…or it Really IS a Small World, After All!
In 1967, Harvard University psychologist, Stanley Milgram, asked residents in Omaha, Nebraska and Wichita, Kansas to attempt to send a package to an individual described only by his name, some general features and the fact that he lived in Boston. The residents were to send the package to an intermediary who they thought might know more about how to reach the individual and who could then send it on to another intermediary. To track each of the different paths, Milgram asked the participants to mail a postcard back to him when they passed the letter to someone else.
Eventually 64 of the almost 300 packages made it to the designated recipients. On average the number of intermediaries needed was six. This astonishing result became the basis of the catchphrase “six degrees of separation.” Following Milgram, this type of experiment has been conducted by other researchers with other types of social networks including the Web itself. The findings are consistent—it’s a small world, after all, indeed!
It’s this “small world” principle that makes viral marketing and word of mouth marketing (WOM) so effective. Give people something to talk about (good or bad) and you can count on it reaching other people who care! So, dedicate yourself to delighting customers. Promise them a lot…and deliver even MORE! When you do, you’ll your delight customers, give them “something to talk about” and make them raving FANS! And, “six degrees” later, someone who’s ready to buy or change will hear about it.
That’s the power of WOM marketing!
Find out how QQ Solutions can help your agency “deliver even more” to your customers. Call us today at 1.800.940.6600.
