BONUS: WOM Glossary

Here are some key terms and information about Word-of-Mouth and Word-of-Mouth Marketing.

Word-of-mouth marketing encompasses dozens of marketing techniques that are geared toward encouraging and helping people to talk to each other about products and services.

Common types of word-of-mouth marketing are listed below. This is not a complete list – we’re publishing it as a means to begin a dialog toward standardization, and we welcome your comments. (Not everyone agrees that each of these should be part of word-of-mouth marketing, and many marketers use different terms to describe them.)

Brand Blogging:

Creating blogs and participating in the blogosphere, in the spirit of open, transparent communications; sharing information of value that the blog community may talk about.

Buzz Marketing:

Using high-profile entertainment or news to get people to talk about your brand.

Cause Marketing:
Supporting social causes to earn respect and support from people who feel strongly about the cause.

Community Marketing:
Forming or supporting niche communities that are likely to share interests about the brand (such as user groups, fan clubs, and discussion forums); providing tools, content, and information to support those communities.

Conversation Creation:
Interesting or fun advertising, emails, catch phrases, entertainment, or promotions designed to start word-of-mouth activity.

Evangelist Marketing:
Cultivating evangelists, advocates, or volunteers who are encouraged to take a leadership role in actively spreading the word on your behalf.

Grassroots Marketing:
Organizing and motivating volunteers to engage in personal or local outreach.

Influencer Marketing:
Identifying key communities and opinion leaders who are likely to talk about products and have the ability to influence the opinions of others.

Product Seeding:
Placing the right product into the right hands at the right time, providing information or samples to influential individuals.

Referral Programs:
Creating tools that enable satisfied customers to refer their friends.

Viral Marketing:
Creating entertaining or informative messages that are designed to be passed along in an exponential fashion, often electronically or by email.

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