Jan. 24, 2008 at 2:41pm

The power of WOM

Posted by Shari Campbell in Advertising, Measurement, Planning and Strategy
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Sunday’s Seattle Times was filled with ads from competing hospitals. As I quickly scanned them, I couldn’t help but think about a few random statistics I’ve read recently:

• A friend’s recommendation is five times more trustworthy than an ad
• People learn from advertising, but make their decisions by listening to a trusted source
• It’s estimated that in 2007, 66 million adults shared reviews and advice about products and services and 27 million “exerted influence” online

The Internet, blogs, viral marketing campaigns and other forms of social networking are drastically changing the way people get information and, ultimately, influencing who they trust and believe. Yet less than a quarter of communicators have a word-of-mouth strategy in place.

I’m not suggesting that conventional advertising will soon be extinct, or that you quit using such tools altogether. But maybe it is time to think about how to tap into the power of word-of-mouth marketing (WOM).

1. Involve your audience in meaningful conversation, experiences and relationships – get them more deeply involved. For hospitals and health systems, this might mean offering at no charge a nurse navigator for all your cancer patients, hosting and facilitating weekly online conversations with newly diagnosed cancer patients or sponsoring weekly support groups for parents of Neonatal Intensive Care Unit babies.It also involves listening, according to Lois Kelly. Kelly stresses that marketing today isn’t just pushing out information and producing things – or services, in the case of hospitals – it’s listening and bringing ideas from consumers back into your organization. Listening happens through conversation, and those conversations can be in social networks, online communities or face-to-face.

2. Reach out to influencers. Families and patients who like to talk are frequently the most passionate about their illness or problem. They also are likely to have access to social networks. A simple tactic used by an acclaimed children’s hospital was to encourage families of former patients to share their “hospital story” on the organization’s blog. This simple tactic created a “buzz” – and it boosted the organization’s WOM reputation.

3. Start by developing a Word of Mouth Strategy. Pick two or three target audiences and listen to what they have to say. Customize WOM plans for each audience with the right mix of WOM tactics best suited to inspire them. Remember, 76 percent of communicators don’t even have a strategy.

4. Measure it. Ask new patients to your medical practices how they heard about your organization, ask women who choose your hospital how they heard about you. Make sure WOM is an option and consistently use the same terms to measure WOM: from a friend, from my doctor or from a blog.

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