Are YOU a WOM genius? Prove it and strut your stuff at "From Mass to Grass"!

There is no more potent force to shaping consumer attitudes and changing customer behavior than word of mouth marketing.  And often, the most effective tactics associated with great WOM campaigns are some of the least expensive.  Which is why WOM is an ideal approach for organizations with smaller budgets such as non-profits and small business.

We want to make sure that non-profits and small businesses get the lowdown on how to conduct effective WOM campaigns.  To that end, the CMA and One Degree are offering one small business, one non-profit and one WOM rock star a chance at glory as well as an opportunity to soak up the best of the best in Word of Mouth marketing. 

For non-profits and small business, here’s how it works:

Tell us why your favourite non-profit OR your favourite small business is the ideal candidate for a WOM campaign.  Maybe you have a great tactic in mind.  Or perhaps your core activist audience are some of the most enthusiastic influencers on Facebook.  Or maybe your product is so fantastic that as soon as just a few people know about it, it will sell out faster than a Cabbage Patch Doll at Christmas.

And we want you to pitch us via a blog post.

So, bloggers, partner with your fav non-profit or small business.  Or if you’re a non-profit/smallbiz that is already blogging on your own, perfect! Collaborate, brainstorm, discuss – get those WOM ideas flowing!  Then write a post to tell us why your chosen organization will be the next great WOM example.

If your entry is selected, you (the blogger) and a representative from the non-profit or small business will be given 5 minutes on stage at From Mass to Grass to strut your stuff.  And of course you and your cohort will be given complimentary access to From Mass to Grass.

• Your pitch should be around 300 words in length
• Tag it "M2Gnonprofit" or "M2Gsmallbiz"
• It must be live on your blog AND the URL of your pitch emailed to M2Gnonprofit [at] onedegree [dot] ca OR M2Gsmallbiz [at] onedegree [dot] ca by 6PM PDT on Friday, May 16 Monday, May 26
• You and a rep from your chosen non-profit/smallbiz should be available to attend From Mass to Grass on June 12.

Potential WOM Rock Stars, this is for you:
Let’s say you don’t know anyone at a non-profit or a small biz.  Or, you’re really just itching to get your hands on a big brand campaign.  This one’s for you.  To get your 5 minutes of glory and a blogger’s pass to From Mass to Grass, come up with the best WOM campaign you can for Chia Pets and pitch it on your blog.

• Your pitch should be around 300 words in length
• Tag it "M2Gchia"
• It must be live on your blog AND the URL of your pitch emailed to M2Gchia [at] onedegree [dot] ca by 6PM PDT on Friday, May 16 Monday, May 26
• You should be available to attend From Mass to Grass on June 12.

So, WOM marketers, get crackin’!  We’re excited to see what you can come up with for Canada’s non-profits, small businesses and the ultimate grassroots icon, the Chia Pet.

We’ll announce the selected bloggers and organizations here on One Degree on or around May 28th.

Need some good Word of Mouth marketing resources?  Check out these:

• Buzz Canuck, one of the best WOM blogs out there from Sean Moffitt
• Church of the Customer, from Jackie Huba and Ben McConnell, very smart folks who help create customer evangelists (Jackie was the keynote at the 2007 From Mass to Grass conference)
• Damn, I Wish I’d Thought of That, from Andy Sernovitz, WOM marketing pioneer and co-Founder of WOMMA.  Andy also has a really great WOM video channel on YouTube where he’s posted a number of helpful snippets of his talks if you’re trying to wrap your head around WOM marketing.