Word of mouth marketing and the famous brunch test
By Ted Wright February 25, 2020
One of the core ideas about our word of mouth marketing practice is igniting stories that Authentic, Interesting and Relevant.
This is much, much harder than it seems.
In fact, when we are working on a client project, we may spend a couple of weeks just brainstorming and refining ideas for our clients. The whiteboards in our offices will be absolutely covered with ideas ranging from the wacky to the sublime.
But then it’s crunch time and we need to deliver about a dozen potential story ideas to clients. There is one primary filter we use with ruthless rigor. We ask the big question:
Would anybody care? REALLY care?
One of the little tricks we use is to imagine customers at brunch with friends who should have some interest in the customer conversation.
The brunch test
Part of the fun about brunch is the conversation. You’re there to linger. You get some food and then you get some more food. You have a mimosa and then you have another mimosa.
And you talk about a wide range of subjects.
I’ve talked a lot in this space about advocates who organically and authentically carry your story forward. They CAN’T WAIT to tell their friends about new ideas and new stories.
So our goal as a word of mouth marketing agency is to find the stories about our customers that are just unmissable and insanely share-worthy. They are so good, they will be discussed at brunch.
Literally, we’re earning a place at the table.
As I said, that upfront work is very hard and time-consuming. But if you get it right, something magical happens. Your marketing is over because the customers take over and tell people your story for you.
And in the business world, there is nothing more effective than that!
Ted Wright is the founder of Fizz, the world’s leading word of mouth marketing (WOMM) agency. Ted is also an acclaimed WOMM keynote speaker and the author of Fizz: Harness the Power of Word of Mouth Marketing to Drive Brand Growth
Illustration courtesy Unsplash.com