What really does the phrase 'word of mouth' mean?
You tell a tale to your colleague, your colleague passes it to his neighbor. She, in turn, tells her mother and her mother passes it to her husband. Typically the husband casually brings it up in between a coffee break with his colleagues.
Sounds familiar, dosen't it?
Together with minor tweaking, we now are aware of this as the mighty Social Media.
It's hard to ignore the power of social media these days, as we all know how things get propagated like wildfire. For example, have a look at the negative press that surrounded United Airlines following a video of a traveler being dragged out of his seat went viral. The issue created quite a storm with even competitors taking a dig at the former with advertisements that subtly focused on the incident.
Conversation can easily escalate to controversy, and the recent Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner proves just that. The public backlash pressured Pepsi to finally take down the ad in just nine days. Remember the United Colors of Benetton campaign 'Unhate' from 2011? Though the ad - that had world leaders engaged in a photoshopped intimate kiss scene - directed at a positive message, it simply failed to deliver the desired message to the general public.
What we learn from these examples is that a conversation can start with one person and go down into internet history.
When brands have faced the brunt of the sociable media army, their first countermeasure is to reach out to employees to help spread a positive message. That is the power of the community you have working for you right outside your cabin.
Always take note of what's around you & never neglect the advantage that you and your employees can create together as a brand. As important as it is for your consumers to talk about your product, service, and ideals, it's just as important for each and every member of your team to do the same.
Employee advocacy needs careful planning, and a well thought out program can get you far better results than the last moment attempt.
Remember, a wildfire just needs a twig to light up and you have that twig sitting right next to you. Go on; provide them with a chance to power your brand.
You tell a tale to your colleague, your colleague passes it to his neighbor. She, in turn, tells her mother and her mother passes it to her husband. Typically the husband casually brings it up in between a coffee break with his colleagues.
Sounds familiar, dosen't it?
Together with minor tweaking, we now are aware of this as the mighty Social Media.
It's hard to ignore the power of social media these days, as we all know how things get propagated like wildfire. For example, have a look at the negative press that surrounded United Airlines following a video of a traveler being dragged out of his seat went viral. The issue created quite a storm with even competitors taking a dig at the former with advertisements that subtly focused on the incident.
Conversation can easily escalate to controversy, and the recent Pepsi ad featuring Kendall Jenner proves just that. The public backlash pressured Pepsi to finally take down the ad in just nine days. Remember the United Colors of Benetton campaign 'Unhate' from 2011? Though the ad - that had world leaders engaged in a photoshopped intimate kiss scene - directed at a positive message, it simply failed to deliver the desired message to the general public.
What we learn from these examples is that a conversation can start with one person and go down into internet history.
When brands have faced the brunt of the sociable media army, their first countermeasure is to reach out to employees to help spread a positive message. That is the power of the community you have working for you right outside your cabin.
Always take note of what's around you & never neglect the advantage that you and your employees can create together as a brand. As important as it is for your consumers to talk about your product, service, and ideals, it's just as important for each and every member of your team to do the same.
Employee advocacy needs careful planning, and a well thought out program can get you far better results than the last moment attempt.
Remember, a wildfire just needs a twig to light up and you have that twig sitting right next to you. Go on; provide them with a chance to power your brand.
