LA2M Recap: Managing and Promoting Advocacy
The LA2M presentation on 11-9-11 featured 2 knowledgeable speakers sharing their expertise on Word of Mouth Marketing.
Since earning his Ph.D. in clinical psychology and public practice from Harvard University in 1975, Robert Pasick has provided leadership development services through teaching, coaching, speaking and writing. He is the president and founder of Leaders Connect and CEO Connect, which are leadership development and networking programs for executives and entrepreneurs.
Molly McFarland is the Marketing Director of URefer an Ann Arbor based company that is a leading social marketing technology organization. The uRefer social marketing platform is a systematic approach that automates the process of promoting and managing brand advocacy for their clients.
Their remarks focused on identifying, activating and nurturing brand advocates, as well as managing and increasing word of mouth. McFarland began by exploring why WOM is receiving so much attention by companies both big and small. She said that the marketing landscape has changed because “People are more connected now than ever before”. McFarland pointed out that consumers today rely heavily on referrals and recommendations before making a buying decision. She defined WOM marketing as “passing information from one consumer to another” and noted that consumer communications is shared both on line and off.
McFarland said that WOM marketing begins by indentifying your brand advocates and influencers. She explained that brand advocates could be your customers, employees, partners and anyone who has heard positive comments about your business or product. She differentiated influencers by saying that they tend create much larger ripples in their pool of contacts. She said examples would be well known bloggers and celebrities.
Pasick explained that when he was starting his practice, he developed a circle of advocates by meeting local doctors face to face and maintaining contact with clients through cards and other follow-up. Over time Pasick built relationships on a track record of quality, valuable work. He has become so well know that he was invited to appear on the Today Show and Oprah. He also cited his organization CEO Connect as a valuable tool for client referrals and business transactions between participants at meetings.
McFarland spelled out specific tactics to successfully activate, grow and nurture your advocate community. She pointed out that consumers are more independent, so a referral must be earned and not pushed. Referrals can be motivated socially through tools like Groupon.com. Advocates may also be motivated by incentives, but WOM shouldn’t be purchased. McFarland also recommended that WOM should be really easy. Ideally it should be a simple button click for a one on one referral.
McFarland gave ideas on how a business could grow its advocate base as well. She suggested holding events like Pasick’s CEO Connect group. She also recommended allowing customers to write reviews, and staying in contact with free and valuable information. She said that communication with your advocate base should be based on a business doing good things for its customers and not on asking for an immediate sale. An example is Pasick weekly Monday Morning Coaching Tips email newsletter drawn from his book “Balanced Leadership in Unbalanced Times”. The email newsletter provides condensed tips intended for learning, sharing and offering something of value for free.
McFarland made several recommendations for a business to nurture its advocate community. She said that communication with your advocate community should be consistent, targeted and include fresh, new information. She pointed out that there is a line between engagement and bombardment and it’s important not to cross that threshold. McFarland explained that thank you cards, newsletters, small gifts and other demonstrations of appreciation are often well received. She noted that URefer helps businesses develop, implement and monitor successful, seamless WOM strategies.
McFarland’s summarized her thoughts on increasing WOM by suggesting that businesses ask their advocate community for referrals, empower them by making it easy and incentivize them for further motivation. She said that managing the relationship with your advocate community means that they know that your know them. She concluded fine tuning through analysis ensures that WOM strategy is optimized and “done right”.
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Recap Courtesy of Mary Lou Olds
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