If you’re shaking your head back and forth, wondering what that title means – because, everyone knows that word-of-mouth is organic, not manufactured – let me share a secret with you: word-of-mouth is as much a creation by you and your brand, as it is an organic component of your fabulous marketing plan.

Anyone not aware of the studies proving that consumers trust is placed in “people like me,” may leave the room. Personally, I didn’t need a study to tell me that my family and friends value my opinion more than the local TV critic, or the latest press release from Big Brand Box. As I value theirs. People being people, they will talk and discuss and share with each other and the resulting word-of-mouth is stronger and more powerful than talking lizards, fancy swooshes, or come-hither glances bathed in pink lingerie.

Here are 5 effective ways you can create positive, actionable word-of-mouth for your company, product, or brand.

1. Be where your customers are. Hang out where they hang out. Bring your best smile and something “free” for them to take away. If you’re mainly online, be on Twitter, Facebook, blogs, and sites like Ezine.com, where you can offer educational content which directs people back to your site to see your “stuff.” Case studies and PDF Top Tips articles show expertise and give people something to talk about.  

2. Have a twitter party. Engage a group of tweeps (people who twitter), establish a host (the tweep who will be in charge of the event), and have at it. Use a tool such as Tweetchat to keep the party focused. The goal is to have the tweeps talk about you (or a product launch or a new service), while using a hashtag (the # symbol) to identify the twitter party and its topic. The bigger the party, the more likely it will become a trend on the Twitter tending list. Visit these links to learn how some others are doing this, and don’t forget the prize. (Awarding prizes can be a random drawing or by number of tweets, or any other criteria you establish – but make sure you are obvious about how the prize will be awarded.)

3. Create a Facebook Fan Page that engages your fans. Don’t create a page just to have a page. Make it worth their while – add content daily (more than once a day, if you can), host contests, invite fans to discuss their company or blog, and have a reason for them to visit regularly. This Blogger’s Guide to Facebook explains fan pages in more detail.

4. Support a charitable event. This week was National Animal Shelter Appreciation Week and bloggers all over the net covered it. They covered it by visiting shelters and blogging/twittering about them. They covered it by donating time or money or supplies. They got news coverage in their hometown by showing support for abandoned animals. When you actively support a charitable event, you create attention to the cause and the fact that you’re looking out for others. The key is to be vocal about it, online and offline. And the key to that is to keep the focus on the event, not on you. The resultant word-of-mouth is worth more than your weight in gold.

5. Be notable. Be like Scott Ginsberg, who wears a nametag on his chest, everywhere he goes. In fact, he can honestly and openly announce that he wears a nametag everywhere he goes because he had a nametag, with his name in it, tattooed on his chest. Scott lives word-of-mouth. In his blog post “How to Show Up Without Showing Off” he says, “Don’t just DO differently – BE differently.”

I have this quote on my desk and read it daily, “We are remembered not by what we take with us, but by what we leave behind.” Leave behind tangible when you can, but when you can’t – leave behind the memory of your personality, your bright red tie or blouse, your fantastic advice on how to get ahead in a down economy, and your invitation to pass out other people’s business cards at your next networking event. When you show people it’s about them, not about you, they start telling the world how smart and talented you are. (After all, you gushed over them, so you must be terribly talented and smart, right?)

About the Author:  Yvonne DiVita, President of Windsor Media Enterprises, LLC: Books, Blogs and Beyond, is focused on consulting with businesses on how to effectively use new media tools. She blogs at LipSticking, with a focus on the women’s market.