One seminar in particular, People are the Killer APP: How to Grow Word-Of Mouth Movements With Your Brand Fans, was led by Geno Church, WOM Inspiration Officer for Brains on Fire. During the session, Church walked us through a case study of Fiskars scissors. The company sought to ingratiate themselves with the growing number of scrapbookers, a passionate and community-minded group of craftsladies (and men), who are eager to embrace the latest and greatest tools to make their memory books, well, memorable. I’m not a scrapbooker myself (my craftiest moments result in doodles during long conference calls) but I can certainly appreciate not only the creativity, but the camaraderie, that goes into the loved creations.

I was skeptical. Scissors? How is it possible to get a group so jazzed over a non-descript pair of scissors?

I, like most of the audience, was blown away at the picture of brand ambassadorship that unfolded before me. The effort seemed to have created a significant amount of infatuation for something normally shoved in the back of your gift wrap drawer. It’s not often you see such a surge of community spirit, with brand advocates providing priceless endorsement. The effort was, no doubt, incredible. When Church opened the floor to questions, one attendee asked the question I believe was on all of our minds – what kind of budget should you allot for a campaign of this magnitude? Church obviously couldn’t give client-specific numbers, but said it makes sense to assume $300,000 to half a million big ones for a effort of such magnitude.

Cue record scratch.

Many of us work with brands that simply can’t, especially in this economic climate, afford to invest that kind of money in any marketing effort. I wasn’t deflated, and marketers and PR agencies shouldn’t be either. There are many ways companies can propel off and online WOM with very little expense. I’ve put together a short list, and I welcome your creative minds to add your ideas and success stories.

• Start Talking – Joining the online conversation really doesn’t cost anything and can be a very powerful way to humanize your brand with influencers and customers. We “overheard” a blog conversation (using SocialMention) that included a client. We alerted the client who commented with a thank you and clarification of some questions. The blogger was very appreciative and responded by enabling our client to post a coupon, writing another post and including the product in her weekly newsletter with a kind endorsement. Score!

• Unofficial Official – Empower your consumers to play a role in product development and direction, and they’ll feel a sense of ownership and help you spread the word. We helped create a program inviting consumers of a natural foods company to name the next flavor of an existing product. The response was overwhelming, as entrants became immersed in the brand experience and engaged in online conversation about the contest. For another product, the company was preparing to launch a brand new product, so we helped solicit an elite team of beta testers to get the first taste and share their feedback, again, creating passionate brand ownership.

• Refer a Friend – I hate to spam my friends, but when Bluefly gives me another chance at a Chloe bag just for telling a couple friends, I’m a sellout. Incentivizing consumers to “Tell two more” can be a great way to earn a peer-to-peer endorsement.

• Team Player – When employees feel loyalty about a company, they can become both internal and external cheerleaders for your goals and mission. Kashi, a leader in the natural food space, is a perfect example of admiration built upon sheer brand passion. Employees are featured in ad campaigns and walk the streets sporting their company pride in logo shirts, as well as very honestly touting their Kashi-love on social networks and to friends and peers. It’s infectious.

What other ways can company generate word-of mouth without the big bucks. Is it necessary or smart to break the bank?

Photo credit: AComment