I’m pretty sure word-of-mouth was the first form of advertising ever. Think about it… two cavemen are sitting around a raw piece of meat, and lamenting the fact they have to dine tartar. Caveman number three strolls up and in two words, informs them of a fantastic new invention that can solve their culinary woes: “Fire good.” Thus the medium-well steak was born. Advertisers place a lot of stock in word-of-mouth, especially the positive kind. An advertiser can believe with all their heart they have THE product to change the world. There are many factors that go into the success of a product or service launch, but an important element that can make or break the campaign includes “the buzz.” Remember “Crystal Pepsi”? Did you actually drink it to know it was bad, or did you trust the word on the street and avoided that sludge like it was a new Steven Segal movie? Or what about your first iPod? Did you buy it because of the mellow branding campaign with dancing silhouettes, or because someone you knew told you how great their new portable MP3 player was? Point is, word-of-mouth advertising is free and effective. Why would someone whose career rests on the fact he places paid direct-response advertising want to discuss anything related to free advertising? I’m getting to that. Let me add some caveats regarding free advertising before I get to my point:

• Effective as it is, word-of-mouth take a great deal of grassroots effort, and the scope of such a singular campaign still can’t match the reach and effectiveness of a traditional media or interactive campaign.
• One can only have so much control over the buzz. It’s an important element, but if it goes in the opposite direction you planned (“Worst. Medical Assistant. Program. Ever”), you’d better have your contingency plan ready.

So to my point, how can you build a word-of-mouth style direct-response campaign but have more control, using your established and proven methods? Testimonials. For my money (which is actually my clients’ money) it’s hard to find more bang for your buck than testimonials. It’s the next best thing to true word-of-mouth. Building television spots with actual graduates discussing where they were in life and how their school made a difference is just what potential students will respond to. If the viewer can identify with any element of the on-air testimonial, then there’s something of a feeling that a friend or confidant is expressing the sentiment of the spot personally. That goes from print ads too. Demonstrating someone overcoming the odds and building a better future through their career college can speak volumes and bring in stronger results. Even better? YOU control the buzz. Find true evangelists of your school, not lukewarm dabblers. The lives changed in the career college sector are those who WANT to change their lives. They are your models of excellence and the ones who can best spread the word to affect change in the lives of those who haven’t yet made that commitment. Have you added testimonial advertising to your current creative mix? I’m tellin’ ya, I believe in it. It’s turned markets around for me.