The Angry Birds Craze - Viral Apps Take Off Thanks to Word-of-Mouth

There is an app for everything you could possibly think of and then some -- from the business-savvy to the ridiculous. You only have to look at the "Angry Birds" app craze and see the power behind word-of-mouth marketing. 

Media Daily News reports that "from a study of more the 1,300 mobile app users, MTV Networks says 73% of consumers find apps from personal recommendations, reviews, and use. It breaks down this way: 53% from personal recommendations; 52% from user reviews; and 42% from seeing a friend use a particular app."

I've been known to check out the popular, fun apps, and I like to keep up-to-date on the latest apps. What does the average consumer look for in an app? 

"Some 75% of consumers said it's important that an app is "entertaining or fun to use," while 62% said it's important that an app "feels good" in terms of its touchscreen feel." (Source: Media Daily News) 

The U.S. isn't the only country to go crazy over smartphone apps. According to Flurry's analytics, the U.K. is taking the market by storm: 

"The UK leads in penetration with a whopping 33% of its population using apps on smartphones per month.  France places second with a sizable 20%, next followed by Germany, Spain and Italy coming in with 14%, 9% and 10%, respectively." 

Whether you're a fan of the Angry Birds app or not, viral apps won't be going away anytime soon. 

Word of Mouth Marketing Pays Big For Small Businesses

Word of mouth marketing...what would we do without it? Especially in these tough times as small businesses close their doors, word of mouth marketing pays big for business owners who compete daily for new customers just to stay ahead.

I live in a small town in the foothills of northern California. We have a few "box" stores here, but I try to support my local businesses as much as I can. Word of mouth marketing goes a long way in a small town and it pays (especially if I am your customer!)

My laptop took a nose dive last weekend, and I ended up buying a new laptop with upgraded 2011 technology. I could have easily bought the laptop online or at a box store, but based on 'word of mouth' from my mom (she bought the same laptop from a local computer store) I took my laptop into their store for a repair. First, they didn't charge me an arm and a leg just to look at my computer, and they figured out it was a failing hard drive. There was no hard pressure sales to upgrade my laptop (another plus in their favor), but they were running a sale this month on the exact laptop I wanted to purchase - great timing!

This local store gets an A plus - they understand the importance of word of mouth marketing and they practice what they preach. And my mom's "word" goes a long way since she used to teach college computer classes and has been around computers for a long time. As a result of my mom telling me about her great customer experience with this local computer store, I turned into a new customer who bought a laptop from them. That sale was based strictly on word of mouth marketing. Sure, I know about the store since I've had other family members take their computers there, but my purchasing decision was based on the positive experience my mom had with the store.

I'm not putting down box stores, but I've had less than favorable experiences with the larger corporate chains. If anything, these bigger chains could take a page or two from smaller businesses who know how to effectively market via word of mouth.

As a business owner myself, I am really busy so It's nice to know I can go to a local store if I run into any problems with my laptop. Not to mention, they threw in a discount card for their store.

As a result of my positive experience, I plan to write favorable online reviews about this local computer store to help spread the word. As important as social media marketing is for your small business, don't forget about your customers and word of mouth marketing. Look at your reviews online and remember to thank your customers for favorable reviews (and thank them in person too!) Word of mouth marketing could pay big for you in the near future.

I've been fortunate to receive referrals from past clients and landed new clients in the process. 

What has been your experiences with word of mouth marketing? Did word of mouth help land you new customers? Sales?

Why It's Time to Give up Toxic Gossip in the Professional World

This weekend I heard an excellent teleseminar presented by author and speaker, Susan Shapiro Barash, about how gossip damages friendships and relationships.  I've seen this happen on professional social networking sites such as LinkedIn. There is this constant  juvenile back stabbing mentality that is fueled by competition and jealousy - it just needs to STOP. I have written blog posts about this in the past and it's a topic that is not addressed enough.

We all have been the gossiper or the one being gossiped about at some point in our lives. Whether it's been in our social or profession circles, gossip is just toxic and hurts a lot of people and ruins reputations. 

Social media makes it easy for people to easily gossip about other companies, employees and clients. It's one thing to create a positive buzz about your products and services and company brand, but it's another to be a virtual gossip and slam other people and companies online. 

After listening to Susan, I realized that the tips she provided cross over to our professional relationships. It's time for the professional world to drop toxic gossip - "if you don't have anything to nice to say, don't say anything at all." I'm not advising against expressing your opinion or standing up for your beliefs and ethics. However, don't stoop to a negative level. If you earn a reputation as an online gossip (or even an offline gossip), no one will want to do business with you or buy your products or services - not to mention they will stop inviting you out to lunch!

Another tip: Take an inventory of your relationships. Are you hanging onto clients or colleagues who are toxic and aren't making a positive impact on your life or business? Ditch them! They will only drag you down in the end and think about your ROI - is it really worth their drama?

Think of it this way - would a good friend or ethical business colleague/client turn around and text something about you or post something in a group email IF they were a true friend or business partner? The answer is a resounding NO.

When it comes to gossip, it could potentially ruin a person's professional reputation - whether the rumor is unfounded or not. Think before you type (or speak). Would you want someone talking about you in an unfavorable way? We all are working hard to build our professional reputations. It doesn't help when someone gossips about you behind your back - whether online or offline.

Keep the online "word-of-mouth" clean, light and GOSSIP-FREE! Leave the gossip to the celebrity tabloids who have way too much time on their hands.