What really makes you talk?

A few times every week, I like to set aside the research and the theory and the opinion pieces, and get back to a bit of human experience. I sidle up to my friends, my family, the other ‘heads in the office, or if I’m feeling brave even strangers in the street (which can be a dangerous pastime in Soho), and ask:

When was the last time you were truly compelled to share something?

One interesting observation is that they nearly always tell me about something that they experienced offline, and that they shared offline – despite the fact that many of these people break into a cold sweat if disconnected from Twitter for more than ten minutes (imagine all the things that could happen to Justin Bieber in ten minutes! Actually, don’t.)

With Keller Fay continuing to reiterate that offline WOM scoops 90% of brand conversation, this can be a healthy wake-up call; particularly with Social Media Week, with its inevitable focus on digital platforms, tools and strategies, on the way.

Another interesting observation is that it’s often hard for people to remember their latest stint of advocacy. We remember our big episodes of soapboxing, but most brand recommendations form a barely conscious part of our everyday socialising, occurring when some deeply ingrained little sentiment fires thanks to an appropriate trigger.

Ah, yes. The trigger.

via Hygiene Matters @Flickr

‘I happened to see someone using the same eyeliner as me in the loo and we discussed how amazing it is; the smell of my mate’s lunch reminded me of last night’s awesome restaurant; the guy juggling a map made me turn to my friend and praise my new navigation app.’

Those are just a few responses I’ve heard this month. Because however deeply you love a product, however emotionally involved you are with a brand, you simply won’t share unless something prompts you to.

Traditional advertising tends to focus on triggers – a billboard-sized image, an email alert – and social marketing tends to focus on building emotional advocacy. But we cannot forget that success demands both. And when those triggers are in fact not blog posts or videos or ads but multi-sensory, physical experiences and observations embedded in real life, the creativity of the word of mouth marketer really comes into play. But where to start?

Well, sense checking you own experience is always a good first step. There are a world of triggers out there, all around us. Which ones set you off today?

Tags: offline WOM, social media week, triggers, word of mouth