STEPPS
Six Key Factors that Drive Word of Mouth: Podcast
'Contagious'
Author Explains How to Make a Message Viral
Author Explains How to Make a Message Viral
By Marc
Dresner, Senior Editor, IIR
Dresner, Senior Editor, IIR
It's
well understood that word-of-mouth is an extremely influential marketing
medium, but just how powerful may surprise you.
well understood that word-of-mouth is an extremely influential marketing
medium, but just how powerful may surprise you.
According
to Wharton Professor of Marketing Jonah Berger, $1 invested in WOM may actually
be worth up to 10 times that of a
conventional ad dollar
 |
| Jonah Berger |
'Word-of-mouth underlies most of the decisions people
make.'
make.'
'Word-of-mouth underlies most of the decisions people
make,' he told The Research Insighter.
make,' he told The Research Insighter.
As such,
a good read on WOM may be one of the most valuable forms of consumer
intelligence one could hope for, but are we really getting one?
a good read on WOM may be one of the most valuable forms of consumer
intelligence one could hope for, but are we really getting one?
Researchers
and marketers have increasingly fixated on passive capture of WOM through
technology'social media analytics, NLP, etc.
and marketers have increasingly fixated on passive capture of WOM through
technology'social media analytics, NLP, etc.
But
despite all of the hype around Facebook, Twitter, etc., Berger'author of the
best-seller 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On''points
out only about 7% of WOM
happens online.
despite all of the hype around Facebook, Twitter, etc., Berger'author of the
best-seller 'Contagious: Why Things Catch On''points
out only about 7% of WOM
happens online.
This
isn't to say that social media isn't a good WOM proxy, but Berger advises not
to get too hung up on technology and media platforms'they come and go.
isn't to say that social media isn't a good WOM proxy, but Berger advises not
to get too hung up on technology and media platforms'they come and go.
'We need
to stop thinking in terms of technology and start thinking in terms of
psychology.'
to stop thinking in terms of technology and start thinking in terms of
psychology.'
'We all understand word-of-mouth affects sales, but most businesses aren't
being scientific about how to harness it and use those customer insights to
drive their sales,' he explained.
'We need
to stop thinking about WOM in terms of technology and start thinking in terms
of psychology,' Berger said.
to stop thinking about WOM in terms of technology and start thinking in terms
of psychology,' Berger said.
In this podcast for The
Research Insighter interview
series, Jonah Berger shares his 'STEPPS' framework and the six
factors that prompt people to pass something on...
Research Insighter interview
series, Jonah Berger shares his 'STEPPS' framework and the six
factors that prompt people to pass something on...
Listen
to the podcast!
to the podcast!
Download
the transcript!
the transcript!
Editor's note: Jonah Berger will be speaking at TMRE 2015'The Market Research Event'now
in its 13th year as the largest, most comprehensive research conference
in the world taking place November 2-4 in Orlando.
in its 13th year as the largest, most comprehensive research conference
in the world taking place November 2-4 in Orlando.
Ps. SAVE $100 when you register with code TMRE15BL!
ABOUT THE AUTHOR/INTERVIEWER
Marc Dresner is IIR USA's sr. editor and special communication project lead. He is the former executive editor of Research Business Report, a publication for the marketing research and consumer insights industry. He may be reached at mdresner@iirusa.com. Follow him @mdrezz.