Who should join WOMMA?

You should join WOMMA if you are a

• marketer who uses WOM marketing
• agency that offers WOM services
• content site with consumer reviews, active message boards, open comments, or tell-a-friend functionality
• researcher, consultant, or other expert focused on WOM

It is in all of our interests to increase trust in WOM marketing and improve its effectiveness.

What are Councils?

Councils are the core of action within WOMMA. They serve as the voice of the industry and a home for members with niche interests. They deal with the complicated issues. Learn more here.

What's the hurry?

First impressions matter. WOM marketing is coming under public scrutiny as the media becomes increasingly aware of the work that we do. Unfortunately, there are fringe players who aren't very honest.

Ethical word of mouth marketers need to stand up for doing the right thing. We need to demonstrate how the good guys operate -- before we are all tarnished by the bad actors.

Email marketers failed to take a stand against spammers until it was too late to restore their reputations. WOMMA members will act quickly to make sure that honest marketers get credit for doing the right things -- and that unethical players are put out of business.

How is WOMMA organized?

WOMMA, Inc. is incorporated as a not-for-profit 501(c)6 trade association. Our non-profit status was approved by the IRS in December 2004. To protect your company, you should always verify legal status before joining any organization.

Our offices are in Chicago, with a small staff of professional association managers.

Do you offer individual memberships?

WOMMA offers only corporate memberships, similar to the DMA, IAB, Shop.org, and the AAAA. Multiple individuals from a member company are welcome to participate. This is a common structure for trade organizations.

Several groups have been formed for individuals interested in WOM. We support their efforts and suggest that you consider joining them.

Why does it cost so much to join?

It doesn't. It costs less than the airfare, hotel, and registration fee for a single marketing conference . . . and there's a lot more in it for you than two days sitting in a windowless ballroom. WOMMA memberships fees are similar to other corporate-membership organizations.

Online, offline, or both?

Definitely both. Our members represent the best word-of-mouth execution in any medium. Good WOM is fundamentally a multimedia experience, with messages traveling where consumers do. We're all about WOM best practices, where ever they happen.

Great reasons to join WOMMA

• Promote the business and grow the market for all of us
• Improve the profession through standards and best practices so we can all be better at our jobs and more effective marketers
• Support our good works with an ethical code that makes us proud of the work we do and the people we work with
• Take pride in what we do because we're doing great things

Learn more about the benefits of membership

Membership Application

There are many tangible benefits of WOMMA membership (such as high-level networking, new business, and promotional opportunities) -- but that's not why you should join.

You should join because this is important, vital, and fun. We're reinventing marketing. We're breaking down the barrier between advertisers and consumers. We're creating a new voice, where fans will tell their friends about great products, because we've earned their respect, and we've made it easy for them to spread the word.

You should join because we're building something great, we're doing something good, and that means something to you. If you feel this way, then stand with us.

Next > Join WOMMA today

Next > Why you should join (and why you shouldn't)

WOMMA members are meeting frequently, by phone and in person, to address the important issues that face our industry.

We want you involved: Your input and effort are vital to our success.

All members are encouraged to participate in all WOMMA activities.

Councils

The core of action within WOMMA. We are constantly forming new Councils to address current issues and to involve additional members.

• Ethics Council: Drafting the first code of conduct for ethical word of mouth marketing practices. Our goal is to protect consumers and the industry with strong guidelines for responsible behavior.
• Standards Council: Developing unified terminology and metrics. We want to help make word of mouth marketing measurable and trackable, to increase its usefulness and adoption by marketers.
• Education Council: The WOMMA Education Council promotes the use of WOM as a primary part of the marketing mix. We reach out through conferences, training programs, and publications designed to teach best practices and effective techniques.

Events

• WOMMA hosts events of all sorts to promote WOM marketing, increase its usage through education and training, and encourage personal networking. We produce our own events, and we arrange to have WOM added to the agenda of other major marketing events.
• All members are encouraged to participate, in person and via teleconference. Face-to-face contact is important – and fun. Every WOMMA member gets substantial discounts on event registration fees.
• WOMMA members are featured at all events, and we consider speaking opportunities a core member benefit. We will be launching a formal speakers bureau soon.

Education and Outreach

Building the business while promoting your best work.

• A major web site that will serve as the central library for the WOM marketing industry
• Training and outreach to help grow the business by teaching marketers how to better use WOM
• Buyers guides to bring new business to WOMMA members
• Sales tools to help internal and external advocates gain support for WOM initiatives
• Exposure for the work of our members

Next > The future of word of mouth marketing depends on your support

The real benefit of membership is that you can help us grow the industry, bring in new business, and set the bar for ethical leadership.

