation?

• Do they feel connected to your brand or mission for reasons beyond the freebie – social connection, shared values, ability to express?

• Do you truly know who the top 100 (small business), 1000 (mid-sized) or 10,000 (big) of them are for your business?

#16-20 Treat Influencers like VIPs….

• Tell them stuff the general public doesn’t know yet/give them experiences that aren’t publicly accessible

• Celebrate their talents and the new tribe they’re in

• Let them know “why” they’ve been chosen

• Involve them in what you’re doing, before you do it

• Make them look good to others

#21-25 Don’t be a burden…flirt before you go steady

• Be clear about what’s involved – no strings attached

• Give them tools and forums to make their participation easy

• Set up content so that is easily shareable and customizable

• Thank them, regardless of outcome

• Get the most passionate, progressively more involved

#26-30 Invest in Success – A Commitment not a Campaign

• Keep effort fresh along the way – new stuff min. every 4 weeks

• Provide unexpected surprises along the way

• Create milestones, celebrate upon achievement

• Expand/tier/refresh circle of influencers over time

• Offer opportunities to certify and officialize their link to the brand

130

Never Forget – Humans are Hard Wired Social and Influential Animals

They crave things that are awesome, social, authentic and customer-driven to talk about…

Some among us will talk a lot more than others…

Let’s Start The Conversation…

Inquire: sean@wiki-brands.comsmoffitt (at) agentwildfire.com

Phone: 416-255-4500 x226

URL: www.wiki-brands.com

Blogs: http://BuzzCanuck.typepad.com/

Explore: The Buzz Report (e-newsletter)Signup at www.AgentWildfire.com

Learn: Executive Seminars