If you haven't done so already, check out WOMMA's Case Study Library. It's a great resource, packed with fantastic examples of word of mouth marketing in action from WOMMA member companies. Full of tactical strategies and numbers-based results, WOMMA's Case Study Library is the first and only resource of its kind dedicated to word of mouth marketing.
>> WOMMA members: You can strut your stuff, too. Submit your case study, and show off your best word of mouth work to the world at large via WOMMA's Case Study Library. It's the go-to place for examples of WOM -- and your work should be showcased there.
If you submit a case study between now and Sept. 1, 2008, you'll be in the running to win the word of mouth marketing industry's biggest accolade: The Wommie Award. Wommie Award winners will be invited to present their winning case studies at the 2008 Word of Mouth Marketing Summit, which is take place on Nov. 13-14, 2008 in Las Vegas.
As more and more companies look to hire social media and word of mouth marketing experts, it begs the question: What makes a great word of mouth hire? On his Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That! blog, Andy Sernovitz posted a write up of the qualities a fantastic WOM hire should have. Gathered partly from a poll of his Twitter followers, the list includes attributes such as: Social media familiarity and a footprint in social media platforms, the ability to evangelize and teach WOM techniques internally, amazing communication skills, knowledge of WOM ethics, and more.
The internal shift that occurs when a company decides to move into the social media space requires a lot of small shifts on the back end -- especially in the marketing and communications departments. And these changes will undoubtedly butt up against an operational mindset that resists change. So what can a company do to prep for these shifts? On the Digital Influence Mapping Project blog, WOMMA Board member John Bell offers up some suggestions, including inviting in new ideas, committing to trying new things, and finding a way to "reward" failures.
by WOMMA Editor
WOMMA believes that every participant in word of mouth marketing has a vested interest in preserving the integrity of the industry. As part of our ongoing commitment to WOM marketing ethics, WOMMA has created a Membership Ethics Advisory Panel (MEAP), as well as a standard set of procedures for disciplinary actions against current members to enforce WOMMA's Ethics Code and review prospective WOMMA members for ethical practices.
>> WOMMA members: This is a great way to take a proactive stance and participate in WOMMA's ongoing ethics processes. In order to be eligible to serve on the MEAP, panel members must meet the following criteria:
1. Be an employee of a WOMMA member company in good standing
2. Hold a management level position within the WOMMA member company
3. Possess significant knowledge of and experience in word of mouth marketing
4. Possess a working understanding of the WOMMA Ethics Code of Conduct, Bylaws, and all other WOMMA policies, rules, and regulations
5. Have a record that is clear of involvement in activity that violates the WOMMA Code of Ethics
6. Members of WOMMA's Board of Directors may not serve on the MEAP
MEAP members must commit to initial and ongoing training, as well as conference calls as needed for ethics reviews.
If you wish to be considered for this appointment or if you'd like to learn more, visit:
http://womma.org/ethics/reviewprocess/panel/
>> Applications and supporting documents must be sent to membership@womma.org by Monday, July 14, 2008.
More than 11 million internet users in the UK visited social networking sites at least once per month in 2007 -- and social network ad spending is rising to meet the influx of users, according to this article from MarketingVOX. In the UK, as well as in other foreign markets, social networking site Facebook has pulled ahead of MySpace, while MySpace still dominates (according to some reports) in the U.S.
This story from The Social Media Insider covers a new Twitter-er's experience, from the first, tepid login to the "ok let's get my hands dirty" stage, all the way to full-fledged Twitter submersion (complete with withdrawal symptoms that accompany the site's frequent outages). It's a good read for anyone who has ever looked at Twitter and thought, "What could anyone possibly get out of this wacky microblogging thing?"
WOMMA is pleased to announce our newly-elected Board of Directors. WOMMA's Board includes major brands, marketers, agencies, researchers, word of mouth specialty firms, and top experts. It is representative of the diversity of companies that have embraced the consumer-driven power of word of mouth marketing and have signed-on as active members of the industry's official trade association.
WOMMA's new Board of Directors includes:
* Rod Brooks, Vice President & CMO, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company
* Liana Frey, Chief of Staff, Marketing, Dell
* Spike Jones, Firestarter, Brains on Fire
* Ed Keller, CEO, The Keller Fay Group (Incumbent)
* Matt Moog, Founder and CEO, Viewpoints Network
* David Rabjohns, CEO, MotiveQuest LLC
* Stuart Sheldon, President – Atlanta Division, Escalate
* Amanda Van Nuys, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Organic
They will join the following Directors, who are currently serving on the Board:
* John Bell, Managing Director/Executive Creative Director, 360 Digital Influence, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
* Idil Cakim, Vice President, Interactive Media, GolinHarris
* Sam Decker, Vice President, Marketing and Products, Bazaarvoice
* Paul Rand, President and CEO, The Zocalo Group
* Laura Shuler, Chief Strategy Officer, President (U.S.), Jack Morton Worldwide
* Scott K. Wilder, General Manager, Online Communities, Intuit
* Julie Wittes Schlack, Vice President, Innovation and Design, Communispace Corporation
* Dave Balter (Observer), CEO, BzzAgent
* Pete Blackshaw (Observer), CMO, Nielsen BuzzMetrics
To learn more about the WOMMA Board, visit:
http://www.womma.org/board/
by WOMMA Editor
Chicago, IL July 2, 2008 -- The Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) is pleased to announce the newly-elected members of its Board of Directors, who will officially kick-off their terms at the next WOMMA Board meeting.
