How-To: Defining the Influencers
5 Tips from GfK NOP's Jon Berry
"If your ultimate goal is to get people talking about you, then all marketing can be considered WOM," says Jon Berry of GfK NOP and co-author of The Influentials. Jon recently conducted a survey to discover how word of mouth works, what defines an influential person, and how WOM interacts with traditional media. Here are some tips based on what he found:
Tip #1. Influence begins with listening
When asked what makes someone influential, most respondents answered that listening is the most important characteristic -- more important even than personal experience, which came in third (being helpful was the second most popular). Build the practice of active listening into all of your touchpoints with consumers.
Tip #2. Your USPs are your lifelines
By far the leading factor in creating buzz was clear information about a brand's unique selling propositions (USPs). Humor helps, too, but sticking with benefits of the product is most important. Being "outrageous" was cited by only a third of respondents as the leading factor. Your marketing, then, should support your product story.
Tip #3. Watch out for Mom and Dad
Family, even more than professionals, is the most credible source of information. So while it's still a valid tactic for pharmaceutical companies to reach out to doctors, for example, the message should be reinforced with family and friends.
Tip #4. People love to help
The recent study showed that, indeed, most Americans do like to pass along information for companies that they like. It's important, then, that within your consumer database, you identify folks who are predisposed to you and are actively engaged in word of mouth.
Tip #5. Going deeper goes further
You can refine your word of mouth marketing by the characteristics of your consumer: look at segmenting your marketing by gender, category, age, etc. By refining who you talk to and what message you relay, you can produce big results.
Just how does word of mouth happen? Interestingly, the survey found that most recommendations come up in a conversation naturally. "It's that ability to interact with you and to hear what is most important to you and then to make the recommendation based on that, that comes out on top," Jon concluded.
More about Jon:
Read Jon's shared WOMBAT presentation (PDF download)
