Can you hear me now? How can we harness the power of word of mouth?

Facilitated by Rachael Burgess, Major Gifts Officer at Reconstructing Judaism

For lay leaders, clergy and communicators

Wednesdays, 8pm-9pm EST— October 18, November 15, November 29, December 6

How many times have you tried a restaurant, watched a movie or made a purchase based on the recommendation of a friend or family member? In this network, participants will explore best practices on how word-of-mouth marketing works in our communities. More specifically, this network delves into questions such as how do we identify, target and reach our niche audiences? How do we connect with the “influencers” who will help us get done what we are looking to do? Participants can expect to discover strategies for encouraging their community members to help spread the word. Join our Reconstructionist Marketing Facebook group here.

Related Resources

First session

Seth Godin’s TED talk on his 2008 book Tribes: We Need You to Lead Us 

What Does Community Mean?  from The Atlantic

Why Word of Mouth Marketing is the Most Important Social Media from Forbes

Second session

“Six Degrees of Separation? Facebook Finds a Smaller Number” By Jonah Bromwich, New York Times FEB. 4, 2016

Klout

Three and a half degrees of separation by Facebook Research

The Tipping Point: How Little Things Can Make a Big Difference by Malcom Gladwell

Third Session

UJA Federation of New York SYNERGY

The Jewish Education Project

Why Businesses Misunderstand Old People  The Atlantic

Baby Boomer Marketing New York Times

7 Reasons Why Marketing To Baby Boomers Is Unique Forbes

9 Ways to Learn From Your Customers Without Costing You A Fortune Inc.

What I Wish Synagogues Knew About Single Parents Kveller

PEW Americans Look For Good Sermons And Warm Welcome eJewish Philanthropy

Community GIS Maps and Profile Reports  — This tool from Association of Religion Data Archives assists church and community leaders in accessing free online information about their communities. The initial map shows the location of other churches in your area and the Profile Builder provides you with social, economic, and religious information on the community or neighborhoods you select.

Fourth Session

RASCI: Responsible, Approval, Support, Consult, Inform. 

Analyzing your current communications plan in order to strategize for effective outreach is a necessary part of any communications plan.

What is your community’s unique selling proposition? How can you narrow down your goals and objectives?

Havurah Shalom: Calendar & Scheduling

Google Forms: About 

Congregation Ahavat Sholom 

Keeping up with the latest trends and seeing what others are up to is a great way to get ideas. Below are a few free email digests worth subscribing to.

Word of Mouth Marketing Association (WOMMA)

Public Relations Society of America

eJewish Philanthropy