But we've also got plenty of high-value, good-for-the-bottom-line benefits too:

• Participation in high-level councils where you can shape the future of the business and work with thought leaders
• Leadership opportunities that feature you and your company as important players in this growing field
• Professional development and educational programs that help you become a more effective marketer
• Networking opportunities where you'll meet peers, partners, and new business opportunities
• Discounts on events and publications published by WOMMA and our partners
• Promotional opportunities to feature your best work in case studies, newsletters, white papers, and online forums
• Speaking opportunities at conferences and webinars
• New business exposure at events, in our buyers guide, and more

Next > What is WOMMA working on, and how do I get involved?

We rise to a higher level.

We believe that word of mouth marketers have a special relationship with consumers and must go above and beyond the normal expectations of marketing ethics and honesty.

We believe in honesty and transparency at all times.

• Honesty of relationship, opinion, and identity
• Respecting the rules of the forum
• Rising above the minimum requirements in privacy and permission

Children must be protected.

We have heightened ethical obligations involved in working with children.

Authenticity is the cornerstone of word of mouth.

The voice of the consumer is our medium. We amplify and facilitate true consumer opinion; we never pollute it in any way.

The WOMMA Ethics Council is working on a formal Ethical Code of Conduct right now . . . but the issues are complicated and it will take some time for a formal policy to be produced. We hope you'll join in the discussion and work to keep this industry on the high road.

Next > The benefits of membership

We're businesses that believe that the voice of the consumer is a better advocate than marketers can ever be for themselves. And we mean honest, unadulterated pure consumer opinion.

We're committed to developing techniques to unleash, amplify, and spread that voice, without changing its fundamental honesty. In a nutshell, we're making it simpler for friends to tell friends about stuff they like.

Our members come from diverse industries, with varied job descriptions and assorted objectives. But they are all working to turn "word of mouth" from something that we know about anecdotally into a respected, core part of the marketing mix.

WOMMA members include:

• Marketers and brands that are using WOM marketing to reinforce their core and reach out to new customers
• Agencies that deliver WOM services and technologies
• Researchers that track the WOM experience and teach us how to understand it
• Both offline and online practitioners

(Take a look at the full member list here.)

Next > The values that make WOMMA members special

Word of mouth marketing is going through a radical change right now. Marketers have learned how to encourage and amplify this natural phenomenon -- while respecting and protecting its honesty and integrity.

Our members are leading the core efforts necessary to create a new, successful marketing field.

• Training: WOMMA is the first central resource for marketers who want to learn how to use WOM -- and how to use it the right way. We're growing the next generation of amazing talent through outreach and education.
• Best Practices: Creativity and innovation in this business are being complemented by WOMMA research and training in best practices. We're helping marketers learn to deliver more effective WOM marketing in a sustainable program, without having to reinvent the wheel each time. We build on the knowledge of the best in the business.
• Standards and Metrics: Our members have stepped up to corral complex concepts into industry-wide standards and metrics. We're creating the trackability and accountability that are essential to a healthy market.
• Mainstreaming: We're bringing WOM from a small specialty into the core of the marketing mix. That means larger budgets, management support, long-term stability, and real results.

Just like the relatively new fields of search marketing or ecommerce, expect to see WOM evolve into a multi-billion-dollar market within a few years, staffed by trained specialists with deep expertise.

Next > Who is in the WOMMA community

Fill out this form and we'll get back to you with information on how to get involved.

(It may take a few days - interest has been overwhelming!)

WOMMA is… Word of Mouth Marketing

WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry. WOMMA's mission is to promote and improve word of mouth marketing by:

• Protecting consumers and the industry with strong ethical guidelines
• Promoting WOM as an effective marketing tool
• Setting standards to encourage its use

Join us!

WOMMA members are building a prosperous word of mouth (WOM) marketing profession. Thriving markets are built on best practices, effective standards, and ethical leadership.  Those are the qualities that bring WOMMA members together -- and we hope that you will join us if you share these values.

Who we are

We are the leading companies pioneering WOM techniques.  We've mastered the understanding of how to create genuine customer enthusiasm and how to share it with future fans. 

• We're fantastic brands and marketers who know that happy customers are our most powerful advocates.
• We're innovative agencies who understand how to empower and amplify the voice of the consumer.
• And we're the good guys, committed to protecting consumers with strong ethical guidelines.

What we do

We're working together to grow the business from a natural phenomenon to a core part of the marketing mix. Our efforts will make your WOM marketing more successful, boost budgets, and raise the level of professionalism across the board.

• We're creating accountability by setting standards and metrics.
• We're improving results by perfecting best practices.
• And we're growing the field by acting as trainers and advocates for better WOM marketing.

You should be a member too. Join us as we work to grow the market, drive more revenue, and continue our fantastic innovation.

Next > Growing the WOM marketing business