Shop.org’s Strategy & Information Forum is going on this week in Orlando. The theme this year: Web 2.0 and it’s implications for retailing. Neil Clemmons from the Experience Matters blog is attending and picked up a simple but powerful insight from keynote speaker, Andy Sernovitz, one of the founders of WOMMA, a professor at Northwestern University, and the author of “Word of Mouth Marketing.” Put simply it’s:
Would anyone tell a friend?
The question struck Clemmons as so powerful that he suggests you,
Grab a post-it note and write that simple question on it. Place it on the side of your monitor as a simple checkpoint to ask with the work you’re doing in product design, marketing, experience development, advertising, or whatever your calling may be. If it’s not something that someone else would share with a friend, is there a way to build momentum by making it something that someone would enthusiastically share?
Of course, having a product worth talking about is only the first step. Clemmons also offers the five T’s, or five essential questions marketers interested in word-of-mouth must answer:
- Talkers: Who will tell their friends about you?
- Topics: What will they talk about?
- Tools: How can you help the message travel?
- Taking Part: When should you join the conversation?
- Tracking: What are people saying about you?
If you’re intrigued, you can read more at Sernovitz’s blog or pick up a copy of his book.
(Image of guy telling his friend something by destinelee, CC 2.0)
