5 Tips from Thomas Nelson Publishers' Greg Stielstra
"The Purpose Driven Life," a religious book by a Southern Baptist minister, became the fastest selling hardcover book ever. How?
"Word of mouth is NOT what happens in the absence of marketing; it is the natural consequence of marketing done right," says Greg Stielstra, VP of Marketing in the Christian Book Group for Thomas Nelson Publishers. "The way to harness its power is to build your marketing plans the way you build campfires."
Tip #1. Gather the driest tinder Focus your promotions on those people most likely to buy, benefit from, and enthusiastically endorse your product. They are the only ones whose ignition temperature is within reach of your advertising. The driest tinder is where word of mouth wildfires begin.
Tip #2. Touch it with the match Give people an experience. If you want people to laugh, don't tell them you're funny, tell them a joke. Experience is the shortcut to product understanding. It touches people deeply and generates more heat than advertising.
Tip #3. Make sure your product has O2 Just as a growing fire needs oxygen in amounts equal to its demand, successful marketing campaigns need remarkable products. The deeper your product meets a consumer's needs, the more people they will tell. Before building your marketing fire, make sure your product or service is ready to grow your fire by satisfying your customers.
Tip #4. Fan the flames Give people tools to help them spread your message throughout their network. People spread messages more effectively than advertising, and they do it better when equipped for success. Try reaching people when they gather in groups or encourage them to use your product in public. Little things make big impacts.
Tip #5. Save the coals Keep a record of the people you encounter so you can easily reach them to encourage word of mouth next time. This allows your marketing to build equity and keep pace with the needs of your growing business.
Success stories like "The Purpose Driven Life" do not reach so many people all at once through mass marketing. Rather, they happen through word of mouth, a process you can start and encourage.
About Me
- Jeffrey Summers
- I am the expert you call when you need to learn how to increase top line sales, lower your operating costs, increase your profit margin, hire and train better managers and staff, evolve your operation into more and better ways of doing business, buy or sell a restaurant, improve your service, engineer (or re-engineer!) your menu, market your business better and less expensively, keep yourself from going nuts because you have no life anymore, open more and better restaurants, don't want to have to give up your first born child to pay a consultant and have more fun! My mission is to enhance the quality of life for my clients by providing the best products and services to help them achieve their personal and professional goals. I take great pride in my clients, my company, my commitment to service and the products I sell. I am a recognized expert in the hospitality industry with over 24 years of success at planning and executing strategies for delivering dramatic results, a former "GM of the Year" for 2 major, full-service, franchises, an Award winning Multi-Unit Executive with 2 of the largest restaurant chains in the U.S., published author, husband and father of two.