True to my CEC Insider bio, I enjoy Saturday Soul Searching Strolls. Last weekend, I went on a particularly long walk to clear my mind of all things related to Influencing Stakeholders in a Networked Environment (the major CEC study that’s frying my brain). Oh-ho-ho, what a naïve analyst I am!  Two experiences along the way ignited thoughts about my piece of the study puzzle: animating stakeholder networks to speak on the company’s behalf. In marketing terms, word of mouth.

First, I stopped at Good Stuff Eatery, a burger place owned by former Top Chef contestant Chef Spike Mendelsohn. Despite his fame, Chef Spike was sweating at the register coordinating never-ending orders of Spike’s 5 Napkin burgers and Sunny’s hand cut fries. As he personally handed me my order, I smiled, said “Thanks, Spike.” He grinned back from underneath his geeky fedora, “You’re welcome.” That momentary interaction, that personal connection, sparked a desire within me to spread the Good News of Good Stuff.

Later that night I attended a new neighborhood bar, Star and Shamrock. Inside I asked my bartender, “So, Irish bar, Jewish deli. How’d that happen?” He promptly pulled over the owner who shared, “I’m a Brooklyn Jew who married an Irish girl. Just had to bring the best of both worlds together!”  The bar packed, the owner took the time to engage in a dialogue with me. The next day I thanked Jason for his hospitality…with a shout out on Twitter. Again, I felt connected to him, to his restaurant. I will tell others about it, unprompted.

So, this is the type of word of mouth that you want for your company, right? Of course! Granted, you may not sell something mouthwatering like burgers or beer. That’s OK. This is where YOU, the communicator, come in armed with social media savvy and relationship management skills. YOU have the ability to spark advocacy for your company—to get people talking proactively and positively about your company with their networks—online AND offline. All you have to do is tap into stakeholder motivations for sharing information with others. But how do I know what motivates our stakeholders, you ask. They are all different!

When it comes to sharing our opinions with others we’re all human and compelled by the ancient desires to:

• Help others
• Feel connected
• Look smart or cool

Think about it. Why did you Tweet that story on the NYTimes this morning? Did you want to look smart, informed? Why will you re-tweet this post ? (Hopefully to look cool…) Sometimes it’s easy for us to separate ourselves from stakeholders’ worlds, and then we realize that we are stakeholders ourselves.

Communicating in a “networked environment” can sound like a lost cause. A well-written, formal message may very well be received by your stakeholders, but, ask yourself, will that message get passed along and “flow” through their networks? If not, it’s time to think about stakeholder motivations EVERY time you create, publish, and share content.

What is your company doing now to tap into these motivators among stakeholders? Do you think about the motivations you’re trying to tap as you create and share content? Will you now ? I’d love to know what this looks like in practice. If you’d like to chat, email me at kokeefe@executiveboard.com.