What is Web3 Word of Mouth Marketing?

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 26th, 2009 | Comments

We all know that the fastest way for an idea to spread is through word of mouth communication.  When you hear everyone talking about a new product, service, or site, you immediately want to check it out to see what all the hype is about.  That’s the power of word of mouth – but how do you get it?

Activating Word of Mouth engages your consumers to be brand advocates for you on the social web.  We identify your fans, build on the existing culture of your brand, and activate your fan base to spread your message.

We are a Web 3 Marketing firm that takes you from concept to contagious word of mouth, using Web 3 empowerment strategy. This strategy revolves around the idea of targeting your audience based on semantic (conversational) data and how it relates to the consumer.

Authentic Word of Mouth is not a Campaign

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 20th, 2009 | Comments

David Berkowitz wrote an article yesterday discussing the fact that the one word you can not mention in a social media conference is “campaign.”

If you approach word of mouth advertising as a traditional media campaign, you will fail and do damage to your brand. Social networks are for social engagement, not for you to spam users. Don’t get confused by the technology, social networks are gatherings of individuals… much like a cocktail party. If you approach these networks as such you will succeed.

Here is a video about Whuffie and Tara Hunt. Take a moment and listen to her background at the end:

Our firm identifies authentic influencers on the social web and engage them with quality brands that are interesting to those individuals.

Again, thinking of the cocktail scenario, your impressions of various people at that cocktail party is defined by honesty, influence, your history with them, and their background. The same thing is true about social interaction on the web. These influencers have the same variables. Authentic word of mouth comes from these relationships and influencers; not a campaign, pure visibility, and traditional marketing strategies.

In Activating Word of Mouth we determine the influences for your brand and develop strong relationships with these individuals. Their mentions and marketing of your brand is authentic.

Ford = Social Media Win!

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 18th, 2009 | Comments

By Kevin Spidel

A few months ago I was contacted by Ford to create a video of why I should be given one of their new cars to drive  for 6 months. At first, I was thinking this was another big company trying to capitalize on social media leaders’ networks. I wrongly opted to skip making the video.

That was dumb.

A few weeks went by and I started noticing all my friends in social media (professional and hobbyists) begin posting their videos for Ford. These are people I trust. I was surprised that they were falling for such a scam. It was me that was being naive.

Nearly all of the top 100 people that Ford awarded cars to I know through the web and my work. I missed out.

Being upset at myself for missing out on the fun (and the free car) I started following this social media campaign closer. Today there was another write up: http://mashable.com/2009/05/18/ford-social-media

This article showcases the best data to date on a successful social media campaign by a large company.
Here is a winning video submission from one of my colleagues / friends.

This video captures true authentic word of mouth marketing, not paid shrills.  Participants are enthusiastic about an opportunity to drive a new car and are rewarded for marketing Ford online.

This is a solid example of how and why Ford is winning on the social media game.

The Evolution of Data & Marketing

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 17th, 2009 | Comments

By Kevin Spidel

This weekend we were told RSS feeds are dead and Semantic search engines will kill Google.  Awesome technology… but is it game changing?

Remember the days when market data was just phone lists, snail mail addresses, magazine subscriptions, etc? I have spent 10 years working with voter files and effectively getting campaign messages to voters. Trend data and cross tabs are very similar to traditional direct marketing. This type of information is still extremely important in marketing, but acquiring this information is now more accessible and accurate… or is it?

Semantic data from the social web is data exchanged from user input (conversational, personal, and experiential.) This data can be searched, collected, categorized, and targeted.  This is what Activating WOM is all about.  The trick is in understanding what data is relevant and accurate.

As the web evolves, users range in their evolution– some are quick to jump on the newest technology, some stay tight to their Google Readers or Bookmarks until they start to feel behind the curve. It is important to stay abreast of the new technology while not allowing your focus to shift away from traditional online communication.

In online marketing, culture is king. Not technology. Understanding who, why, and what people do online is critical to authentically engaging and empowering brand advocates.

Here is a reflective exercise:

What are your online morning rituals?  How do you get your information?  How has that changed in the last 6 months?

Here is my order in the morning:

1. Check twitter DM’s and mentions
2. Facebook notifications and inbox
3. SMS and Voicemail
4. Email
5. Top 5 blogs in order: 1 – TechCrunch 2 – NY Times 3 – Drudge Report 4 – Mashable 5 – Digg

6 months ago it was:

1. Facebook notifications and inbox
2. Check twitter DM’s and mentions
3. Google Reader
4. Email
5. Voicemail & SMS

A change in priority and a step away from aggregation may be a sign that RSS dying; however, it is important to understand that I am one of those who moves fast to new technology. We can not discredit that RSS and aggregation tools like Google Reader are still very important information sources for many online consumers.

What are your morning informational rituals?

What is Social Capital?

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 16th, 2009 | Comments

Communication in 2009

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 16th, 2009 | Comments

In a day and age were we can monitor personal and consumer brands there is no excuse to not engage in respective debate. Watch this video to see a real live example off what happened to me today.

Why We Are Different

Posted by Kevin Spidel on May 16th, 2009 | Comments

Authentic Empowerment

Everyone claims to have the answers when it comes to marketing on the social web. But are those answers the best for your brand?  Social online marketing is not about how much content is distributed or how many “followers” you have; it’s about establishing an engaged, empowered, authentic online following for your brand.

True relationships yield greater results. We take the advertising out of marketing.

Word of Mouth is only effective if relationships are fostered and maintained.  This is why we focus on word of mouth authenticity, which requires strategy and additional time to effectively implement. We empower your consumers to become brand advocates for you.

Consumer empowerment is the most effective way to create brand advocates. Consumers that are already fans of the brand are able to discuss what they like about the brand to their social networks. We have created the following three step process to identify and build your network of brand advocates.

1. Identify existing online customers and give them the tools and rewards to become authentic brand advocates and marketers for you;
2. Identify new customers and influencers on the social web based off of our individual semantic targeted research;
3. Empower and harness authentic voices to creative social media such as videos, about your brand, which become viral on the web.

These steps ensure that your presence on the social web is strong and effective.  The social web is populated by people who want to share their thoughts and experiences, as influencers we understand social capital and authentic voice.  Through authentic engagement and building a targeted audience based off of semantic data we build successful brand presence on the web.

This is what sets us a part.

This is Web 3.