Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Remarkably, in a world inundated with the technological means of promoting and propagating an idea to millions, it is ‘Word-of-Mouth’, transferring a message from one person to another, that is singularly the best form of marketing a purpose, project, program, or product. Why? The former is not sticky enough, while the latter is like cotton candy on a summer day.
By now we have all heard the age-old adage that if you have an unpleasant dining experience at a restaurant, you will tell ten people while if you have a favorable meal, you will tell one, or worse: nobody. Contemporary wisdom suggests that ratio is now 100:1. Yikes!
Simply put: If you are desirous of your aforementioned project to propagate; be seen or heard outside your inner sphere of influence, aka friends and family, you’d best enlist your friends and family to share or broadcast their enthusiasm.
(Fun fact: ‘Broadcast’, a word that for centuries referred to sowing a field with seed, was co-opted by the suits on Madison Avenue in the 1920’s to describe the capabilities of radio transmission, forever shifting this tidy and productive word into the less tidy field of marketing.)
History aside, there are several great books that expound upon this concept of word-of-mouth broadcasting and entire courses taught on marketing, in general, at most of the today’s universities. In fact, although marketing is an enormous sector employing tens of thousands of professionals on every continent, many do not, or will not, advise on word of mouth advertising. The answer as to why should be obvious: there are no margins to be found, it is not a profitable way to build a marketing business. However, for the emergent bootstrapping entrepreneur or frugal leader of an efficient NPO word of mouth marketing is an excellent and cost-effective strategy to attract customers and donors!
Indeed, how does one get grandmothers to bellow from their balconies that their grandchildren have discovered the source for the Nile River and that it leads to the mystical Fountain of Youth?
In a word: Experience. They need to experience your product, program, project, or purpose. Which does not necessarily mean they need to drink your novel aromatic rose-infused limoncello to be able to garner the same enthusiasm that a true liqueur connoisseur might have (although it helps!). Instead, it may be sufficient for them to simply understand what makes it unique, what differentiates it from all of the other more established apertif distilleries; which seem to be ubiquitous these days. And, therein lies the unique challenge awaiting an innovative solution.
Taking the above example, a well-worn strategy, (enter stage left beer breweries and wineries), includes opening a tasting room, inviting the public to come and witness your distilling process and taste its byproduct. However, that is not innovative and you need not a consultant to surface that common approach.
Rather, an alternative might include offering to host a tasting for a local charity, making your product part of a signature drink at a fundraising gala or offering an oversized bottle for a silent auction. And, while we’re going down that road less traveled, why not consider co-branding a seasonal edition with a charities’ brand identity (logo), inviting them to sell bottles to their community, splitting the proceeds!
Cause-related marketing (CRM) began in the eighties (1983) with American Express launching a campaign to raise money for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty- raising $1.7 million (by charging only one cent for every transaction) which also, not incidentally, significantly increased card usage!
While CRM has evolved significantly, and many minor brands became major brands by aligning their interests with comparable -and reputable- brands. Today, with awareness of social issues at its zenith, many young people, particularly Millennials and Gen Z’s, prioritize their purchases with brands that exhibit social responsibility, perceiving them as more trustworthy and, well, socially responsible.
Summary: Your teetotaler grandmother does not need to brush her teeth with your zesty lemon liqueur to want to share the news of your product’s launch; your generous and public support of her -and others- favorite charity will give her all the motivation she needs, without the hangover!
Pro tip: Hire a consultant to lead an CRM ‘idea charrette’ (brainstorming session) with your closest advisors and/or constituents. Surface clever ideas, always on-brand, that will ensure grannie is singing your praises from the balcony!
