0 Comments

If there was one question you could have answered that would create a basis for success not only on the Social Web but in business as well, what would that question be? The Net Promoter Score, developed by Fred Reichheld, is based on one simple question: “How likely is it that you would recommend [our company, product, etc.] to a friend?” When quantified, this becomes a fundamentally important metric that is central to the successful implementation of social media.

The role of a customer recommendation is central to the success of a product or service. Evangelism, which is often the result of an emotional and experiential driven attachment to a brand, is the key to long-term growth. Conversely, products or services that fail to delight the customer threaten the long-term viability of a business.

Is your practice encouraging evangelism? The combination of word-of-mouth and digital content on the Social Web are driven by the experience. While you can control your marketing messages, you cannot control the social conversations that are taking place. An experience of delight is the only way to positively influence on the Social Web.

Reichheld makes two fundamental points in the opening sections of his book, The Ultimate Question, that ultimately drive social media

• Customers who are willing to evangelize, based on direct experience, are the only sustainable source of long-term profits
• Profits earned through methods that fail to delight your customers or are gained through coercive or misleading methods are at best short term and will – if left unchecked – threaten your long-term viability

Put these two concepts together, and you have a formula for success on the Social Web. Conversations on the Web that result from actual, delightful experiences with products and services are critical to sustaining long-term growth through evangelistic word-of-mouth recommendations. Does you practice encourage evangelism? Would your patients and customers enthusiastically promote your practice? Would they “recommend you to a friend”?