I speak tomorrow about Word of Mouth (WOM) Marketing to the Kansas City chapter of the Direct Marketing Association.

Several sustainability stories are peppered into the presentation because a sea change is underway. Beyond legitimate attacks on the $15 billion bottled water industry and efforts to curtail plastic grocery bag usage, the direct marketing industry may be the next target of eco-conscious living.

We're seeing WOM-amped grassroots efforts trump multinational ad spends. Word of mouth and the social media venues that extend its reach and velocity are forcing new standards of accountability. Congruity in word and deed are essential for every business these days. Especially for direct marketers: it's time to think differently and forge new contracts with your customers, giving them choice in how they want to receive you. Saving you dollars, improving customer loyalty and earning positive word of mouth in the process.

My hope is everyone walks away sharing a belief: word of mouth marketing isn't just another tactic. It's a transformative tool -- based on substance -- for conducting more socially aware and responsible business, creating more effective strategy. So it follows that investing energy/money should belong first in creating better products and treating people well, in ways that spark genuine conversation -- far and away the #1 influence on both B2B and B2C purchase decision-making.

If you attend the session, please share your honest feedback -- positive and negative -- as a public comment below. Or shoot me an email: willow@smallplanetpartners.com.

If you're a direct marketer interested in learning more about word of mouth, start here:

• Word of Mouth Marketing Association
• Flipping the Funnel FREE eBook by Seth Godin
• How Smart Companies Get People Talking by Andy Sernovitz
• Purple Cow by Seth Godin
• Email Experience Council
• Online Marketing Summit

Do you have favorite word of mouth marketing resources for direct marketers? Please share it below.