social media masters kc

Word of Mouth Marketing: Creating Buzz and Engaging Influencers

October 2011Social Media Masters KC

@wikibrands#smm2011

Sean Moffitt @seanmoffitt

SAM FIORELLA Vs.

KLOUT

“WoM is the Holy Grail”

Believe word of mouth is credible

Number of Brand Conversations Every Week

Will buy based on WoM/solely on WoM

112

92%

67%/19%

Source: Keller Fay/Agent Wildfire, 2010/11

“Online WoM is the 385x385 Friend Howitzer”

What’s are You Word of Mouthing About?

Awesome? Social? Authentic? Customer-focused?

Moneyball Knows…

Reframing the Game“Your goal shouldn't be to buy players. Your goal should be to buy wins. In order buy wins, you need to buy runs.”

Thinking Differently“We are card counters at the blackjack table. And we're gonna turn the odds on the casino."

Tough Stuff- Word of Mouth (WoM) – Delicious Blend of Customer-Based

Creativity and Business Savvy

I Used To Be The Marketing Suit….

Word of Pint Word of MomWord of Canuck

“I’m now the T-Shirt”Agent Wildfire – Canada’s Word of Mouth People

Since 2004

We Word of Mouth (WoM) with these Influencers…’WoM is Very Category Specific”

So we wrote a book …Wikibrands – Intersection of Digital T-Shirts and

Brand Suits

2011 Launch by McGraw-Hill

Twitter: @wikibrands

Website: www.Wiki-Brands.com

Richard Florida, Best Selling Author,“A must read for business leaders”

Don Tapscott, Digital pioneer and author, Wikinomics

“This is an important, perhaps seminal book”

What?A study of top 100 engaged brands and business

How?A 10 step roadmap for business success in digital spaces

Tired of Platitudes? - How Does Good Business Put Their Social

Pants On…

Evangelism

Escape

EffiliationExperience

Exchange

Equity Entimate

EstheticsEntegrity Exposed Education

EnnovativeEntertainment

Company-driven User-driven

Basic Drivers

AdvancedDrivers

PremiumDrivers

MissionDrivers

“Forget Marketing’s 4Ps…Embrace the Wikibrand 13Es”

Would you recommend my brand to a friend or

colleague?Well would you?

Do brands even belong in social spaces?

Top 100 Twitter Pages?

16

Online WoM , Brands Get Followed, Acted on and Engaged

-Twitterers are three times more likely to click on a link than anywhere on the web

- Intuit community members spend 9 times more time in community environments than traditional website users

Let’s talk about the big social elephant in the room…

“Business Suffers from Social Deafness”

The 6 Deadly Sins

Source: Agent Wildfire 2011 Buzz Report

Source: SNCR/Buzz Report

90% of executives believe their agencies need to radically transform be more competitive in a wikibrand world.

A Crisis of Action & Knowledge

Only 14% of companies are proactive in creating external advocates and leveraging them.

53% of businesses engaged in social/digital spaces do not have full-time staff to support the effort.  

Facebook Timeline – Depth of WOM Engagement

Growth

“Likes”

Updates

TargetedExposure

Engagement

“Discovery”

Stories

RelevantExperience

The 4 Laws of the Social ‘Net and WoM

Awesomeness Socialness Authenticity Customer-ness

Big Caveat: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

The 4 Laws of the Social ‘Net and WoM

Awesomeness Socialness Authenticity Customer-ness

“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 - Awesomeness

The 1% Fact - The World is Not Created Equal…

Whether its business, products, services, motives, TV ….

There is the “AWESOME” - 1%

There is the “GOOD” - 20%

There is the “MEH” - about 60%

There is the “BAD” - 20%

There is the “UGLY” - 0.5%

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

34

The 2nd Law of the Social Net - Socialness

"Prosocial behavior is an essential component of health and happiness in human beings”

Robert Kloninger. Professor of Psychiatry , Author of Feeling Good, The Science of Well-Being

“True Fans don’t want to be your Brand BFF”Online Communities – Why Do True Fans 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 1992 Me in 2011

150 150

5000

5000

4000

20000

5000

X 12X 12

X 500

X 190

X 170

X 170

X 170

8.4 MillionPeople

Strength

900 X 40

“The News Feed is the Conveyor Belt of Buzz”

The 3rd Law of the Social Net - Authenticity

“In a world of incressingly paid-for experiences, authenticity is what we increasingly crave from each other and our brands.

Joe Pine, Author of Authenticity and The Experience Economy

Top Reasons – Social Media Why Now Business Executives?

#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 2010

MASS MARKETING

DIRECT MARKETING

SOCIAL INFLUENCE MARKETING

A Genuine Culture Change is Required

ControlHypeDecisionsFeatures

CollaborationTransparencyDialoguePurpose

Successful or Not?

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

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 -

Where to Start with WoM and Buzz?

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

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

Visual- Intersection Consulting

WOM Comes in More Than a Few Flavours…

- Buzz

- Viral

- Social Media

- Influencer Marketing

- Evangelist Programs

- Brand Community

- Collaboration / Co-Creation

- Social Network Badging

- Customer intervention

- Grassroots/ cause marketing

- Experiential

-Pass along Referrals

-Recommend-ations

- Social Influence

COMMITMENT

SCALE

Top 10 Ranked WoM Elements?

#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 w/ its audience

#7 Incentives for referral

#8 Strong process*

#9 Creative/design used

#10 Tools/platforms built*

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

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?”

Influence is not Distributed Equally…

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

The Influencers

The Crowd

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

And now we can provide the raw evidence

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

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

Influence ≠ Followers

Influence ≠ Popularity

Influence Can’t Be Peddled

Influence is Interest Specific

Why are they so damn valuable?

