Negative, Shmegative – do bad words matter?

Lynn — Tue, 24 Nov 2009 14:36:54 +0000

So you’ve got a customer who isn’t 100% satisfied with your product or service. How you handle it – and them – can make the difference between good press and bad.

First, acknowledge them. Even if you disagree, even if you don’t see the problem, let them know you’re listening.

Second, do everything in your power to make it right… even if you disagree! You have someone who believed enough in your product to give it a try — you can’t afford for them to walk away. Give it to them free. Offer them a discount on a futre purchase. Do whatever you can to make things right. It’s called customer service, and nothing is more important when it comes to building word of mouth.

The good news is, if you cater to an unhappy customer they are more likely to change their mind about the experience. If you can turn a bad experience into a good one, you’ve made *huge* strides toward building good buzz. A customer who feels they’ve been heard is often your staunchest advocate.

So listen to them, no matter how hard it is to hear something negative about your product or service. Do everything in your power to turn it around. And watch the good word of mouth flow forth like the coffee at Starbucks.

Personally, personality is imperative.

Lynn — Fri, 13 Nov 2009 00:44:55 +0000

Okay, so the last blind date you had didn’t look like Brad Pitt or Angelina Jolie. Still, hopefully you walked away thinking, “But they sure did have a good personality.” (If you didn’t, that’s fodder for another blog.)

But does personality have anything to do with word of mouth marketing, you ask? You betcha. Just ask the folks over at Marketing Made Simple (http://www.marketing-made-simple.com/articles/word-of-mouth-advertising.htm), who blogged about it. They opine, and I agree, that certain people are more likely to spread word of mouth than others. Some people are naturally persuasive and are Internet savvy, which means they can share a message faster than ice cream melts. The nice people at Marketing Made Simple (and you really should check ‘em out) call out two groups – Mavens and Connectors. Connectors have a large social group but aren’t as persuasive… they just have a lot of people to talk to. Mavens aren’t as well connected but they sure can point you in the direction of the juiciest steak in town or the best deal on furniture. Both are critical to spreading word of mouth, and their personality has an impact on who gets the message and how.

So the next time someone tries to sell you on a blind date, focus a little more on the personality. After all, it may just be the thing that gets your business booming. And THAT should make your heart go pitter patter!

Yoo hoo … Anyone home?

Lynn — Thu, 12 Nov 2009 13:21:02 +0000

Have you noticed we haven’t been around lately? Life got in the way of blogging. But that’s no excuse. And so I humbly apologize and vow to do better.
Are your customers wondering where YOU are? Have you reached out to them lately? Thanked them for their business? Don’t leave your customers hanging. To get – and keep – word of mouth buzzing, you need to keep your clients talking about you. So send ‘em a thank you note. Offer them a discount. Host an event and invite each and every one of them.
And whatever you do, don’t give them a reason to shout, “Yoo hoo … anyone home?!”

What have you done for me lately?

Lynn — Thu, 19 Mar 2009 11:59:24 +0000

Word of mouth is powerful but it only works if your target audience sees that there is something in it for them. If you’re trying to create buzz about your product, service, or company, you’ll get far better results if that buzz includes why it helps the consumer.

For example, I saw a blog by Michael Martine, who wrote “WOM has to serve those who spread it.” He talked about a local company who’s slogan is “We want you as one of our stark raving fans!” As he points out, no one cares what the company wants – they only care about what they themselves want.

Ask yourself what’s in it for them? What does your company, product or service have to offer them? WHY would they want to talk about it? If you have a strong, solid answer to that question, you’ve got word of mouth in the making … and a whole lot of excited consumers on the horizon.

The Inside Scoop

Lynn — Wed, 25 Feb 2009 00:33:07 +0000

How willing are you to listen to your employees? Better yet, how willing are you to *hear* them? Take a tip from Yahoo, who not only encourages open communication with employees but built a blog just for them to have a voice.

Yodel Anecdotal was born in August 2006. It is a blogospheric home for topics like corporate culture, business management, user stories and trends. Even the name itself came from employees — from some 2,400 suggestions. What a great example of management actually *hearing* what employees want to talk about.

Maybe your company isn’t big enough to warrant a blog. Maybe a good, ol’ fashioned suggestion box will work just fine. However you make it happen, make it happen. Listen to what your co-workers and employees have to say. It makes for a healthier company environment and a happier staff — both of which make for better business.

Lynn — Tue, 17 Feb 2009 02:52:10 +0000

So Lollipop Copy got a facelift. After four years, I figured it was time. The trouble is, how do you reinvent yourself? Well, isn’t that what marketing is all about? The past four years have been a blur. My company took off, largely because of word of mouth, my work and client load increased dramatically (thanks to — you guessed it — word of mouth), and I wrote my first book, coincidentally called “Word of Mouth Advertising, Online and Off.”

But the past 48 months have also been an eye-opener, which has nothing to do with word of mouth. I’ve learned the importance of being responsible while being my own boss, being responsive, and being respectful of clients who put their trust in me to give their marketing materials a kick in the pants. Or at least, the mouth. (You know where I’m going, right? Word of mouth? It’s all the rage.)

The best thing I’ve learned in the past four years is to trust my gut, ask for help when I need it, and that it’s okay to pat myself on the back when I write some kick-a$$ copy. After all, it’s what I’m paid for. So thanks to Meredith Tupper at Pintsize Graphics (Pintsize.com) for this great new site, and to you – my friends, colleagues, clients, and cronies – for the lessons, the support, the opportunities and the work. Oh yeah. And spreading the word of mouth.