The Passion Conversation: Understanding, Sparking, and Sustaining Word of Mouth Marketing

Book description

No passion, no conversation. No conversation, no word of mouth. No word of mouth, no successful business.

If you think you are in the marketing business, think again. You're in the people business, and The Passion Conversation teaches you how to get people to fall passionately and madly in love with your organization or cause.

The author's mash-up of the latest in wonky academic research with practical, real-world stories shows how any business can spark and sustain word of mouth marketing. Readers learn how loving your customers results in not just building a thriving community, but also driving meaningful conversations, ultimately impacting the financial success of a business.

The Passion Conversation will change your perspective on marketing by:

  • Explaining the three motivations for people to talk about businesses and causes

  • Detailing how every marketing problem is a people problem in disguise

  • Giving heartfelt evidence that marketing materials are now conversation tools

  • Showing how customer communities sustain word of mouth while also sparking financial impact

  • Helping your business apply these marketing lessons through a series of workbook exercises called "Passion Explorations"

  • The time is now for marketers and businesses to go beyond the product conversation to understanding, sparking and sustaining the passion conversation for why your business is in business.

    Table of contents

    1. Cover Page
    2. PRAISE FOR THE PASSION CONVERSATION
    3. Title Page
    4. Copyright
    5. Dedication
    6. Contents
    7. Preface: A Note from the Authors
    8. Introduction
    9. Chapter One: Understanding Word of Mouth Marketing
      1. EVERY MARKETING PROBLEM IS A PEOPLE PROBLEM
      2. DITCH YOUR TITLE
      3. FORGET MARKETING PROBLEMS
      4. EVERY MARKETING SOLUTION MUST FOCUS ON PEOPLE
      5. IF YOU DON'T LOVE PEOPLE, GET OUT OF MARKETING—PERIOD
      6. LET'S REVISIT THE FUTURE OF WORD OF MOUTH MARKETING
      7. IT'S ABOUT THE PASSION CONVERSATION
      8. MARKETERS DO NOT DECIDE WHAT GETS TALKED ABOUT—PEOPLE DO
      9. CONVERSATION LEADS TO CONSIDERATION
      10. PEOPLE BELIEVE PEOPLE THEY KNOW AND TRUST
      11. SOMETIMES YOU WANT TO BE INVISIBLE AND INDESCRIBABLE
      12. PROVIDE MORE; PROMOTE LESS
      13. MEET URSA MAJOR
      14. KITCHEN TABLE PASSION
    10. Chapter Two: Sparking Word of Mouth Marketing
      1. LET'S UN-GEEK A LITTLE SMART RESEARCH TOGETHER
      2. THE WORD OF MOUTH OPPORTUNITY
      3. WHAT MOTIVATIONS SPARK CONVERSATIONS?
      4. THERE ARE THREE MOTIVATIONS THAT SPARK CONVERSATIONS ABOUT BRANDS AND ORGANIZATIONS.
      5. SHARE INFORMATION | FACTUAL & FUNCTIONAL
      6. HERE'S HOW PASSION FITS IN
      7. SIGNAL UNIQUENESS | DISTINCTIVE & INTERESTING
      8. HERE'S HOW PASSION FITS IN
      9. SHOW EMOTIONS | LOVE & HATE AND SHOCK & AWE
      10. “LIKE” IS NOT A BRAINS ON FIRE WORD
      11. HERE'S HOW PASSION FITS IN
      12. KEEP EMOTION TOP OF MIND
      13. CREATE MEANINGFUL CONVERSATION TOOLS
      14. STORIES ARE EASIER TO REMEMBER AND SHARE
      15. ANOTHER WAY TO CREATE EMOTION AND SPARK WORD OF MOUTH? DISRUPT SOMEONE'S SCHEMA
      16. PASSION TIPS CONVERSATION TO ADVOCACY
      17. NOW, HERE'S WHERE ALL THIS ACADEMIC LEARNING GETS REALLY INTERESTING
      18. OFFLINE MOTIVATION
      19. ONLINE MOTIVATION
      20. THIS LEADS US TO ASK THE QUESTION: CAN THE CONVERSATION CHANNEL ITSELF—WHETHER ONLINE OR OFFLINE—SHAPE WHAT PEOPLE TALK ABOUT?
      21. ANOTHER IMPORTANT POINT ABOUT ONLINE CONVERSATIONS: THEY ARE INTERMITTENT AND SPORADIC
      22. OFFLINE CONVERSATIONS, HOWEVER, ARE FLOWING AND CONTINUOUS
      23. WHEN DOES CONVERSATION BECOME ADVOCACY?
      24. PEOPLE TALK ABOUT THINGS THEY ARE PASSIONATE ABOUT
      25. HOW TO MAKE THE MOST OF THE LOVE STORIES YOU ARE ABOUT TO HEAR
      26. BE OPEN TO FINDING YOUR CAUSE
    11. Chapter Three: Heroes: A Love Story
      1. ADDICTION IS AN EQUAL-OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER
      2. TODAY'S WORLD IS A CONNECTED WORLD
      3. THE HEROES IN RECOVERY COMMUNITY BEGINS INTERNALLY
      4. THE JOURNEY BOX
      5. LEAD THE WAY
