How your donors are talking about you

There's an interesting infographic at The WOMMA Word and how word-of-mouth information about commercial brands spreads and is used: The Word and the World of Customers.

• 9 out of 10 conversations about brands happen offline
• 66% of these conversations are mostly positive
• 8% are mostly negative
• Average online review is 4.3 (out of 5)
• 55% of consumers recommend a company because of its customer service

What I find worth noting about these findings are these points:

1. How offline word-of-mouth is. Despite what they say, people talking about brands isn't something that was invented with Twitter. It's been going on as long as anybody has been selling anything. And it's still overwhelmingly happening offline. Don't over-focus on the social media part of it; you'll miss where the real action is.
2. How positive word-of-mouth is. Seriously, I thought it was mainly complaints. This is great news for nonprofits. We thrive in positive environments. You shouldn't be afraid of what people might say in public about you. They're pre-disposed to be positive.
3. How much service matters. Fundraisers who focus on service are going to benefit from great word-of-mouth buzz. Great service for us is: Flawless data, quick receipting, excellent and constant reporting back to donors, and giving donors control over the relationship. Among other things.