[Welcome back to the You Can Be a Word of Mouth Marketing Supergenius! newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using the handy form on the right.]
No matter what industry you’re in or how much regulation you may be facing, you can earn the respect and recommendation of your customers. A few ideas to get you started:
1. Look to the great stuff you can share
2. Connect talkers by being a middleman
3. Earn buzz with amazing customer service
1. Look to the great stuff you can share
If you have heavy sharing restrictions on certain topics, look to the areas where the rules are less rigid. The U.S. Navy, for example, isn’t blogging about top-secret strategies — but they do share some fascinating stuff like flight videos, photos from aircraft carriers, and images from their humanitarian support. If the U.S. Navy can do this, what’s holding you back?
2. Connect talkers by being a middleman
Whatever your policy may be, your fans and customers want to talk, share, and connect with each other — and they’ll often do it with or without your help. Even the most regulated brands are finding ways to support this natural word of mouth. For ideas, look to the pharmaceutical brands with patient communities, the financial brands who bring people together for tax advice, or the insurance companies who help people get tips on what to do about fender-benders.
3. Earn buzz with amazing customer service
Word of mouth is as much about customer service as it is about marketing. Are you so regulated you can’t send thank-you notes? Fix problems and apologize sincerely? Waive the aggressive fees and penalties? No matter how much regulation, there’s almost always the opportunity to create loyal fans with a focus on fantastic customer support.
