This is a very good (& funny) video depicting the pitfalls of print media and other traditional forms of advertising… pair it with the earlier post, “The Big Drop Off” by Seth Godin, and hopefully it will all come together for you.

Successful Pro Lumberyards that we’ve dealt with have all had one thing in common: a very loyal “first circle.” The question then becomes, “How do we get the first circle to keep talking about us?” Now we’re getting into the effectiveness of WOMM.

Lumberyards might want to re-think that “next $5,000” they spend on advertising. A couple of good quotes we frequently reference:

(1) “Advertising is the cost of being boring. If your customers won’t talk about your stuff, you have to pay newspapers to get people to talk about you.” –Andy Sernovitz, Word of Mouth Marketing Book

(2) “Advertising…can work for MegaBrands like Coke…for the rest of us, traditional advertising is so wide and broad that it is ineffective.” –DM Scott, The New Rules of Marketing & PR

Instead of advertising to the masses, wouldn’t it be a more effective to get your loyal customers (first circle) TALKing, and telling their colleagues about your exceptional service and products?

Rally your fans! They’re often your best salespeople…