WOMM is Not for Everyone

Last week, I had the privilege of interviewing one of the biggest names in word of mouth marketing. I am not going to reveal his name, but believe you me, he knows what he is talking about when it comes to WOMM.

The interview was about his upcoming WOMM-U presentation for WOMMA, but one of his answers really stood out to me. When I asked what are his fundamentals of WOMM, he went over four tests that every WOMM program need to pass. He then iterated that if your program didn’t pass each test, word of mouth marketing is not for you. I decided to share this because even if you are not trying to implement a program like this, any company, no matter the size or business, should pass each one. Let’s jump into it.

Is Your Story Interesting?

Needless to say, your company’s story needs to be different. It needs to provoke an emotional response from your fans that encourage people to talk about it. If you are content with being a boring insurance firm, which is not always the case, then WOMM is not for you.

Is Your Story Relevant to Your Audience

Not every story is going to resonate with everyone. For example, many new moms love to write everything that happens to their new baby. Being a 25-year-old single male in Chicago, you can imagine how little interest I have in these types of blogs. Then again, I am not their target audience. If your target audience doesn’t find your story relevant, then you are missing the big picture.

Is Your Story Authentic?

We put a big emphasis on ethics at WOMMA and for good reason. All good WOMM programs have an authentic story behind them. People hate being lied to and enjoy the classic tale of new business owners coming from nothing to making it big. Make sure you find your true angle of your story and highlight it.

Do People Care?

Most importantly, do people actually care about your brand? In the interview, the interview even said, “Do people actually give a fuck?” He’s right. If people don’t care, why in the world would they tell others? They wouldn’t. In order for people to stick their neck out and recommend your brand, you better have some conviction behind your company’s mission and that comes from an interesting, relevant and authentic story.

So does your word of mouth marketing program pass the four questions?