Strategic WOM or Tactical Buzz

Is word of mouth (WOM) a promotional tactic, or a long-term strategy?

The burgeoning word of mouth industry has created this question for many marketers, and quite frankly the answer alludes most companies.

Many advertisers would lead you to believe that buzz campaigns are extremely easy to implement. After all, we live in a "I needed that yesterday" society. There are times when this is true if you consider that many buzz campaigns are derived from funny or creative ideas. But that approach only works sporadically; if every marketer tried this approach the message gets lost and consumers would revolt.

"Creating WOM should be a company's long-term strategy, not just a marketing tactic. Unfortunately, there has been so much hype about WOM being about buzz, viral e-mails, and publicity stunts that most people are not seeing the strategic value of WOM," said Jackie Huba of Creating Customer Evangelists

WOM is not just about getting people to talk, but getting them to participate in the marketing process. That statement begs the question, if consumers are to participate with a brand, who are they to participate with? The most likely answer is consumer affairs or customer service, yet most marketers do not see this area as central to the marketing process.

Word of mouth is most definitely a long-term strategy. The question has become, what tactics will you implement to improve customer satisfaction and retention rates?