The W.O.M. Mom

Whisper To A Scream

2008-11-16T23:26:09-05:00

Many of us know the power of word-of-mouth and viral activity. In most instances, it occurs because of the effect of what I call ‘The Viral 4-H Club’ meaning it’s got to be either Humorous, Helpful, Heartwarming or Hot-blooded.

True viral activity invokes emotion and less than 24 hours ago, ‘Hot-blooded’ mommy bloggers had (and continue to have) center stage regarding an on-line ad where Motrin espouses ‘We feel your pain” aimed at Moms who carry their children in slings. At the time of this post, #motrinmoms was still the #1 trending topic on Twitter and the growing number of blog posts to go along with it are sure to make the brand and agency need a little of their own medicine in the morning. Check out this video that PR maven Katja Presnal created recapping some of the conversations on twitter.

As a Mom of three, I agree the Motrin ad misses the mark in a big way. If this were my client, I would have suggested copy that expresses a Mom’s love of the bonding aspect and ease of ‘babywearing’ but that, every now and then, it can take a toll on your muscles. That’s the plain and simple truth. Don’t get ‘cheeky’ about babywearing being ‘in fashion’ and “supposedly a real bonding experience” (talk about ‘ouch’) and then say (due to the potential pain of babywearing), “so if I look tired and crazy, people will understand why.” That is direct copy from the ad. That’s just insulting and condescending.

The main issue in my mind is not that the ad exists but that neither the brand, the PR nor the ad agency were monitoring ‘Operation Twitterstorm’ which was developing and picking up steam throughout the day. If you’re a brand that targets women and moms, you SHOULD know that the highly sought-after Mommy bloggers who are being wined-and-dined by brands and agencies are ACTIVE Twitter users. Wal-Mart knows. Zappos knows. Whole Foods knows. Comcast knows.

I always like to site @comcastcares as a great example of a brand doing it right on Twitter (not just with Moms but with all their customers). Frank Eliason (@comcastcares) monitors conversations involving Comcast, he reaches out to customers who are having issues and he or others on his team, makes their best attempt to solve them. A simple gripe online is a whisper but a monitored solution is a shout-from-the-rooftops.

So many brands I encounter are still confused by Twitter and are worried about engaging in more ‘Web 2.0’ solutions because “what if someone says something bad?” They are also trying to figure out why they need to be involved and how it will be good for their business. I always explain that getting direct, honest feedback from consumers (positive AND negative) should be looked at as a teaching/learning moment which may help make a product or brand better AND if the comments and conversations are promptly addressed, the brand can come out in a better light because they were LISTENING and they engaged the customer in CONVERSATION to come up with a solution.

Making History? How Cool.

2008-08-28T01:49:33-04:00

I am probably the last person to write a post about their BlogHer experience. I had a lot of similar feelings to the other newbies who attended the BlogHer ’08 conference in relation to how overwhelming it was, how you really just had to put yourself out there and meet people and how there were cliques and private events that made you feel a little late to ‘the party’ already. Blah, blah, blah. That would have been the case for any new convention situation you would have attended for any industry. It’s not specific to BlogHer.

That all didn’t really affect me personally other than it was very humbling. I’d been a part of the music industry for so long where I would know a majority of people in the room at any given function or conference. So literally to go by myself and not really know anyone, really made me work at meeting people which was terrifying and exhilarating all at the same time. The conference itself was well run and panels were thoughtfully chosen. I would recommend it to anyone who is thinking of attending. (The only thing that I had hoped for was some kind of attendee list so that, besides exchanging cards, I could remember who the heck I met and what blog she wrote or company she or he was from.)

Anyhoo, now that I got that general info about my BlogHer experience out of the way, I wanted to explain how, on a macro level, being there at the Westin St. Francis Hotel in San Francisco in mid-July, 2008, affected me personally.

