Sparking Word of Mouth

From the very beginning, associations have always relied on word of mouth (WOM) as a means to grow membership, events and support for vital initiatives. We’re good at it. But we still have room for improvement. I had the pleasure of interviewing Andy Sernovitz for this article in Associations Now. Andy knows word of mouth marketing. He has very practical ideas to help associations use word of mouth more deliberately and more successfully.  

As a supplement to the article, this bibliography of links will help you apply Andy’s WOM wisdom to your association’s marketing efforts.

Bibliography

More from Andy Andy loves to share examples and advice. WOMMA Resources Looking for research, advice and ideas from other word of mouth leaders? Start with the Word of Mouth Marketing Association. Blogs of Word of Mouth Practitioners Get ideas straight from the source. These guys are making it happen. Examples to Emulate Here are some examples of successful association initiatives with built-in word of mouth. These are online examples…you know, since we’re online here.

10 Types of Blog Posts That Associations Can Rock

Nothing draws blog readers and commenters like meaningful, engaging posts. Here are some ideas to get you thinking and planning:

1. Insight or opinion. If your blogger can be honest and open enough to share an opinion, you’ll build rapport and attract readers. If you’re brave enough to express an unpopular opinion, you’ll get even more comments.
2. Conference. You have a backstage pass. Why not use it to bring a whole new side of the conference experience to your members, and hear what they think about it?
3. Interview. Find out what the experts really think and share it with your readers.
4. Lists. Hey, you’re reading this list, right? People love lists because they’re easy to digest.
5. Live. What if you live blogged the congressional hearing on the most important issue affecting your members?
6. Announcement. This is about using your position in the industry to let people know about the most important stuff they have to know—even if it’s from a competitor.
7. Survey. We sure do enough of them, right? Whether you’re surveying just your blog readers or sharing the results of a broader survey, it will get people talking.
8. Response. If you’re not getting called out by another blogger once in awhile, you’re not doing it right. Debate draws audience, and a good rebuttal might even change some opinions.
9. Meme. When you’re trying to build awareness about an important topic, starting a meme (something like an online chain letter, but with substance) is a great way to get lots of bloggers talking all at the same time.
10. Guest. Hand over the stage to one of your celebrity members for a day.

… And 2 Types of Blog Posts to Avoid

1. Announcement. I know—we said this was a good one. But it will backfire if you only announce your own new products and conference dates.
2. Rant. Stirring the pot is one thing, going on a negative rant is something different. This works great for some bloggers, but for associations, it’s a losing proposition.

This list was first published in Associations Now. The types of blog posts were inspired by Rohit Bhargava and Jesse Thomas’s SlideShare presentation on “25 Basic Styles of Blogging.”