“Easier
said than done.” We’ve all heard it a million times. And whether we are talking about mustering up
the courage to ask your crush to the prom, or helping your company make the
leap to listening to and acting on your customer’s wishes and requests, the
phrase still rings true.
Chapters
7-10 of Groundswell center on engaging with customers online and how to
use this digital communication to let them have a say in your product.
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| Taken from WOMMA website: http://womma.org/main/ |
One of the most important ideas to come out of this particular section is the word-of-mouth energizing tactic. Li & Bernoff quote the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA) when defining the term as, “the most honest form of marketing, building upon people’s natural desire to share their experiences with family, friends and colleagues” (pg. 131). Perhaps this is why when North American online consumers were asked what review source they trust the most before making a purchase, 83% trust the opinion of a friend or acquaintance who has used the product/service (Figure 7-1, pg. 132).
Anyone
familiar with Amazon.com knows they devote a portion of each product display to
the customer review section where they solicit those who have purchased the
product to let others know what they thought.
They do this through comments and a star rating system of 1-5; one star
being poor, and five stars being the best.
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| Taken from Amazon.com |
A quick scroll through the customer reviews section (where readers can also vote on if the review was useful or not) will illustrate exactly what Li & Bernoff meant when they discussed the value of energizing consumers. In a continuing effort to help the groundswell community support itself through tactics such as forums, wikis and Q&A blogs, (as discussed in Chapter 8), Amazon has created a Kindle Help Forum page which currently has over 1000 discussions posted.
By the time we reach Chapters 9 & 10 of Groundswell, the question of product innovation is addressed. While the idea of product development may cause sweat to form on the brow of many company executives, Li & Bernoff offer a simple groundswell solution: Make customers part of your process.
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| Kindle Forum taken from Amazon.com |
“Your
customers are chomping at the bit to tell you what to do. …Whether you’re ready or not, they are now
part of your process” (Groundswell, pg.182). Giving customers a voice in your
company leads to faster innovation and limitless creativity.
So what do you think; is this tactic easier said than done?
I think letting the Groundswell have a say in everything you do as a company may be risky. Companies need to find a balance between including the Groundswell and allowing them to make suggestions and also listening to their own skill and maintaining the quality of the product. I think it is definitely easier said than done to find that balance.
ReplyDeleteHi Hadley- I agree with what you say about companies needing to trust themselves as well as customers because if they allow their product to fall too far into the hands of consumers, you will lose all control over your marketing. You are right though, that ultimately it is about the quality of the product, not the quantity of reviews.
DeleteHi Brittany, i really enjoyed reading your blog. I do believe that Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)is taking over businesses, companies, products etc. I do agree with Hadley that companies need to find a balance but then again, people are the consumers and if they cant be impressed...then the company or product runs into trouble. The products need to fall into the hands of the consumers because that's who they are made for; this way, by WOMMA can help the companies and businesses improve the quality of the product - and this is where the balance falls. Without a review or what people are thinking or saying...there is no profit - at least this is what i think.
ReplyDelete