Word of mouth is powerful. Research confirms that recommendations from friends carry more weight than recommendations from professionals—and far more weight than traditional ads.

But while word of mouth is certainly valuable, it's a mistake to lean on it without support from other strategies.

Good marketing gets mileage from diverse channels, and great marketing gets diverse channels to work together.

P.O.E.M.

Digital marketing experts break it down to Paid, Owned, and Earned media (or "P.O.E.M.")

Paid media means compensating someone for sharing your message (banner ads, rewarding players for retweets), while Owned media means sharing your message through a channel that belongs to you (your Facebook page, your Twitter feed).

Word of mouth is known as Earned media. It's enormously effective, but it isn't generated out of thin air. It's generated by great experiences, with support from careful use of owned or paid media.

"Earning" Earned Media

Before players will share your message, you need to offer a share-worthy experience.

Like Il Labirinto's Khans of Tarkir Prerelease, where owner Daniele Baglietto dressed as Sorin.

It was playful, exuberant, unique—and an effective use of P.O.E.M.

Daniele took selfies throughout the event and posted them online. The photos drove players to the store's Facebook page (owned), where they generated a flurry of likes and shares (earned).

Driving Event Attendance

Facebook also offers a paid media option in the form of sponsored posts.

But the "pay" in "paid media" refers to any incentive for sharing your content: your players can also help extend your reach.

Some ideas:

What do you have planned for the Fate Reforged Prerelease? Your next Preliminary PTQ? What about the new Friday Night Magic?

First design a great experience, then design a great campaign that uses P.O.E.M. to drive attendance!