Word of Mouth Requires Critical Mass in Bounded Segments

"The efficiency of the marketing process, at this point, is a function of the “boundedness” of the market segment being addressed. The more tightly bound it is, the easier it is to create and introduce messages into it, and the faster these messages travel by word of mouth."

"One of the keys in breaking into a new market is to establish a strong word-of-mouth reputation among buyers."

"You need to be mentioned in articles that run in the newsletters and blogs they read. You need to be installed in other companies in their industry. You need to have developed applications for your product that are specific to their industry. You need to have partnerships and alliances with the other vendors who serve their industry. You need to have earned a reputation for quality and service. In short, you need to make yourself over into the obvious supplier of choice."