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Working the Wonders of Word-of-Mouth Marketing Megan L. Bruch Marketing Specialist Direct Farm Marketing for Success VII: Using Advertising to Your Farm’s Advantage March 2014
Working the Wonders of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Megan L. BruchMarketing Specialist
Direct Farm Marketing for Success VII: Using Advertising to Your Farm’s Advantage
March 2014
About this session
▪ What is it?
▪ Why should you care?
▪ Strategies
What is word of mouth marketing?
▪ Passing of information about a brand, product or service between a non-commercial communicator and a receiver (WOM)
▪ (WOMM) actively influenced or encouraged by organizations
▪ eWOM – involves passage of information using the Internet
Why is it so valuable?
▪ Credible
▪ “Free”/Relatively low cost
▪ Reach far and wide
Why can it be so hurtful?
▪ Credible
▪ “Free”/Relatively low cost
▪ Reach far and wide
United Breaks Guitars Example
▪ Posted on YouTube on July 6, 2009▪ 150,000 views in 1 day▪ By July 9 – 1 million hits▪ Mid-August – 5 million▪ Feb. 2011 – 10 million▪ March 2014 – 13.79 million▪ Multiple songs, videos, a book, speaking tour
“Your brand is only as good as what people say about it.”
- Paul Jankowski, Contributor to Forbes- http://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/201
3/03/13/4-tactics-to-build-your-word-of-mouth/
“Successful Word of Mouth requires strategic thinking and serious work.”
- Paul Jankowski, Contributor to Forbes- http://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/201
3/03/13/4-tactics-to-build-your-word-of-mouth/
Provide quality customer service!
Why Customers Quit
▪ 14% are dissatisfied with the product
▪ 9% leave for competitive reasons
▪ 5% develop another loyalty
▪ 3% move away
▪ 68% quit because of an attitude, indifference, or rudeness toward them by the owner, manager, or some employee
When You Don’t ProvideQuality Service
▪ They complain (complainers).
▪ They don’t come back (non-complainers).
When You Don’t Provide Quality Service
You may have more dissatisfiedcustomers than you think.
• 96% of unhappy customers will not complain.• For every unhappy customer who complains, 24 others
don’t!
But they tell others!
10-20 others!
Likely Coming in 2014
Target influencers and Recruit cheerleaders
Who are influencers?
▪ Key customers▪ Media▪ Public figures▪ Bloggers
▪Make a list of your key influencers
Example of Methods to Target Influencers
▪ Teachers who come to special event early in the season get something free▪ Free admission, free t-shirt▪ Promotional materials for them and friends▪ Get contact information
Example of Methods to Target Influencers
▪ Host teacher in-service at the farm ▪ Incorporate a farm tour▪ Provide promotional materials
Example of Methods to Target Influencers
▪ Host special grand opening preview for mommy bloggers▪ Give free pass, gift certificate or coupons for
future▪ Give promotional materials▪ (One farm did this and had 30 mommies plus
kids. Generated social media traffic.)
Example of Methods to Target Influencers
▪ Mommy blogger event example▪ Discovered “lead” mommy blogger▪ Searched online for bloggers and looked at who had
the most followers▪ Paid her to get other mommy bloggers to event▪ Participants had to check in with her▪ Gave all gift package▪ Asked them to submit a link to their blog about
the farm on the farm’s Facebook page▪ Made special offer to blogger readers
Example of Methods to Target Influencers
▪ Deliver product to the newspaper office, radio station or TV station
▪ Invite media or public officials to judge or participate in a contest
Ask for and incorporate testimonials
▪ Ask customers to report experiences on sites such as Yelp and TripAdvisor
▪ Ask them to post on social media sites
▪ Ask if you can put quote on Website
Develop a strong social media community
Try to generate more comments, likes and shares
▪ Post pictures!
▪ Win it Wednesday, Throwback Thursday, Farm Fun Friday
▪ Ask questions
▪ Run contests (check rules)
Try to generate more comments, likes and shares
▪ Post how to’s with pictures of the finished product▪ Recipes▪ Decorating ideas▪ Landscaping ideas▪ Craft ideas
Incorporate calls to action in e-mails and social media
▪ Posts with photos get most likes/shares▪ Ask people to please▪ Like▪ Share▪ Pin▪ Retweet▪ Forward
Become an expert
Share your expertise
▪ Be knowledgeable about product, production, uses and benefits
▪ Share your knowledge▪ Website▪ Blog▪ Social Media▪ News Articles▪ Speaking engagements▪ Demonstrations
Bring a friend or Refer a friend promotions
Bring a friend incentives
▪ Bring a friend who has never been to the farm before get something free▪ Example – a free coffee for each
▪ Give customers a coupon to pass on to a friend
Refer-a-friend discount
▪ When a friend completes their first purchase▪ Save $$ off your next purchase▪ Receive a free gift
Do something nice
Do something nice
▪ Provide items for fundraiser such as silent auction
▪ Provide fundraiser opportunities through product sales to groups
▪ Host an event on the farm for a group▪ Chamber of Commerce, Civic Club, etc.
“ALWAYS be honest—The success of Word of Mouth marketing depends on customer’s trust of the brand. ”
- Paul Jankowski, Contributor to Forbes- http://www.forbes.com/sites/pauljankowski/201
3/03/13/4-tactics-to-build-your-word-of-mouth/
Megan L. BruchMarketing Specialist
https://ag.tennessee.edu/[email protected]
Working the Wonders of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
