Word of Mouth Tactics & Examples You Should Check Out
Let’s talk about Word Of Mouth (WOM) for a minute. I’ve compiled some great WOM tactics and examples for you.
By the way, WOM is different from referral tactics (which imply a transaction: financial, gift,…).
WOM tactics are about giving people: “A reason to talk about your stuff, and make it easier for that conversation to take place” - Andy Sernovitz.
1/ The picture
The oldest WOM tactic in the book: the picture. You go somewhere. You take a picture or a picture is taken of you.
That’s a WOM tactic.
Your picture is going to generate conversations, whether it’s posted or framed for the living room.
⬅️ Left: Carli Paris, a hairdresser always takes an HD picture of every client free of charge.
➡️ Right: Disney does the same but makes you pay for it! :)
2/ Extra customer service
It’s the little things that show if a company cares.
⬅️ Left: The W Hotel New York changes the elevator carpet 3 times a day. Who cares? No one. It’s just a story to bring home.
➡️ Right: Leaving the German winter for a sunnier place? Frankfurt airport checks in your big winter coat, so you don’t have to carry it around on the beach.
3/ The cause
Nothing is better than backing a cause to generate WOM.
People talk about companies that do good.
Why?
It reflects well on them. It shows they care too.
⬅️ Left: Westin Mission Hills Hotel works with local dog shelters and features dogs in the lobby for adoption. Guests can take them for a walk and if they match they can take them home. Now, who wouldn’t talk about this?!
➡️ Right: Tajinebanane, a clothing brand for new moms, backs the right to breastfeed “anytime, anywhere”. The result? A huge stream of user-generated photos of moms who share that same opinion & 118k followers.
4/ The packaging
Your packaging can be an annoying thing to get rid of immediately.
It can also be something customers talk about.
⬅️ Left: You know that little label you get on every disposable tea bag? Yogi Tea, a German brand, puts an inspiring quote on every label. You can’t help reading that quote and talking about it with whoever you’re drinking tea with. I know - I do it all the time…
➡️ Right: A grenade-shaped supplement container does not go unnoticed in your kitchen. Grenade Fitness makes sure everyone sees and talks about their packaging.
5/ Say thank you
Saying thank you can go a long way.
DavidsTea sent a personalized email to all their client base for the company’s anniversary.
A bit of humor, showing gratitude is nothing but pure value.
6/ Limited-edition WTF products
If you’re a brand fan, and a limited-edition product comes up - you’re gonna talk about it with your friends.
⬅️ Left: Supreme is very good at this. It is a clothing brand, but they recently released a brick. It’s $200. Search for #supremebrick. It’s all over the web. People posing with a brick...
➡️ Right: Burger King Japan made their sandwiches black, not for the taste but just for starting conversations.
7/ The review
Ask for a review if you want customers to drop one.
Ask about their overall experience, not just the product.
Simple. Like Casper over here.
8/ The humble brag
Give your customers a reason to brag, an accomplishment to share.
In this example, Slideshare congratulates you for featuring your slides on their homepage.
9/ A unique experience
There is nothing better than showing your customers something they’ve never seen before.
⬅️ Left: La Boucherie is a high-end steak restaurant in LA, which offers a knife menu, so you can cut your steak with style.
➡️ Right: The Magic Castle Hotel has a popsicle hotline. Just call the number and the staff brings a free popsicle.
That’s it for me! Special thanks to Talktrigger, and Wordofmouth dot org where some of these examples come from.
If you enjoyed this piece you should join our newsletter, short and practical marketing lessons 2x a month.
