This article, part of a simplified series, aims to demystify Digital Marketing and technical terms used by marketing agencies. It is, by design, a shallow primer, basic introduction. Learn more: Ande Digital: Search Marketing support.
Before we step into WOM Marketing, let's revisit SEO v/s SEM. In that article we talked about how both SEO and SEM worked together as one unit in what is now being called Search Marketing. Now if you're an SME you will likely have noticed that the bigger boys rank above you in SEO search results.
Most search bots today show paid ads in the first 3 or 4 positions. These are generally huge organisations with massively deep pockets, hard for smaller businesses to outbid them in the ad jungle. Which is why a focus on WOM can be a better investment in time and money for smaller players. Stretching your marketing budget.
As an example, let's look at Ande Digital. Now despite being around since 2003 and working with huge global multi nationals, we are, in the world of technology, still a small player. Yet we mange to not only attract top clients, but also retain them. Often for many years.
Apart form this humble website, we do not advertise- and never have. We depend on WOM marketing. In other words we provide the best possible service to our clients so that they will, in return, recommend us to their colleagues.
If you know us, or have read through our site, you'll notice we talk about Engagement and User Experience (UX). A lot.
Engagement is vast. It's more than your web site (although that too is important) but also the service (or lack of) that your customers find in your stores, or when calling your support line.
Every point people touch or bump against your brand, your reputation is on the line. A delivery driver in your marked van might run a light or cut someone off. Chances are you will never hear of it. But the "victims" friends and associates will. And today, people take to social media to express even the smallest of frustrations. There are 2 truisms at play here;
So in the case of the driver errant, not only is this going to circulate widely but will probably end up being more serious than the initial action. The end result is that any money you are investing in marketing is at jeopardy.
UX is a similar scenario, except that as the name implies, it's more tightly focused on users of your Website, APP or online store. Some points might be:
Today's search crawlers examine and analyse a website identical to humans. Just many times faster.Let's accept the traditional version that SEO is about making your website perfect in every way so that web crawlers can easily find, read and digest it.
Logically, that is going to apply equally to humans. If we extend that a step further, any website that is good for search bots is going to create a superior UX for your visitors. Potential Customers. Stretching your marketing budget that little bit further.
So whilst we are not knocking Search Marketing, we are suggesting that you look at building a WOM presence in tandem with any other marketing tactics you may be using. Look at and build your engagement and UX. A great starting point for that is of course, examining and improving your SEO.
We say "examine" because you do not necessarily have to invest in a full on SEO contract. Shop around and find a team who will analyse your position then feedback some pointers or ideas where you can improve, and an estimate. It's up to you then to go forward - budget dependent.
Once you have the technical side (SEO) and UX looking its shiny best, time to look at Engagement. Which arguably is not so easy, depending on your size. If you are a sole trader or a small team of 2 or 3, then it's going to be significantly easier.
As we mentioned earlier, engagement is where every part of your business operation meets a customer or potential customer. And some can be surprising. So the first step is to look closely - deeply at your operation and ID all those, potentially, hazardous touch points.
Then the hard work really begins. From here you need a thorough description of expectations and very likely in house education or training to ensue that everyone understands, not just the expectations but the importance of them. And that really DOES mean everyone, from the tea lady and the toilet cleaner down to the CMO and CEO GM. It has to be a 100% total commitment to engagement from everyone.
At this point you can start to introduce customer loyalty programmes, education ( how to get more from your product) and other bonuses and benefits. Or restart them if they already exist. Don't forget the home team - as Napoleon once said: "An Army Marches on it's Stomach." Look after your people, they'll look after you.
We could say, "Congrats, now enjoy the fruit of your efforts." But it's not that easy. WOM doesn't just happen, as we've outlined, it takes work, and planning, and commitment. Neither is it a set and forget, switch to autopilot activity. WOM marketing engagement is a 24 hour, 7 day practice. It only takes one small slip to damage months of hard work.
Digital marketing agencies today tend to speak in mumbo jump which can be difficult to understand. This article is one of a series which we hope will simplify and take some of the mystery out of digital marketing. If you wanted to learn more, take a deeper dive, we recommend you follow Search Engine Land.
As founder, team leader of Anseida, Everlyne Yu is a battle hardened veteran of some 30+ years digital market at China's front line. Unusually, also Ande Digital's customer facing person. Well known and respected authority, speaker, trainer of Search Marketing, SAAS, and AI.
For more information or free analysis relative to your company and the China Market we invite you to meet us personally or - E-mail / Telephone