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Look Smart, Be Smart: A daily compendium of what you need to know to be effective as a word of mouth marketer
[Originally Posted by Brett Hurt on Bazaarblog.] This has been a busy week for Bazaarvoice Research. At 9:25pm EST on Thanksgiving Day, we witnessed a new traffic peak across our client base. As consumers read retailer circulars to prep for...
[Originally posted by John Bell on Digital Influence Mapping Project.] There are a lot of social networks out there. Some are special interest - connecting people who share a primary affinity (e.g. music lovers, writers, pet-owners, etc...), some are vying...
In a move that should satisfy some of the company's irritated users, Facebook has changed its targeted advertising platform Beacon's functionality, making it an opt-in feature instead of the opt-out feature that upset so many of the social network's users.
Because WOM often requires less of an initial cost investment than traditional advertising media, it's a great way for small businesses -- with presumably smaller budgets -- to start spreading the word on what they offer. Here are some ways small businesses have used the power of people talking to get their messages out.
Here are some tips from Bill Balderaz, who is Director of Viral Marketing for ClearSaleing, on how to optimize your press releases for maximum social media exposure.
WOMMA is looking for a new web producer and guru. Your job is to be the face of a movement to transform the future of marketing. Design the websites, blogs, and email newsletters that are redefining marketing and media. Get...
It's true that social networks have infiltrated many facets of consumers' lives, and retailers are embracing these chatty online destinations like never before. New kid on the block Fanista, which launched in beta on Nov. 20, is trying to tie social networks' chatty potential to a more immediate point of purchase.
Folks aligned with Target Corp.'s "Target Rounders" evangelist group were discouraged from disclosing their affiliation with the company to people they spoke with, turning a potentially positive word of mouth effort into an example of bad WOM ethics.
[Originally Posted by Andy Sernovitz on Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!] Ask a neutral third party to interview your clients for you. Most people are uncomfortable giving honest direct feedback. But they are happy to talk on and...
If everyone practiced ethical word of mouth marketing, the industry would be a better place for all parties -- consumers and companies alike. In this article from the Los Angeles Times, one shill marketer confesses some of the shady practices their startup uses to artificially viralize online video. While these practices might work in the short term, the long term damage such tactics can have on a company is enormous, which is why all WOM marketers should mind their ethical manners.
While the major online social networks are officially open to everyone, recent research from Northwestern University shows race, ethnicity, and education can influence what social networking sites people decide to use.
WOMMA is looking for a new web producer and guru. Your job is to be the face of a movement to transform the future of marketing. Design the websites, blogs, and email newsletters that are redefining marketing and media. Get...
In this MarketingProfs post, Seni Thomas outlines how Starbucks could use new media -- as opposed to a few television commercials -- to up its exposure and stay authentic.
While taking some time off from his blog-writing endeavors, Rohit Bhargava came up with a list (complete with requisite links) of recent new media conversations, topics, issues, debates, and findings. If you're working in the word of mouth marketing space, this is stuff you need to know.
"A Glimpse of the Next Episode," a recent study from Nokia, predicts that by 2012, 25% of all entertainment will be engineered and shared within social groups rather instead of coming from traditional media outlets.
MySpace is stepping up its functionality with its new Transmissions platform, which allows musicians to perform and record music which will then be immediately available on the site. Users can either listen to the music streams live or buy the recordings.
While Facebook is the current social media darling, MySpace is still larger, especially in the 12- to 17-year-old and 18- to 34-year-old demographics, which are twice as large as Facebook's.
WOMMA is looking for a new web producer and guru. Your job is to be the face of a movement to transform the future of marketing. Design the websites, blogs, and email newsletters that are redefining marketing and media. Get...
A recent report from eMarketer, which highlights data from WOMMA member companies Bazaarvoice and the Keller Fay Group, tells marketers to drop their fear of consumer ratings and reviews. More than half of the data's respondents reported that they leave predominantly positive reviews.
Viral emails where consumers can add their pictures or voices are taking off like wildfire, garnering tons of attention for the brands, such as OfficeMax, Purina, and Careerbuilder, that have used them.
Brand content that people choose to see (and choose to share) is infinitely more valuable than finding a better way to insert and interrupt. Joe Marchese stresses the value of merging brands into content in the latest edition of the Online Spin.
[Originally posted by Brant Barton on Bazaarblog.] eMarketer reported today that six in 10 surveyed US consumers share product advice with friends and family, a finding from Forrester Research's NACTAS Benchmark Study. While the highly sought after "Influentials" segment garners...
[Originally posted by Brant Barton on Bazaarblog.] eMarketer reported today that six in 10 surveyed US consumers share product advice with friends and family, a finding from Forrester Research's NACTAS Benchmark Study. While the highly sought after "Influentials" segment garners...
[Originally posted by Virginia Miracle on Brains on Fire.] Quick hits for a blustery Wednesday morning: Tay ZondayYouTube sensation (and subject of previous blog post) Tay Zonday has leveraged his Chocolate Rain fame into a deal with Dr. Pepper. and...
Showtime's online viral promotion for its series "Dexter" generated more than 300,000 unique emails, 750,000 page views, and brought home BIMA's "Best Use of Viral Marketing" award.
The Out of My Gord blog showcases some great tips on how to take something from an idea or rumor and fine tune it into the next viral sensation. The post covers everything from jumping weak ties to what to do about negative word of mouth.
WOMMA is looking for a new web producer and guru. Your job is to be the face of a movement to transform the future of marketing. Design the websites, blogs, and email newsletters that are redefining marketing and media. Get...