It felt IMPORTANT. It made me step back and think about the revolution that is unfolding right before our very eyes with blogging. I thought about the amazing social and historical documentation that is happening on a daily basis. I thought about how each and every blogger is literally creating history. That anyone with a computer can self-publish literally anything that's on their mind. Blogging levels the playing field that was once reserved only for the 'published' elite. It felt important to be at this conference with over 1,000 women blogging pioneers and important to be a part of the blogosphere in general.

Think about it. What if blogging existed in your parent’s era when they were new to parenting. I'm 41 so let’s say that would make it the mid-to-late 20th century? Can you imagine if you had the ability to go back and read personal accounts of how your Mom or Dad or just everyday people were REALLY feeling about the government, the gas crisis, the war, civil rights, the women’s rights movement, Roe v. Wade, or more basic things like parenting issues, health care, new technology (TVs , personal computers, walkmans…) and more in their own words? Fascinating.

[Maybe this would've been Mrs. Fussypants' Mom's Guide To Swinging blog photo from 1964...]

What if blogging existed in your grandparent’s or great-grandparent's era in the early-to-mid 20th century? What if you could get inside the heads of those going through both World Wars, settling in this country, the development of automobiles, talking pictures, the stock market crash, FDR’s new deal and again, what they thought about parenting issues, health care and more… Compelling.

[Could this be the original Suburban Turmoil 'wiping ass and taking names' blog header circa 1908]

Oh I know, it’s not like some people didn’t keep journals, or write letters or talk about their lives with their families but that was usually kept private and most people had to rely on the news media, print publications and good old fashioned storytelling (the original word of mouth marketing) to find out about other people’s ‘human interest’ stories. Today with blogging, for better or for worse, it’s all out there for the world to see.

[Her Bad Mother's Mother's Mother's blog would have been a riot!]

So circling back, I know "I keed, I keed" with the photos & captions but seriously, it’s incredible to fathom that every single blogger who is publicly posting about anything from the mundane to the magnificent, from the arcane to the obvious, is personally and collectively creating a significant part of this era’s historical record.

Blogging is IMPORTANT. We are making history, one post at a time. How cool.

Is Common Courtesy Uncommon?

2008-08-12T11:01:42-04:00

The phenomenon of 'word of mouth' often happens when a product or service is genuinely worth talking about.

So let's talk about 'services' for a moment. I'm talking about any business that is service-oriented from a doctor to lawn care to home renovation or day care. With service businesses, referrals and word of mouth are usually the strongest sources of new business. With so many of these service businesses having poor follow-through and customer service, it has me asking, HOW do they stay in business and 'Is common courtesy uncommon?'

I'll give you a couple of examples (and I'm sure you all could add a zillion more to the list). Everyone who has done even a small amount of work on their house can attest to the arrogance and often blatant disregard from service providers for their client's needs (Yeah, that's you--the one who is paying them.) In the world of home remodeling or repair, the domino effect of needing this 'guy' to finish this before the next 'guy' can do 'his' part, not only leaves you feeling helpless but also usually overtime and overbudget. How is that ok? Why are they not held to higher standards or even 'docked' pay if they don't deliver on time?

We were just in Colorado on vacation at my Dad's house. He is doing some work on his place he had arranged for a backhoe to be delivered and work to be done specifically while we were there so that my 2 year-old boy (who loooves trucks) would be able to see it 'in action'. We were there for a whole week and the guy who was supposed to do the job literally had excuses each day or said he would be there and just didn't show up. The backhoe got delivered 3 days into our trip and so there were 4 more days where he could have started doing the job. On the last day of our trip, this person's excuse was food poisoning. What-ever. My whole point is how is this acceptable?? My Dad says, 'Well, when he does show up, he does great work.' Ugh! How frustrating and inconsiderate of the 'service provider' to his client. But then again, why do we put up with it?

Recently, we had a doctor measure my son for some leg braces as he is having some walking issues. He said they would be done in about two weeks. Well, why is it 6 weeks later and WE have to reach out to him to find out what the status of the order is? How can people not have the common courtesy much less the professionalism to give the client and update on progress. How hard is that today with email? It's not! It's simple.

