apple to zappos: word of mouth marketing from a-z
DESCRIPTION
Marketers in both the private sector and higher education often view word of mouth endorsements and comments as a lightning strike: random and unpredictable. Or, WOM is viewed as the secondary result of other marketing efforts. The truth, however, is much different. In this session we will examine how word of mouth marketing can attract students to your program and make your job a lot more fun. Presenter: Matthew Painter, MBA Program Director Texas State UniversityTRANSCRIPT
APPLE TO ZAPPOS(.COM)
WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING FROM A-Z
Matthew Painter
MBA Program Director, Texas State University
TXGAP Conference, San Antonio
June 13, 2014
WHAT WORD OF MOUTH (WOM) IS NOT…
- Random
- Uncontrollable
- Expensive
- A fleeting pleasantry
WHAT WOM IS
VIDEO WILL BE HERE
WHY IS THIS AWESOME?
- As a human, it feels intrinsically good
- Relative to traditional marketing it’s very inexpensive
- Longevity of the message
- Tremendous loyalty among participants
- The credibility of the WOM generated carries far more weight than any media buy
TWO WORD OF MOUTH
CASE STUDIES TO GET YOU
THINKING ABOUT WOM IN
YOUR
PROGRAM/COLLEGE/UNIVER
SITY
APPLE
- Technology company
- Relatively expensive price points
- “Closed environment”
- Limited customization options
- Arguably some planned obsolescence with the release of new hardware/software
SO WHY IS APPLE’S WOM SO AWESOME?
- Customers feel part of an exclusive club
- Cohesive branding
- AMAZING customer service
- Quality products with a defined purpose
- A great overall EXPERIENCE
WHAT SOLD YOU ON YOUR FIRST APPLE PRODUCT?
Not this…
This!
Print ad
Billboard
TV commercial
Annoying website pop-up
Personal recommendation
WOM LESSONS FROM APPLE
- Embrace who/what you are
- People appreciate authenticity- Excellent customer service is excellent
marketing
- And it’s free. And it’s the right thing to do.- When you make people feel special, they
want to tell their friends about you.
- And in the process they become your marketing team.
- People remember how you made them feel
ZAPPOS.COM
- Founded in 1999
- 2000 sales: $1.6M
- 2001 sales: $8.6M
- 2003 sales: $70M
- 2007 sales: $840M
- 2008 sales: >$1B
- Acquired by Amazon.com in 2009 for $1.2B
ZAPPOS.COM
- They sell shoes.
- At retail prices.
ZAPPOS.COM
- “Powered by Service”
- Above-and-beyond, amazing customer service
- Examples:- Pizza- Flowers- Keep our mistake
- 75% of their customer base are repeat buyers
WOM LESSONS FROM ZAPPOS
- They aren’t selling shoes (and you aren’t selling graduate education)
- We are delivering an experience- Again: Excellent customer service is
excellent marketing
- Customers are forgiving when you treat them exceptionally well
GREAT- NOW WHAT?
5 Ideas to Get Your WOM Started
Idea #1: Identify Your Fans
• Alumni
• Current students
• Staff/Faculty/Employees
• Industry leaders
• Advisory Board members
• Brand evangelists
• Excited prospective students
Idea #2: Talk to your Talkers
• In-person
• Phone
• Online
• Web• Email• Social
Idea #3: Make your message easy
to share
from www.mashable.com
Idea #4: Make people feel special
“Would you mind helping us out with our website?”
“You have been selected as an outstanding McCoy graduate to be featured on our website.”
Idea #5: BE WORTH
TALKING ABOUT
(otherwise you have to pay for it)
from www.slate.com
“
”
SUMMARY
- Both Apple and Zappos have created legions of marketers fans, not necessarily because of their products but because of the experience they provide to their customers.
SUMMARY
- Identify people who want to talk about your university/college/program
- Engage with your talkers: be a part of the conversation
- Every chance you get, make it easy for people to share your message
- Make people feel like VIPs
- BE WORTH TALKING ABOUT
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THANK YOU
Matthew PainterMBA Program DirectorTexas State University(512) [email protected]
Web: McCoyMBA.com
Facebook: facebook.com/McCoyMBA
Twitter: twitter.com/McCoyMBA
Blog: McCoyMBA.wordpress.com