To launch its new flavor of Cherry Chocolate Diet Dr. Pepper, the company created a viral video starring Tay Zonday, who became web-infamous for his online video rendition of the song "Chocolate Rain." The Cherry Chocolate video garnered more than 300,000 hits in the first 24 hours, and reached more than one million hits in under five days.
After a period of mistaken identity, Technorati is relaunching and getting back to what made it great in the first place: dedication to bloggers and advertisers.
The European Union is taking a closer look at privacy matters and social networks. Specifically, the EU's report names spammers, unscrupulous marketers, and criminals as potential threats to social network users' privacy.
[Originally posted by Lois Kelly on Bloghound.] Most viral videos that hit it big have low production values, said Stephen Voltz of Eeepy Bird, the 2-person video/live performance company that has produced the wildly successful Diet Coke- Mentos viral videos....
[Originally posted by Geno on the Brains on Fire blog.] I’ve had several people email me about my presentation at the WOMMA Summit in Las Vegas, so I thought it might be fun to share the presentation with everyone. First...
There are lots of ways that marketers can use Twitter to their advantage. Here are just a few, collected on the This is Going to be BIG blog (with comic relief and photos from the I Can Has Cheezburger? Blog).
On the Cymfony blog, WOMMA Board member Jim Nail explains his take on social networking, how social networks have to walk a thin line between pleasing marketers and alienating consumers, and what it all means for WOM marketers.
WOMMA is looking for a new web producer and guru. Your job is to be the face of a movement to transform the future of marketing. Design the websites, blogs, and email newsletters that are redefining marketing and media. Get...
On The WebMarketCentral Blog, highlights of a podcast, featuring Paul Dunay of Buzz Marketing for Technology and Cece Lee of the PR Meets Marketing blog, are posted, as well as a link to the podcast itself. The podcast covers the role of PR in new media, as well as how PR professionals should approach bloggers and what web 2.0 tools they should be using.
So how does a small company compete with social media giants, such as YouTube and Facebook, for viral attention? WeProNews covered a moderated panel that spoke about how to ignite a viral marketing campaign, all from a small business perspective. Bill Hanekamp of WOMMA member company The Well was one of the panelists, and was joined by Ed Kim, CEO of Red Bricks Media and Fionn Downhill, CEO and President of Elixir Systems.
2008 election candidates are quickly realizing that social media, from YouTube to Twitter and everything in between, is changing the way they interact with voters, are able to respond to challenges, and the ways in which opposition can be voiced. So how are candidates responding?
[Originally posted by Andy Sernovitz on Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!] It's really too bad that being a grouchy cynic is often consider a badge of honor among major bloggers. The general level of pessimism and meanness is...
[Originally posted by Andy Sernovitz on Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!] How do you stand out in a market of strong competitors who all make pretty good products? You focus on adding features that are worth talking about....
[Originally posted by Andy Sernovitz on Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!] Nick makes an absolutely essential piece of software called Anagram. You must buy it right now. With a few clicks it grabs any address in your email...
[Originally posted by Andy Sernovitz on Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!] Nick makes an absolutely essential piece of software called Anagram. You must buy it right now. With a few clicks it grabs any address in your email...
[Originally posted by John Bell on Digital Influence Mapping.] Recently Rohit asked a bunch of folks about our top choices for overused or misunderstood terms. Who knows what publicity play he's got in mind for that one (could be for...
A collection of buzz marketing stories from Paul Dunay, blogger and Director of Global Field and Interactive Marketing for BearingPoint.
Instead of focusing on unique users and traffic volume, online social networking sites might be better served by paying more attention to their sites' portability and usability -- metrics that actually keep users coming back longer.
WOMMA is looking for a new web producer and guru. Your job is to be the face of a movement to transform the future of marketing. Design the websites, blogs, and email newsletters that are redefining marketing and media. Get...
The Blog Council launched last week and has hopes of developing standards for corporate bloggers. The founding members -- which include a number of WOMMA member companies -- are: AccuQuote, Cisco Systems, The Coca-Cola Company, Dell, Gemstar-TV Guide, General Motors, Kaiser Permanente, Microsoft, Nokia, SAP, and Wells Fargo.
The potential for conversation should be a part of every marketing campaign a company employs. According to the Experience Economist blog, assigning WOM to only a select few campaigns essentially cuts off a whole world of potential. So what WOM-worthy opportunities exist within your "traditional" marketing efforts?
As an ode to the "The 12 Days of Christmas," the Behind the Buzz blog takes a closer look at 12 social media platforms that you might have used in 2007 -- or that you might want to try your hand at in 2008.
[Originally posted by Andy Sernovitz on Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That!] I just discovered Etsy. It's a marketplace for handmade crafts. A really big one. I recommend that you buy all of your holiday gifts there. But here's...
Gift-buying relies very heavily on WOM, so how can you use social shopping sites to make sure gift buyers know about your wares? Here are five tips -- along with some social shopping metrics -- for the uninitiated.
[Originally posted by Geno on Brains on Fire.] How many times have you been a vacation repeater? I’ve never really thought of it that way until my recent trip to Jamaica. My wife and I decided to take a Jamaica...
[Originally posted by Pete Blackshaw on ConsumerGeneratedMedia.com.] Must admit, I had more fun writing this last ClickZarticle ("The Official 2008 Web 2.0 Buzzword Forecast") than just about anything I've written this year. And based on some early feedback, I vow...
With the proliferation of word of mouth marketing as a discipline, many have stepped into the ring and presented themselves as experts -- but standing in the spotlight does not a social media maven make. Blogger B. L. Ochman takes a closer look at who the real word of mouth and social media experts are, and she isn't afraid to name names.
The WOMMA Word