Why Word of Mouth Fails

Today Managing Editor, Doyne Phillips, welcomes marketing expert, Rob Eagar to Marketing Monday. If you don't already receive Rob's Monday morning tips, sign up here.
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by Rob Eagar

Have you ever read a book, watched a movie, or visited a restaurant that you really enjoyed, but never told anyone until someone else brought it up in conversation? Once you were reminded, then you began to tell numerous friends. This situation identifies two common problems for authors, businesses, and non-profits who want to generate more word of mouth. First, most people won't tell their friends about your product or service unless you make an obvious request. Second, you must make the ability for people to tell friends as easy as possible.

Most people are willing to spread word of mouth, but they're busy or forgetful due to all the distractions in our hectic society. Thus, if you want more people to tell others about your product or service, you need to make it blatantly clear. For instance, if you're an author, you must specifically tell people, "Please tell your friends about my book." Then, provide free tools on your website that makes it easy for readers to do so. If you run a non-profit, you must openly ask people to donate. Then, provide compelling success stories and easy ways for people to contribute to your cause. Otherwise, most people will never stop to think about forwarding your information to someone else. State the obvious in order to start a word of mouth wildfire.

Rob Eagar is a marketing consultant, author, and speaker who helps individuals and organizations spread their message like wildfire. His clients include businesses, non-profits, and bestselling authors.