Business owners are always looking for ways to grow their business that are low cost, and also don’t require loads of their time.
Although most businesses particularly in the startup phase are built on word of mouth referrals, it can be hard to understand how to make this a part of their marketing strategy.After all, word of mouth just happens, doesn’t it? How are you supposed to make it happen other than doing a good job and praying someone thinks to mention you to others?
Well, while word of mouth is a largely organic source of referrals, there are ways to systemise a strategy that increases your likelihood of getting those super-important, super-valuable types of leads.
The Advantages of Word of Mouth Marketing
One of my first mentors told me -
"When a business has people speaking about it, and actively referring others organically through word-of-mouth, it's doing something right."
Think about these incredible stats for a minute...
- About 62% of consumers search online for reviews and information before purchasing a product
- 75% of people don't believe advertisements, but 92% believe recommendations from their friends.
- People are 4x more likely to buy products recommended by their friends
- Word of mouth generates 2x more sales than paid ads
3 Marketing Strategies To Improve WOM For Your Business
Every business owner should be making word of mouth marketing a critical part of their marketing strategy.
But how do we actually do that? How do we make our customers become our marketers?
I've got 3 ways to start…
- Actively ask customers for referrals
I'm astounded by the amount of business owners who don't do this.
If you've done a great job, and your customer is happy, it makes sense that they'd be happy to refer you to their friends, right?
But the thing is, your customers won't often think to speak up about your business unless you put the idea solidly in their heads first.
Do you ask your customers to refer you to 3 friends?
Do you ask them to record a quick testimonial video?
Or to write some feedback in a quick email?
A happy customer is the best source to spread the word about what you do.
So start asking!
- Have fun with your brand
These days people are bombarded with millions of marketing messages a day. From the moment we wake up, until we turn our phone or TV off at the end of the day, messages are coming to us from companies hungry for our attention (and money!).
Finding ways to create a unique and fun angle for your brand is a great way to cut through the noise.
Think about Richard Branson's lipstick gimmick… it got him extra PR attention for Virgin, right?
The more fun, excitement, and adventure you can bring into your marketing and PR, the more people will want to talk about you.
So be interesting!
- Deliver great customer service
If you deliver exceptional customer service, people will naturally want to talk about your business. Think about the last time you ate at a restaurant… what did you remember most about it?
If you're like most people, you remember 2 things: the food (naturally), and the service.
Your customer's experience is a fundamental part of your marketing strategy. It's where your customers are actually engaging with your business. How can you take your customer experience to the next level?
Some points to think about here -
How often do you communicate with them?
What's your communication style like?
What channels do they like to communicate on? Many businesses are starting to use multi-channel strategies to get information to and from their customers easily (it makes everyone's lives easier too!)
What quality control methods do you use to ensure every customer gets a great experience?
Next steps…
So think about how word of mouth fits into your business. Start to implement some of the ideas I've talked about here… how can you start being more active in turning customers into raving fans?
If you'd like to take this a step further, apply for a strategy call with our coaching team here at The Game Changers. We can help you devise a word of mouth strategy for your business, and built it out into a full growth and marketing strategy that joins all the dots!
Click here to book a convenient time for your 15 minute complimentary strategy call.
