Andy Sernovitz is our CEO here at WordofMouth.org, and he’s big on love. Specifically, the love that companies can earn from their customers.
His big idea: Happy customers are your greatest advertisers. And when we dedicate ourselves to earning their respect and recommendation, amazing things happen.
Andy is giving a keynote at our Word of Mouth Crash Course in Austin on May 10, and as a preview, we’re sharing his video from our last word of mouth event. A few of his big ideas:
1. Love is earned
2. New love makes us talk
3. Love breaks the relationship between marketing and money
4. Earning love will always beat paying for it
5. Watch Andy’s video
1. Love is earned
Love isn’t bought and paid for. It’s not about ad copy or brand messaging. You can’t go out and buy a love campaign — this is something you earn. It’s about happy moments and extraordinary experiences. It’s about blowing people’s minds.
2. New love makes us talk
Nobody talks more than a teenager in love — except maybe executives with a new iPad. This moment of new love is powerful. This is the moment when a little word of mouth marketing can scale it, extend it, expand it, and get everyone talking about you.
3. Love breaks the relationship between marketing and money
If you want people to talk about you, you have two choices: You can pay them (with media buys and advertising), or you can inspire them. When you buy ads, you pay every time, forever. But when you make a fan fall in love, it’s sustainable, renewable, and it grows with use instead of getting used up.
4. Earning love will always beat paying for it
Andy shared how Zappos gets 75% of their customers through word of mouth — all while their competitors are paying an average $35 per new customer. But Zappos takes it a step further: They reinvest these savings into more customer support and more thrilling experiences. This leads to even more customer referrals and even lower acquisition costs. Love is more than the warm and fuzzies, it’s a powerful marketing force that will carry you through good times and bad.
5. Watch Andy’s video
Check out Andy’s video below for more tips on how love and word of mouth will save your brand. And when you’re done, check out our Word of Mouth Crash Course to learn more about the 31 incredible word of mouth experts (including Andy!) we’re featuring on May 10 in Austin.
