» Using Social Media for Positive Word of Mouth

Last week I was at BlogWorld Expo in Las Vegas. It was a fantastic time to listen to some fascinating sessions and talk to my fellow social media geeks.

One of the much discussed features of the conference was that Ford had a bunch of cool cars in the parking lot that we could take out for a test drive. Obviously the hope was as well as personally warm to the brand and the brand representatives (from what I understand this was successful), they were also hoping folks would blog about the cars and the experience. Sadly I didn’t get chance to try the cars so I have nothing to report on that score, but I did talk to a few who did and who were buzzing about the whole thing.

If you are an auto dealership, how cheap and easy would it be for you to get some buzz in the same way? Turn up at an event with some cool cars, preferably something ordinary folks would never have a chance to play with. Just give people an opportunity for a pleasurable experience with nothing asked in return. You can hope, but don’t ask.

Does it work? Yes. It works very well. Check out this event where myself and others were invited along to a supercar day. We weren’t asked to but couldn’t wait to blog about it.

Guaranteed Buzz

Another approach is to provide outstanding customer service in social media and online. Go the extra mile, wow people with your responses.
Do not, however, fake customer service using social media as a bandaid. People can and will call you out on it. This article by Outspoken Media for example.

Last, you could court controversy. This is a high risk strategy that sometimes backfires. I would caution against it, and aim to steer you towards the more positive ideas above, but companies have had some success getting traction in social media and spilling over into traditional media by pressing emotional or political hot buttons. A recent example is this Obama halloween mask which, though in poor taste (and offensive to many), has spread around Twitter.

The key in all of these is to know in advance what you want people to say, and match what you want people to say with what they are interested in talking about. Do not give math geeks sports memorabilia and Disney princess fans the latest version of Grand Theft Auto

What buzz campaigns have caught your eye recently? Please share in the comments …