Word of mouth marketing is as easy as PSE
I think we complicate word-of-mouth (WOM). Many organizations spend hours trying to get their Youtube video to go viral. Facebook and Twitter, let’s not go there. Here is a simple strategy for creating WOM and building brand value.
PSE Marketing
- Perfect your product and story
- Set expectations with valuable online content
- Exceed expectations offline
Last week I saw Tommy Emmanuel live. He is by far one of the best guitarists in the universe. I heard about Tommy from my friend Rob Blackwell (an amazing songwriter and musician too).
1. Perfect your product and story. Tommy Emmanuel has played guitar almost every day since he was four years old. Tommy grew up as a gypsy in Australia. He has toured and played live since he was five. He has been awarded numerous awards and is considered by man to be the best in the world. And to top it all off, he is humble and generous, donating hours and dollars to charities and ministries around the world.
You have to figure out what your story is for your brand or organization. What are the things that make it unique and shared experiences that make it relatable to your audience? Your product has to back up your story. Tommy’s product is his playing. He backs up the story by playing mind-blowing guitar. You need to purge your product of mediocrity and perfect it.
2. Set expectations with valuable online content. If you search for Tommy Emmanuel in Google, many videos will come up showing him playing live or on tv. Hearing and seeing these videos sets an expectation in your mind of what you will experience watching him in person. Everywhere he is mentioned, from blogs, Twitter, Facebook, etc., his performances are heralded. As I watched these videos an expectation of what interactions offline would be like started to form.
The same will happen for your company as customers and consumers find and explore your digital thumbprint. The content you publish will set an expectation level in the minds of the folks that interact with you online. Valuable and relevant content combined with responsiveness will create the right expectations.
3. Exceed expectations offline. Seeing Tommy Emmanuel live blew what I thought I was in for away. My experience was better than the expectations set by watching videos and comments online. I left telling everyone about that show. I encouraged people to check him out as I told them what they would see. I am now setting expectations for the people I know would want to hear him play.
Organizations sometimes believe the digital and social media arm of your business is separate from your offline business. I disagree. I think they work together. Continuity will help you exceed your customers expectations and move them towards connection. Connecting grows into advocacy and creates word of mouth.
Following the simple PSE Marketing strategy will build your brand and create word of mouth exposure. The misconception is this is a one time execution. It should be continual. Always work to make your story better and your product more remarkable. Always create great content online and on social platforms to set expectations. Always back up those expectations with authentic and amazing client experiences.