Who hasn't felt this way at some point and trying to take a stand against that service provider by writing a letter to the Better Business Bureau or something may have left you feeling a little better but may not have any effect on that provider's business. It's not that you're trying to bash that provider but rather warn the next poor sucker that might come in contact with them. That's why great sites like Angie's List are a satisfying and meaningful way to give kudos to those local providers who really deserve it and warn other potential clients of poor service providers.

On the other side of the coin, it's amazing how a little basic common courtesy, respect and competent customer services goes a LONG way. In the Olympic spirit, I say 'Go for the Gold'--The Golden Rule, that is. Treat others the way you would like to be treated and see your word of mouth referrals multiply!

What's your take on the state of common courtesy in business today?

Yeah, maybe but what do THEY say?

2008-07-28T01:07:28-04:00

More and more people, especially women, do online research before making a purchase. Whether it's a big ticket item like a car or a computer or a small item like a book or toy, for some reason, we care about what THEY think. Who is THEY? THEY are the anonymous people who comment on customer ratings and review sections of various brand or ecommerce websites. A new article in Practical Ecommerce, reinforces what we know, word of mouth is stronger than ever and especially when it comes to customer reviews.

Former Forrester Research exec and SV Moms/BlogHer blogger goddess, Charlene Li's new book Groundswell reinforces this point by noting that 76% of customers use online reviews before making a purchase. Smart companies are using customer reviews as a way to engage their customers and keep them coming back to read or review products themselves. Become a trusted destination, like Amazon, and you become a 'go to' location for pre-purchase research and potentially for the sale itself.

Let's face it. Customers today EXPECT to be able to rate or review products and interact in real time with companies via a brand's or its retailer's website or company blog. Some forward thinking companies like The Home Depot, Whole Foods and Zappo's are even taking advantage of using Twitter for customer support, to answer questions and to run promotions. Ann from HP, did some great scavenger hunt-type promotions at BlogHer'08 using Twitter.

If you're not offering customer interaction on your site, you're missing out and THEY may wonder, 'What are you afraid of?'

Bzz or bust? Put your money where your word-of-mouth is.

2008-07-15T23:19:56-04:00

So WOM buzz behemoth Bzz Agent has recently offered a money-back guarantee which says that if their Word of Mouth campaign doesn't beat the brand partner's agency's traditional campaign by 20% across four metrics, they'll give the client their money back. And by money, they mean no less than the $300k minimum client's will need to pay to take Bzz Agent up on it.

I'm torn on whether this is a good tactic or not. On the one hand, I give them credit for doing something WOM-worthy in itself to promote not only the power and importance of WOM for a campaign. Also, since measuring metrics for WOM is a constant struggle, ideally, it may prove to be an effective outcome that could be good for the whole WOM industry.

However, 'brand cannot live by WOM alone', and probably shouldn't. A great marketing campaign

builds awareness, perception, purchase intent and sales. It takes a multitude of tactics and activations to really have an impact. Why does it need to be us(non-traditional) vs. them (traditional)? Can't we all just get along?

Smart brands and agencies know that it's the right mix of the right tactics on the right timeline. Maybe where the real economic impact could affect a brand is by using WOM in the early stages to see whether they've really got a 'fish on the line' based on genuine consumer feedback and authentic WOM. This way, brands could avoid throwing good money after bad and to keep the analogy going, throw it back in the water. Like Seth Godin says in The Dip, know when to quit. WOM campaigns can spell that out for a brand early on.

So back to Bzz Agent's Money-Back guarantee. I hope it works for them and I hope they can methodically prove to be 20% more effective than the agency's plan. It would certainly work for me and One2One Network and I'd use every bit of proof they'll put out in my client pitches but it also could be a costly stunt. Naysayers will be lining up to shoot them down. I, for one, will put out my picnic blanket, crack open a bottle of wine and wait for the fireworks. Oooooh! Ahhhhhh! Ohhhhhh!