      6. ANONYMITY IS NOT SECRECY
      7. THERE'S POWER IN JUST BEING THERE
      8. CONNECTIONS ARE A POWERFUL FORCE
      9. HOW DO YOU MEASURE SUCCESS?
      10. UNCOVERING THE PASSIONS WITHIN YOUR TEAM
      11. ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO HELP SPARK A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
      12. DEAR ________, YOU ARE MY HERO
      13. ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO HELP SPARK A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
      14. WHAT'S OUR CAUSE?
      15. ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO HELP SPARK A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
    12. Chapter Four: The Fitness Rebellion: A Love Story
      1. IT WAS TIME TO CHANGE THE FITNESS CONVERSATION
      2. IT'S ABOUT PEOPLE, STUPID
      3. TOGETHERNESS IS THE KEY
      4. MEET ANYA'S LITTLE WHITEBOARD
      5. WORKING WITH PEOPLE IS MESSY
      6. MIRROR, MIRROR ON THE WALL
      7. ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO HELP SPARK A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
      8. NOW, SHOW YOUR ORGANIZATION'S LOGO AND HAVE THE SAME DISCUSSION
      9. WINSDAY CELEBRATION
      10. ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO HELP SPARK A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
      11. NOW CREATE YOUR OWN WINSDAY
      12. FUNCTION JUNCTION
      13. WHILE THEY ARE OUT PLAYING
      14. WHEN YOU RETURN AND GATHER
    13. Chapter Five: The Driven Class: A Love Story
      1. ROLE MODELS AND ENCOURAGEMENT ARE POWER
      2. SOMETIMES A COMMUNITY NAMES ITSELF
      3. WE WERE SEARCHING FOR LEADERS WHOSE PLATES ARE REALLY FULL
      4. IT'S THE RIGHT THING TO DO
      5. HOW DO WE CARRY THE TORCH FORWARD?
      6. A COMMUNITY HAS TO BE READY TO CONNECT AND EVOLVE
      7. SPEAKING OF CONNECTIONS…
      8. SPARKING WORD OF MOUTH IN THE CLASSROOM
      9. A COMMUNITY IS ABOUT PEOPLE
      10. HOW CAN YOU REALLY MEASURE THE ROI OF DAVE? OR TAMIERA? OR ANYONE?
      11. WOULD YOU BE MISSED?
      12. GATHER A SMALL GROUP FOR 30 MINUTES, AND ANSWER THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS
      13. BREAKING SCHEMAS
      14. FIND IT AND BUST IT OPEN
      15. FIND THE FOUNDERS' STORY
      16. THESE QUESTIONS MIGHT HELP THE TEAM GET STARTED
    14. Chapter Six:: Wonderopolis: A Love Story
      1. THE POWER OF SHOW-AND-TELL
      2. IT'S NOT JUST ABOUT KIDS
      3. CREATING A THREE-LEGGED STOOL
      4. GOING BEYOND A NAME
      5. ON OCTOBER 4, 2010, WONDEROPOLIS WAS BORN
      6. READY TO WONDER
      7. JUMPSTARTING EARLY INTEREST
      8. TRUSTING THE JOURNEY
      9. COMMENTS ARE A GIFT
      10. GROWING THE COMMUNITY
      11. EVOLVING AND GROWING IN YEAR TWO
      12. PEOPLE ARE THE MESSENGERS
      13. RESPONDING IS PART OF THE MAGIC
      14. MOST MARKETERS ARE STILL LOOKING FOR VOLUME
      15. VALUING RELATIONSHIPS LEADS TO NUMBERS AND MORE
      16. APPRECIATING THE INTANGIBLES
      17. WHY FINDING THE PASSION CONVERSATION INSIDE YOUR ORGANIZATION MATTERS
      18. JUST ONE THING
      19. USE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO SPARK A GROUP DISCUSSION
      20. THE PASSION WALL
      21. USE THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO SPARK A GROUP DISCUSSION
      22. LOVE BOMB YOUR CUSTOMERS
      23. ASK THE FOLLOWING QUESTIONS TO HELP SPARK A MEANINGFUL DISCUSSION
    15. Chapter Seven: Sustaining Word of Mouth Marketing
      1. WHAT GETS MEASURED GETS MANUFACTURED
      2. ANOTHER THING MARKETERS GET WRONG
      3. OPEN HEARTS CAN HAPPEN TO YOU
      4. AND GUESS WHAT—YOU CAN DO IT, TOO
      5. CAN EVERY ORGANIZATION FIND THE PASSION CONVERSATION?
      6. HERE'S SOMETHING YOU MUST BE WILLING TO HEAR
      7. WANT TO KNOW A SECRET TO LONG-TERM SUCCESS?
      8. WHAT DO YOU DO WHEN YOU'RE “ON TO SOMETHING POWERFUL”?
      9. HERE'S ONE LAST MOMENT OF TRUTH TELLING
    16. Bibliography
    17. Acknowledgments
    18. About the Authors
    19. Index

    Product information

    • Title: The Passion Conversation: Understanding, Sparking, and Sustaining Word of Mouth Marketing
    • Author(s): Robbin Phillips, Greg Cordell, Geno Church, John Moore
    • Release date: August 2013
    • Publisher(s): Wiley
    • ISBN: 9781118533338