Word-of-Mouth  

 Why is word-of-mouth such a powerful medium?   

Because it contains a mixture of both a content message and a relationship message. The content part is about stuff (my new car, my kid's grades, my luncheon plans) and relationship part about who we are to each other in terms of matters such as liking, trust, influence, power.   

Shortly after I relocated from Hawaii to Las Vegas, I needed some dental repair. I had had the same excellent family dentist in Honolulu for over 20 years. Now, how to choose? Consult the Yellow Pages and take my chances among the hundreds of listings? Read the flyers that stuffed my newcomer's mail box?   

No, indeed. Instead, sweating in the YMCA sauna with another member, like myself an independent professional, I asked someone local. I learned that he was a long-time resident of the area, that he was health conscious, and that he was discriminating, and I found him a credible source. (As it happened, he had recently changed dentists when his former one retired.) Sure enough: He was able to recommend a very fine dentist who, although a bit pricey, did wonderful, delicate, virtually painless repair. Since that time, I have recommended her to others. (As well, I found my car repair shop, my medical plan, the car I bought, and the computer I had built  all through word-of-mouth recommendations.)   

A profound misunderstanding results from equating the means of communication and imagining that an e-mail message is as potent as a personal phone call, a business letter as influential as a face-to-face conversation. Although we may have sent the message, we may not have communicated at all. The message might have been ignored or deleted.   

Personal conversation is so powerful because we human beings are hard-wired to determine our relationships by how they feel to us. We are, in that sense, tribal primitives. Although we may think digitally, we relate analogically. We decide whether or not to like or trust another person based upon the expressions that flow around the words: face-work, body language, tone of voice, physical appearance, their handshake, their vibes, and, yes  even how they smell.   

When we learn positive things about a product or a professional from a trusted friend, we have greater confidence. The liking and trust we have for our informant gets transferred, putting a sort of stamp of approval on the person or thing.   

A convincing example from community life is the extent to which attendance at school meetings increases when parents are contacted with a personal phone call instead of (the usual) bulk-mail announcement. Those PTAs that put in a system of telephone-trees so that virtually every home was contacted by a personal phone call increased their attendance by 300%! The bulk-mailings were efficient (cheap, easy to do). But they were not effective.   

Word-of-mouth works equally effectively for churches, schools, and community organizations as it does for business and the professions. To be most effective, here are some ways to optimize this low-cost, high influence method:   

1. Ask people to spread the word. People may need encouragement to do this, plus acknowledgement and appreciation for doing so.   

2. Create a simple, memorable message that is easy to pass along to others. As simple as Fosters Restaurant has a healthy-family special on Tuesdays. and Dr. Johnson is now making house-calls.   

3. Stay in touch with people. This increases the chance that they will have you in mind and recommend you or your organization to others.   

4. Give people something new, fresh, or great to talk about. A new program at your church? A new service in your business? A special, exciting feature? (People like to share exciting news.)   

5. Identify the hubs who are most likely to pass along the good words. These people are the connectors, both expert and social, who can be most influential. Share your story with them.   

Take advantage of the obvious but under-valued and easily taken for granted. And, when you have been helped by others through their word of mouth, make certain that you reciprocate and help those who helped you.