The Groundswell authors break down the opportunities within social media to mirror corporate structures, providing an easy way for people in research, marketing/PR, customer support, product development to find their path into social media initiatives.

This is a solid approach because it brings clarity and structure, leading to actionable initiatives. It’s also a good approach for a brand that is making their first foray into the space so they can clearly define objectives and measurable goals and ultimately come away with a success story to justify additional investment.

But what about the brand that has experience and is ready to take a more holistic approach? Or what about the brand that wants to leapfrog their competitors who have already been experimenting for the past year?

Social media and word-of-mouth are not about corporate “silos” – the most effective and sustainable programs cut through silos and have touch points across departments. Does this approach make getting a program off the ground more challenging? Absolutely, but it also accelerates corporate learning, improves results and sustainability of the program.

When did you say the Groundswell 2.0 bus was arriving?

Your product is being talked about everywhere by everyone.  A single product review can be seen by millions.  This realization can be terrifying, or it can inspire you to take advantage of this powerful word-of-mouth opportunity.

1.    Harness the power of positive. Your product isn’t going to satisfy 100% of consumers.  People are going to dislike it or have a bad experience, it’s inevitable.  But chances are there are customers who love your product, who have gone as far as writing a positive review or telling a friend about their experience.  They don’t have to do that.  That’s a conscious decision to take time out of their day to promote you.  These are your advocates.  Identify them, support them, and encourage these actions.  If you can’t find advocates, create them.  Find a consumer who has had a terrible experience and go above and beyond anything they would expect to make things right, for example.  Chances are that brand detractor becomes your brand ambassador.

2.    Energize. What better place to start the Word-of-mouth movement than on your home turf?  Invite your advocates to join a conversation together with you.  Reward them for their contributions.  Not only  does  this empower your customers to spread your message, it  facilitates a dialogue with your most loyal customers to gain insights and research into purchase decisions and habits.  Create a Groundswell.

3.    Cultivate and amplify the message. Use this groundswell as your opportunity to create a unified voice among your advocates.  Educate them and supply them with the resources to educate others, and the tools and means necessary to spread the word!

Apply this method effectively and let your customers do the rest. This assuming that your product doesn’t suck.

Affinitive is happy to announce that we have submitted an entry for our work with E.&J. Gallo Winery and their Redwood Creek brand in the “Talking” category.

We’re not exactly sure how the judging criteria works, but they are allowing the general public to rate and review each entry. Please check out our submission, and post a review/rating! And if you would like to learn more about how Affinitive is helping E.&J. Gallo “blaze the trail”, drop us a line!