Talk Triggers: The Complete Guide to Creating Customers with Word of Mouth

223 Pages·2018·24.24 MB·English

by  Jay Baer

Portfolio / Penguin An imprint of Penguin Random House LLC
375 Hudson Street
New York, New York 10014
Copyright © 2018 by Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin Penguin supports copyright. Copyright fuels creativity,
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ISBN 9780525537274 (hardcover) ISBN 9780525537281 (ebook)
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CONTENTS
Title Page
Copyright
Foreword by Ted Wright
SECTION 1 Why Word of Mouth Works
C
HAPTER 1
Talk Is Cheap
C
HAPTER 2
Steer the Conversation
C
HAPTER 3
Same Is Lame
SECTION 2 The Four Talk Triggers Criteria
C
HAPTER 4
Be Remarkable
C
HAPTER 5
Be Relevant
C
HAPTER 6
Be Reasonable
C
HAPTER 7
Be Repeatable
SECTION 3 The Five Types of Talk Triggers
C
HAPTER 8
Talkable Empathy
C
HAPTER 9
Talkable Usefulness
C
HAPTER 10
Talkable Generosity
C
HAPTER 11
Talkable Speed
C
HAPTER 12
Talkable Attitude
SECTION 4 Create Talk Triggers in Six Steps
C
HAPTER 13
Gather Internal Insights
C
HAPTER 14
Get Close to Your Customers
C
HAPTER 15
Create Candidate Talk Triggers
C
HAPTER 16
Test and Measure Your Talk Triggers
C
HAPTER 17
Expand and Turn On
C
HAPTER 18
Amplify Your Talk Trigger
C
HAPTER 19
Create Your Next Talk Trigger
Appendix: Quick Reference Guide
Acknowledgments
Authors’ Note
Notes
Index
About The Authors
FOREWORD BY TED WRIGHT
Two years ago, Jay gave us a new way to think about engaging adversaries
online. And he did it with a phrase so simple and pithy I’m annoyed I didn’t
think of it myself. Even if you haven’t read the book (and if you haven’t, please
get on that), just a small portion of its title tells you everything you need to
know: Hug Your Haters. Any questions? And if you do need examples and
processes that explain how to implement his wisdom, Jay’s got it. Jay has the
ability to convey complex concepts clearly while offering really practical action
steps. We’re all better off for it.
This is why I was so excited when Jay and Daniel Lemin said they were
writing a book on a critical aspect of word-of-mouth marketing—the story
shared between consumers. It is the book you are holding now. And it could not
have come at a better time.
Back when Fizz pioneered the first word-of-mouth marketing firm in 2001, I
was part of a team that was reintroducing America’s stodgiest beer as the
signature brand of urban hipsters. Only the nerdiest among us would mix words
like “influencer” into everyday conversation. Now, every YouTuber with five
hundred subscribers and an Instagram feed full of interesting lattes is an
“influencer.”
Now that it’s become the most overused—and, I would argue, least
understood—term in marketing, I often feel the need to correct people. That’s
when a plaid-suited angel pops up on my shoulder like some Great Gazoo (look
it up), and I hear “hug your haters,” or another of Jay’s bons mots. That’s when I
take a breath and start again from a place of love. Or at least of mutual
understanding.
As the pillars of paid advertising—both traditional and digital—continue to
crumble, the marketing establishment is frantically trying to exploit the power of
peer-to-peer recommendation, which we’ve long known to be the dominant
force in driving purchase decisions. But recommendations only work when
they’re authentic. Rather than do the hard work of identifying actual influencers,
many companies are taking the easy route: paying insane amounts of money to
many companies are taking the easy route: paying insane amounts of money to
disposable social media stars with tons of authenticity but little real-life
influence.
That’s a bit like buying a bicycle when what you need is a motorcycle. Yes,
they both have two wheels, a seat, and handlebars. But the moment you take a
bicycle out on the highway, you know you’ve made a terrible mistake. The key
to influencer marketing: Don’t buy the bicycle.
The core of the problem is that most marketers are simply more comfortable
dealing with media buyers than they are talking to consumers (you know,
people). Decades of disintermediation have left them ill-prepared for the
untidiness of word-of-mouth marketing, which is—at base—the art of talking to
people. Buying a prime-time commercial slot is expensive but easy; sparking a
conversation about your brand among a network of loosely connected humans is
cheaper but infinitely more complex. It requires patience, faith, and agility, not
traits that have traditionally been valued in CMOs.
It’s easy to see the lure of social media celebrities to marketers who were
raised in this environment. For a couple of bucks, anyone from a Kardashian to a
Kewtie Pie will gladly toss up a #sponsored post featuring your product. But any
decent word-of-mouth marketer will tell you: Real influencers rarely need to be
paid. In fact, most of them can’t be bought. It’s a failure of our profession that so
many marketers still don’t get that.
Which brings me back to Jay and Daniel. What we need is someone who can
break down the true word-of-mouth process into its basic components and
explain it in terms that everyone can grasp. How do you start a conversation
about your brand? How do you get closer to your customers? What is the
difference between a fan and an advocate, and how do you convert one into the
other? And why is an obsession with “going viral” probably not helpful for your
brand? Talk Triggers covers all of that in swift, accessible language.
The power of what we do has become undeniable. Pabst Blue Ribbon, the
stodgy beer brand I was referring to earlier, has long been a case study in
reinvention. But the success of brands like Slack, CrossFit, Chipotle, Dropbox,
Tesla, and Google have proved that word-of-mouth marketing creates not just
customers but loyal, passionate advocates. Not surprisingly, marketers want to
know more. And they are done being duped by the influencer industrial
complex.
They are fortunate to have this book. In the pages ahead, Jay and Daniel will
walk you through the first and most vital element of word-of-mouth marketing,
the story friends will tell each other about your brand. Godin called it the
the story friends will tell each other about your brand. Godin called it the
“Purple Cow. ” I called it the “talkable” part of your brand. Jay, flexing his talent
for pithy phrasing, has dubbed it the “Talk Trigger. ” It could be an unusually
large menu, a cookie left on your hotel pillow, a hotline that connects customers
directly to the CEO, or funny hold music. Whatever it is—and it can be almost
anything—you need it to create word of mouth.
Yes, I wrote a book on word-of-mouth marketing, and yes, it sells very well,
but now is a dangerous time for word-of-mouth marketing. On the one hand, our
concepts and terminology have never been more mainstream. On the other hand,
there have never been so many of the underwhelming laying claim to our craft.
This book will help ensure that, when all is said and done, those with true
understanding will be the ones left standing.
Tell your friends about it.
SECTION 1
Why Word of Mouth Works