For those of you that don’t know me that well, my final quarter at RIT was an independent study under Professor Liz Lawley, their resident guru of all things online and social. The resulting thesis was the culmination of a year’s worth of interest and research, and finally a formal study under the guidance of professor Lawley.

Recently I decided to sit down and attempt to draw out some core messages of my research. And after reading Glenn Gabe’s 7 Drivers of Word of Mouth Marketing, it inspired me to stop being lazy, and actually compile my thoughts. I took a “best practices” approach in essence, summarizing at a high-level how a business or individual should be prepared to enter an online social marketing (OSM) campaign. So here they are. Comments are more than welcome.

1. Genuine, genuine, genuine: Don’t be fake.
You can never be genuine enough.  Truth and honesty are the best tools here.  No fake blogs, fake personas, or paid opinions.  Use only the honest truth in the entirety of the campaign.  A genuinely good product trumps a genuinely bad one.

2. Where’s my value?  Find the objective value.
Why do you deserve my time by me discussing you, your product, or your brand?  Be it sharing a viral video, or saying how cool your new product is (of my own volition), those are discussions by the consumer.  In the case of spreading a funny video, the video itself is the value.  To me, further value is gained when I share it and discuss it.  You must provide the catalyst that will fuel my discussion.

3. Empower the (right) people: Men aren’t interested in your birth control product.
Give the Right People™ the ability to share, post, host, and blog the value that you have provided them.  It’s not enough to give someone a free Kodak camera, and hope they talk about it.  But giving lead photography editors of well-read magazines a free camera, is better.

Reach out to the Influencers.  By talking to them, they will do the work of reaching the majority audience.  An Influencer is an individual whose opinion regarding a subject-matter is respected, and who wields a large network of friends.

4. No gimmicks: Do versus did.
Are people discussing the advertisement, or the product?  “Did you see those caveman commercials?  They’re so cool.”  “Did you hear about Subservient Chicken?”  We want people to know what a company does, not the latest advertisement they did.  “JetBlue provides a unique and exceptional customer service experience.”  This is something they do, and it is ongoing.  Focus people on the do, not the did.  No subservient chickens.

5. Embrace negative feedback: You’re not perfect.
If you’re opening a dialogue with your customers, be prepared to receive criticism.  But that’s not enough.  Be prepared, and willing, to correct your mistakes as well.  Negative feedback is not a punishment.  Don’t think you can provide people a forum in which they can criticize, with the intentions of ignoring them.

6. Engage your customers: Do you treat them like family?
Don’t be afraid to talk to them.  If you want to partake in their conversations, then you’re going to have to ask nicely.  Make them feel special.  Understand them.  Value their opinions and time, and tell them so.