R E C Sx x x

Four sources of Influencer power

Reach Exposure Credibility Suasion

=

Get your influencers in the right sequence…

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

Stage

Why We Word of Mouth? 36 Reasons

It’s About Them

“It’s Makes Them Feel

Good”

“It’s Makes Them Look

Good”

“They Get Something”

It’s About Your Product/Brand

“It’s Who You’re Targeting”

“It’s WHAT You Do”

“It’s Who YOU Are”

“It’s Who you Are”

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

10,000ft”

Tactic: Publish Manifesto (Naked Pizza)/Employee Blog (Graco)

# 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.”

Tactic: Build Community (JetBlue TrueBlue)/ Use video sharing/Host user-generated video contest (Nike The Chosen)

# 3 – Knowledge Seekers

“Just another day of blowing something up”

Tactic: Topic-based blogs/Aggregated Advice (Mint.com/ Amex Open Business Forum)

# 4 – Social Brokers

“You wanna hug it out?”

Tactic: Host events/organize groups/tiered membership and roles/team wearables (Canadian Breast Cancer)

# 5 – Altruistic

“Move that bus!”Tactic: Personal Appeal /Meetups (Wikipedia fundraising /Wiknics)

# 6 – Involved / Committed

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

Tactic: Meritocratic communities/Challenges/Milestone Celebrations (Mozilla Firefox)

# 7 – Seeking Feedback

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

Tactic: Beta test Influencers (Lululemon)

# 8 – Ego Driven

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

Tactic: Social dashboards/leaderboards/gaming (Empire Avenue)

# 9 – Reciprocity Dealers

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

Tactic: Affiliate/crowdsourcing revenue sharing (Amazon)

# 10 – Self – Expression

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

Tactic: Crowd designing platform/challenges/themes/profiles (Threadless)

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

Tactic: First to know/Top Stories/Trendwatch (Gawker/Gawker Stalker)

# 12- Brand Experience(s)

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

Tactic: Testimonials/Employee Flipcam Profiles/CEO blogs/Publish Core Values (Zappos)

# 13 – Fame

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

Tactic: Customer competition/Performance stage (Squad 6)15 Minutes of Fame (Maynards)

# 14 – VIP Treatment / Customization

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

Tactic: Front of the line Incentives/exclusive access/updates (American Express)

# 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.”

Tactic: Restricted access/gifting (Google Gmail / +1)

# 16 – Influence

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

Tactic: Collaborative innovation/fan clubs/meet employees(Lego)

# 17 – Intimacy

“Will you accept this rose?”Tactic: Twitter time response/local venue and interest-specific

social hubs (Whole Foods)

# 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.”

Tactic: Identity embeds itself into product/packaging (Maynards)

# 19 – Tight Boundaries

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

Tactic: Vetted member only access/Launch parties/Special deals/niche labels (The Gilt Groupe)

# 20 – Rallying Cause

“And remember you can make a difference”

Tactic: Matching Incentives/Partnerships/Product Badging/Bold Targets/Red Friends (Join Red)

# 21- Rewards

“DEAL OR NO DEAL”

Tactic: Group-based deals /Countdown clocks /real-time feedback/Social Integration/referral incentives (GroupOn)

# 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!”

Tactic: Well-curated forums /multiple communities /answered vs. unanswered questions/Grant compeitions (Intuit)

# 23 – Bite-Sized Participation

“There’s no such thing as 110%. It stops at 100.”Tactic: Petition wall /matching donation wall (Sharpie)

# 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.”Tactic: Recently joined lists/ best members/interest-specific

groups/live chat (Facebook)

# 25 – Memes

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

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

Tactic: Label members, activities, objects, Chirp Conference, 85 word, Twitter Glossary (Twitter)

# 26 – Innovative

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

Tactic: Augmented reality, partner integration , local mapping, training routine, mixes (Nike Plus)

# 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.”

Tactic: Provocative demonstration/contextually relevant tests (Will It Blend)

# 29 – Authentic

“This is NOT fashion camp!”Tactic: Authentic collaborators/product centric multimedia

(Burberry – The Art of Trench)

# 30 – Liberating / Problem Solving

“Dead body, Bonus!”

Tactic: User generated uses/Advisory Council/Lists(Wd-40)

# 31 – Edgy

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

Tactic: Underground evangelism/targeted sponsorship (Pabst Blue Ribbon)

# 32 – Trustworthy

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

Tactic: Link a cause/movement to your brand – link to purchase (Tom’s Shoes)

# 33 – Likeable

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

Tactic: Don’t charge for extras/respond to people in real-time (Porter Airlines)

# 34 – Easy To Talk About

“You’re engaged ?”

Tactic: Making the invisible, visible and talkable online and offline (Movember)

# 35 – Ritualistic

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

Tactic: Fake history, strategy guide, faux rules, personality profiler(World Rock Paper Scissors)

# 36 – Sensory

“Who will speak for Planet Earth?”

Tactic: 3D Tours of Region (Nimmo Bay Lodge)

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- Staff up for 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, sociable, 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 a few of the 36 reasons why people word of mouth?

• 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?

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 Monitoring, feedback, analysis, adjustment and action

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

WILDFIRE

OVERVIEW:

ProcessAgent Wildfire – an 8-step

WILDFIRE playbook

147

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 (at) wiki-brands.comsmoffitt (at) agentwildfire.com

Phone: 416-458-2818

URL: www.wiki-brands.com

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

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

Learn: Executive Seminars