Word-of-Mouth Marketing Is Perfect for Nonprofits

In a news story (subscription required) about the recent American Marketing Association conference on nonprofit marketing, we learned that there is now an association for word-of-mouth marketing.

The Word of Mouth Marketing Association is a natural extension of the interest in recent years in "alternative" marketing methods. These include the new "social marketing," and the interest in targeting opinion leaders. "Buzz" is now the "buzzword" as marketers attempt to get beyond the clutter of traditional marketing channels.

Of course, nonprofits have long depended on word-of-mouth marketing for practical reasons, such as the lack of a "product" to sell and the dearth of resources to sink into advertising and promotion.

Interesting points made by Brad Fay, of the Keller Fay Group, at the AMA conference included:

• People are twice as likely to trust the advice of friends and family members than advertisements.
• 53 percent of Americans are highly likely to believe in the credibility of recommendations from friends and family; 51 percent are highly likely to pass along to others what they have heard; and 48 percent are highly likely to make a purchase or donation based on such recommendations.
• People tend to pass along positive comments about organizations or people, and make the recommendations in face-to-face conversations, rather than by telephone, email, or other approaches.
• Nearly 40 percent of word-of-mouth recommendations occur in conversations that start with a reference to a newspaper article, television or radio show, or advertising--suggesting that you can't ignore the usual channels of getting the word out.

Recommendations that Mr. Fay passed along to nonprofits included:

• Create close bonds with people who have extensive social networks and create opportunities for them to encourage friends and associates.
• Encourage recipients of email messages to forward the mailings to others.
• Look for ways to reward supporters who recruit donors and volunteers to your cause.
• Make sure your website has an "action center" that tells people how to get involved in your cause through specific acts, such as telling others, contacting newspapers, and making speeches at local events.

You are, undoubtedly, engaging in word-of-mouth marketing in an informal way. It may be time to get serious about it and actually develop it into a major part of your marketing plan.