5 Tips from Informative's Ed Sarraille

"There is an amazingly simple and effective way to get customers' ideas and opinions. Ask them," says Ed Sarraille, CEO of Informative. "When you demonstrate that their opinions are heard, it builds affinity between them and your brand."

Here's Ed tips on how to use WOM to avoid becoming irrelevant and irritating.

Tip #1. Realize that customers want to talk to you
Customers want to tell you what they think. It works because it helps you understand them and they feel better about your brand just because you asked (and paid attention).

Tip #2. Get a tool to listen
There are so many conversations in so many places online; you may pull hundreds or thousands of conversations, and trying to read through them manually -- and distill them in a practical way -- is impossible, and you may not know the context in which these conversations occurred.

Find or create a tool that enables you to talk directly to customers. It should be able to target, segment and report back, so you can find actionable insights.

Tip #3. Involve customers in everything
You cannot market if you do not recognize the true position of your product in the minds of consumers. Instead, you end up becoming irrelevant, irritating, and ignorable. Involve your customers and invite them to share some truth.

Facing truth can be tough. Most corporations have taboo topics, sore spots and controversies. Corporations tend to put their heads in the sand, banishing these issues from corporate thought, speech and action. Nonetheless, these issues are very alive in the minds of the consumer, affecting the brand.

Tip #4. Respond to customers
It's not enough to just talk with customers. Take action and be sure to communicate back with your customers to tell them what you did. When consumers believe you listen to them and act on their desires, they notice.

Tip #5. Create a customer community
By now, you see customers as a long-term asset and they feel a part of your team. But customers, markets and companies change. Create a customer community to maintain a perpetual effort to engage customers, delight them, and act on their input.

"Creating a customer community for feedback is creating a long-term strategic asset," Ed says. "And you have an asset that you can go back to time and again to keep your finger on the pulse of the market and customer opinion."

More about Ed:

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