Word of Mouth Marketing SmartBrief

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December 21, 2012

Word of Mouth and social media marketing news

Everybody's Talking About ...

There and back again: Online games fueling tabletop resurgence
Old-fashioned board games are experiencing a market renaissance these days, in part due to word-of-mouth marketing on online forums such as BoardGameGeek and online games that have led users to seek tabletop versions. "I like video games still ... but I think people are looking for a way to hang out with friends and have a more social experience," said Nathan McNair, a finance consultant who helps rerelease out-of-print games on the side. King of Tokyo and Ticket to Ride are among other new board games gaining popularity alongside established titles such as The Settlers of Catan and Carcassone. The Seattle Times (12/17)

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WOMM at Work

Diamond company's sales shine with Facebook
Seamus Fahy said Facebook fuels 25% of sales for Voltaire Diamonds, the customized engagement and wedding ring company he founded more than four years ago. After establishing a Facebook page, Voltaire didn't just upload pictures of merchandise -- it also shared videos with tips for buying diamonds, asked customers to vote on ring designs and share personal stories, and used ads geared toward its target audience of 26- to 35-year-olds. "Overall we drove 40[%] growth in fans in six months through consistent use of Facebook [strategies]," Fahy said. BusinessAndLeadership.com (Ireland) (12/19)

Buzz soars around hoax video of bird swooping on toddler
A video purporting to show an enormous bird of prey swooping into a Montreal park and trying to carry away a toddler has attracted more than 25 million views. A French-speaking man catches the bird's attack on film before rushing over to find the toddler shaken but otherwise fine. A group of students came forward and admitted the video is a hoax, created using a combination of computer effects and live action and developed as a school project. Philippine Daily Inquirer/Agence France-Presse (12/19) , BBC (12/20)

Building Blocks of Buzz

Word-of-mouth marketing increasingly happens on social networks
Asking friends for recommendations about which small business to visit for a haircut or a great sandwich is nothing new -- but now that process is occurring much more frequently on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter, online marketing consultant Lori Highby writes. She cites one of her own Facebook posts asking for acupuncture advice as an example, saying it led to multiple referrals from friends -- including one company with a Facebook page -- within a day's time. "The actions that you need to take as a small business owner are to create and maintain a positive social media presence," Highby concludes. B2C Marketing Insider (12/18)

How small businesses can tap into Pinterest's growing user base
Pinterest is one of the Web's fastest-rising sites -- comScore reports that it had 40 million users in November -- but many small businesses aren't sure how to tap into its largely female user base. Writing for the Miami Herald's BizBytes feature, Tasha Cunningham recommends six Pinterest strategies, including sharing easily "pinnable" content on your website and including useful keywords in the "About" section of your Pinterest profile page. "A good rule is to use three keywords per paragraph," she adds. The Miami Herald (free registration) (12/16)

Don't just go social: Think outside the social box
While it's clear that having an up-to-date Facebook page and other social media accounts is crucial for any business's success today, just having social media accounts isn't enough, Danny Davis writes. He cites IBM as an example: the computer company uses hundreds of "micro-blogs" run by individual employees to spread its social presence on a more personal level. "[M]any companies take a generic approach to marketing themselves online, without considering how a different, more innovative strategy might benefit and even transform their business," Davis explains. Dynamic Business online (Australia) (12/20)

Words from WOMMA

Themes trump trends for sustained engagement
This is the time of year when the world's digital pundits post their annual trends outlooks. Some may actually come true. My favorites (thus far, though it's still early days) for 2013 are from Peter Kim, Millward Brown and Edelman's own David Armano. That said, perhaps the most salient piece I've read as regards where we are and where we are likely headed of late was Mary Meeker's State of the Web deck, released last week. Continue reading at WOMMA.

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