Discipline
Community and word of mouth
People who talk about the brand with each other: brand communities, referral and advocacy.
Community and word of mouth are about people who talk about the brand with each other: brand communities, referral programmes and advocacy. Peers carry a credibility that advertising lacks, and members who help each other tend to stay, answer support questions and bring friends. A community suits retention, support and advocacy rather than fast reach, and it needs people committed for years, not for a campaign.
- Community and word of mouth
- Social media
- CRM and loyalty
- Content marketing
Community and word of mouth rarely works alone: the disciplines it usually works with, reaching one person.
Need a hand with this discipline? Ask members who practise it.
What matters when choosing
Customers who already talk to each other about your category.
The space members already use, or a real reason to visit before a new one opens.
Moderation and management staffed every week, with cover for nights, weekends and crises.
Success measures agreed before launch, comparing members with similar non-members.
A members list and consent the brand owns, even when the group lives on a third-party app.
Questions to ask vendors and agencies
Who moderates, when, and how do they hand over to support or legal?
How will we show what the community adds compared with similar customers who are not members?
How are perks and rewards for members disclosed when they talk about the brand?
Common mistakes
Launching a forum before there is a reason to visit it.
Using the space only for announcements, so members cannot talk to each other.
Under-staffing, and leaving volunteer moderators to burn out.
What it is good at
- Trust carried by peers.
- Loyalty, peer support and a direct line to what customers think.
- A steady source of real stories and content made by users, with their permission.
What to watch for
- Slow to build and easy to neglect.
- One bad thread can spread fast, and the loudest members are not all customers.
- Value is hard to prove, so communities are among the first budgets cut.
How it is bought and priced
Little media spend: the costs are people (community managers, moderators and staff time), a platform ranging from free group tools to paid community software, and the programme itself, with events, ambassador rewards and merchandise. Legal review and moderation cover are worth budgeting from the start.
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