Four Ways to Encourage Word of Mouth

In a post at MarketingProfs' Daily Fix blog, Andy Sernovitz discusses some takeaways from a recent experience in which he told an office manager that the $239 Dell monitor he purchased for his PC would work with her Mac. "She said she had been saving up for a monitor from Apple for three times the price," he writes, "but she was going to check out the Dell instead."

Use conversation starters. Sernovitz realized the Dell monitor was Apple-compatible because the cable was included as an accessory. This extra is the conversation starter; while most Dell customers have no use for it, their Mac-loyal friends might want to know about a cost-effective alternative. "The resulting word of mouth pays for the extra cost," he says. "What can you put in the box to start a conversation?"

Use good names. Ditch memory-defying alphanumeric product names for more catchy alternatives. Are you more likely to tell a friend about the SP2208WFP or the Fred 22?

Use simple URLs. Use a URL that's simple to remember and pass along—for instance, dell.com/fred.

Use referral landing pages. Let customer evangelists create a page like dell.com/sernovitz with favorite purchases and wish lists. "It's easy to do," he says, "and it makes me look great when I tell people about it. Give me points when my friends visit. Give referrers status and recognition."

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