This is WOMMA's third Board election since the association was first established in 2004. The expertise and thought-leadership demonstrated by WOMMA's successive Boards have driven the growth of both the association and the industry, and have ensured that the word of mouth marketing industry continues to adhere to the pillars that necessitated its establishment. These pillars include: the establishment of best practices, standardization of measurement and metrics, and a strong dedication to word of mouth marketing ethics.
WOMMA's Board of Directors includes major brands, marketers, agencies, researchers, word of mouth specialty firms, and top experts. It is representative of the diversity of companies that have embraced the consumer-driven power of word of mouth marketing and have signed-on as active members of the industry's official trade association.
WOMMA's success parallels the maturation of the entire word of mouth marketing industry, which reached an estimated $1.35 billion in 2007, according to a study conducted by PQ Media.
WOMMA's new Board of Directors includes:
* Rod Brooks, Vice President & CMO, PEMCO Mutual Insurance Company
* Liana Frey, Chief of Staff, Marketing, Dell
* Spike Jones, Firestarter, Brains on Fire
* Ed Keller, CEO, The Keller Fay Group (Incumbent)
* Matt Moog, Founder and CEO, Viewpoints Network
* David Rabjohns, CEO, MotiveQuest LLC
* Stuart Sheldon, President – Atlanta Division, Escalate
* Amanda Van Nuys, Vice President, Corporate Marketing, Organic
They will join the following Directors, who are currently serving on WOMMA's Board:
* John Bell, Managing Director/Executive Creative Director, 360 Digital Influence, Ogilvy Public Relations Worldwide
* Idil Cakim, Vice President, Interactive Media, GolinHarris
* Sam Decker, Vice President, Marketing and Products, Bazaarvoice
* Paul Rand, President and CEO, Zocalo Group
* Laura Shuler, Chief Strategy Officer, President (U.S.), Jack Morton Worldwide
* Scott K. Wilder, General Manager, Online Communities, Intuit
* Julie Wittes Schlack, Vice President, Innovation and Design, Communispace Corporation
* Dave Balter (Observer), CEO, BzzAgent
* Pete Blackshaw (Observer), CMO, Nielsen BuzzMetrics
About WOMMA
WOMMA is the official trade association for the word of mouth marketing industry. Our more than 390 corporate members are committed to building a prosperous word of mouth marketing profession based on best practices, measurable ROI, and ethical leadership. Learn more about us at www.womma.org.
CONTACT:
Shannon Stairhime
Editorial & Content Manager
312-853-4400
Consumers who do their homework and research products online before making purchase decisions are likely to tell other consumers about the information they find, according to recently released research from WOMMA member company BIGresearch's SIMM study. The study found that 47% of consumers who do pre-purchase online research regularly give advice about products to people they know compared to 29.4% of the general adult population. These consumers' advice-giving nature makes them more influential than average. The study also found that 49% of adults report WOM influences where they dine out, 42.6% say it influences electronic purchases, and 38% say it influences grocery purchases.
This audio clip from National Public Radio takes a look at the viral marketing phenomenon and tries to make sense of what's authentic versus bona fide fakery. The segment also examines what it takes for an online video to become a viral sensation -- and emphasizes the fact that it's not as easy as it looks.
Join the WOMMA Community
The WOMMA Word puts up-to-the-minute word of mouth stories in your hands every week with an easy-to-swallow dose of news, strategies, case studies, campaigns, jobs, research, and more. If it's happening in WOM, The WOMMA Word has got it covered.
If you haven't done so already, check out WOMMA's Case Study Library. It's a great resource, packed with fantastic examples of word of mouth marketing in action from WOMMA member companies. Full of tactical strategies and numbers-based results, WOMMA's Case Study Library is the first and only resource of its kind dedicated to word of mouth marketing.
>> WOMMA members: You can strut your stuff, too. Submit your case study, and show off your best word of mouth work to the world at large via WOMMA's Case Study Library. It's the go-to place for examples of WOM -- and your work should be showcased there.
If you submit a case study between now and Sept. 1, 2008, you'll be in the running to win the word of mouth marketing industry's biggest accolade: The Wommie Award. Wommie Award winners will be invited to present their winning case studies at the 2008 Word of Mouth Marketing Summit, which is take place on Nov. 13-14, 2008 in Las Vegas.
As more and more companies look to hire social media and word of mouth marketing experts, it begs the question: What makes a great word of mouth hire? On his Damn! I Wish I'd Thought of That! blog, Andy Sernovitz posted a write up of the qualities a fantastic WOM hire should have. Gathered partly from a poll of his Twitter followers, the list includes attributes such as: Social media familiarity and a footprint in social media platforms, the ability to evangelize and teach WOM techniques internally, amazing communication skills, knowledge of WOM ethics, and more.
