Making word of mouth happen is a
problem of know-how, not knowledge.
The knowledge of what gets customers talking exists. However, the know-how to apply that knowledge is missing.
A knowing-doing gap exists about how to make word of mouth happen with both marketing academics and marketing practitioners. Marketing academics know, but they do not do. Marketing practitioners do, but do not necessarily know.
Lots of great academic research exists to explain the science behind word of mouth marketing. We now have available a large amount of research on why people share. This base of knowledge is super smart. However, it isn’t readily accessible or easily understandable to marketers.
Marketers today are confusing hindsight with foresight and leaving out the insight as they develop word of mouth activities.
Businesses are too fixated on mimicking best practices from other companies to become their company’s next practice. In other words, they’ve fallen victim to check-the-box marketing. Must get on Pinterest. CHECK. Must use Facebook to engage with customers. CHECK. Must tweet fast and furious. CHECK.
Marketers are putting the WHAT before the WHY as they execute the HOW. They want to spark word of mouth with all their check-the-box marketing activities, but these conversations are not happening because of the missing ingredient — PASSION.
In THE PASSION CONVERSATION we share how to apply the science behind word of mouth marketing using the artistic strokes from a marketer’s strategic brushes.