Activating Word Of Mouth Through Social Technologies

It's clear that social technologies are playing an increasingly important role in the way people talk to each other about products and purchases. In fact, the use of social media for word of mouth (WOM) is growing, and now those conversations, which often play the most instrumental role in influencing purchases, are transparent and live on online. Yet youths and adults use social tools differently as youths tend to focus their social WOM through social networks, while adults tend to use both social networks and forums. Now is the time for marketers to harness the power of this earned media. To do so, begin to shift from a channel-based marketing approach to an adaptive approach, engage youth and adults in their specific social ecosystems, energize advocates, give employees a voice, and leverage ambassador programs.