The internal shift that occurs when a company decides to move into the social media space requires a lot of small shifts on the back end -- especially in the marketing and communications departments. And these changes will undoubtedly butt up against an operational mindset that resists change. So what can a company do to prep for these shifts? On the Digital Influence Mapping Project blog, WOMMA Board member John Bell offers up some suggestions, including inviting in new ideas, committing to trying new things, and finding a way to "reward" failures.
More than 11 million internet users in the UK visited social networking sites at least once per month in 2007 -- and social network ad spending is rising to meet the influx of users, according to this article from MarketingVOX. In the UK, as well as in other foreign markets, social networking site Facebook has pulled ahead of MySpace, while MySpace still dominates (according to some reports) in the U.S.
This story from The Social Media Insider covers a new Twitter-er's experience, from the first, tepid login to the "ok let's get my hands dirty" stage, all the way to full-fledged Twitter submersion (complete with withdrawal symptoms that accompany the site's frequent outages). It's a good read for anyone who has ever looked at Twitter and thought, "What could anyone possibly get out of this wacky microblogging thing?"
Join the WOMMA Community
The WOMMA Word puts up-to-the-minute word of mouth stories in your hands every week with an easy-to-swallow dose of news, strategies, case studies, campaigns, jobs, research, and more. If it's happening in WOM, The WOMMA Word has got it covered.
by David Alston
Social media guru Chris Brogan and I had been busy shooting video interviews over the course of three days for a webinar series featuring some of the most recognized names in social media and online WOM. Looking at our production timeline, we expected it would take a few months to edit the video -- so we were looking at a launch of three webinars smack in the middle of the summer vacation season. Heck, there’s never much on TV during the summer, but would people want to sign up for yet another series of webinars?
We had shot the video interviews during two conferences, SNCR’s NewComm Forum in Sonoma County and Web 2.0 Expo in San Francisco. While the timing didn’t afford us the time to attend sessions at the latter, we did get to join in on the fun at SNCR’s event. While sitting in on the sessions, we had both noticed that there seemed to be a digital divide between those using Twitter and those who were not. For those familiar with Twitter, it’s rather commonplace for some significant backchannel conversations to happen via Twitter during any social media event.
So, why the disconnect? Twitter is a free service and quite easy to use, so why weren’t more people jumping in with both feet and joining the conversations that were furiously happening in parallel to the “offline” conference? In fact, why weren’t those new to social media -- attending the conference to learn about how to join in on the action -- actually taking the opportunity to connect with the numerous experts sitting next to them physically and virtually online? To further illustrate my point, I saw a complete room of social media newcomers clear out faster than you could say “Fire” at the end of one session I attended. And this was after an amazing presentation by both Kami Watson Huyse and Geoff Livingston -- where, coincidentally, none other than social media news release inventor, Todd Defren, helped out by advancing the slides. Three top experts who were more than willing to network, but no connections seemingly made. Perplexing for sure.
This was certainly not the first time I had seen this phenomenon. In fact, at every single conference I had attended over the previous six months -- seminars dealing with social media and generally packed with standing room only crowds -- newcomers frantically took notes on the websites they should visit, the tools they should consider, and the authors they should read. But sadly, after each talk, real uptake -- the kind that requires you to actually join that social media conversation already in session -- did not seem to occur in any significant way. Lots of preparation taking place, but with implementation saved for a later date. A bit disheartening.
So would we launch another webinar series, an online simulation of a one-way presentation of information, or could we create something more dynamic, more interactive?
Enter the "twebinar." A mashup between the real-time, multi-directional messaging and networking power of Twitter with the convenience and rich media experience of a video webinar. It’s an experiment to see if the format, requiring a Twitter account to get the full value of each one-hour experience, catches on with those attendees hoping to learn more about social media.
The idea of the first twebinar was first introduced to the Twitter crowd earlier this week, and the uptake has been tremendous. We are now running online campaigns -- both e-letter and targeted Facebook ads -- to reach those wishing to dip their toe into the pool of social media in relation to business, public relations, and marketing.
Each twebinar will attempt to link participants both with speakers and with each other. The connections will begin in advance of each event in order to help to spread the word. The tweets will occur during each webinar video broadcast to promote Q&A and feedback, as well as after each event to promote continual learning through participation within the supportive social media community that already exists.
Will the experiment work? We hope so. By listening in real-time, from a promotional nature, from a topic discussion, and from an event-feedback perspective, course corrections can be made along the path to success. And for those who do decide to participate wholeheartedly they will definitely come away with useful examples, valuable connections with leaders in social media, and the knowledge that they’ve finally put all the preparation to bed and jumped into the world of social media with both feet.
For more information on the Radian6 Twebinars -- a social media summer series with host Chris Brogan featuring interviews with over 30 leaders in social media -- go to http://www.twebinar.com.
David Alston is vice president of marketing at Radian6, a WOMMA member and leading provider of a social media monitoring platform for PR and marketing professionals. He arrived at his current role with previous experience at several tech startups in the interactive advertising and the video over IP space. Most recently, he was partner and vice president of marketing strategy at PR firm, Revolution Strategy. He blogs at TweetPR.
