Simple Word of Mouth Marketing on a Budget
by Carrie Hinkel on December 31st, 2007
Getting people (whether they’re customers or not) to talk about your products or services and refer them to others is undoubtedly one of the most powerful marketing tools out there. It’s also the hardest to harness and use to your advantage. Most word-of-mouth referrals just happen naturally: A friend complains about brittle nails and another friend starts to gush about this incredible new nail polish she uses. But don’t think there’s nothing you can do to give the potential for a word-of-mouth referral a little nudge.
Here are some simple word-of-mouth ideas that really work:
Surprise and delight your customers – An unexpected free gift and a thank you tucked inside an order just might bring a smile to your customer’s face and it may be enough to get them to talk about your company. For instance, if a customer has placed several orders, why not thank him by giving him a product at no charge and a personal note thanking him for the business. There are several retailers that include a piece of chocolate or candy with every order to thank their customers. Anything you can do to make your customers happy gives you a shot at getting some word-of-mouth marketing in return.
Top-notch customer service – Train your customer service reps to interact with customers with the utmost patience and respect. A pleasant conversation with a representative of your company might turn into a referral if the customer feels the rep really went above and beyond in terms of service. Make returns hassle free, answer phone calls and emails promptly and answer all questions with informative answers.
Become active in your industry’s community – Be a regular participant in industry blogs; add informative posts and you’ll give your business a human touch that others in your field can relate to. Just be sure you’re not advertising in your posts; being a participant in blogs means that you’re part of a community of people who share similar interests and enjoy talking with each other. Being a good poster can very well give potential customers a sense of trust, which just might lead to future referrals.
Make it easy for people to talk about your business – With every order, include cards with your website name and a description of your products or services. It might end up being passed on to a customer’s friend. Send coupons out via email and encourage customers to forward to a friend. Your website address should be memorable, easy to say, obvious to spell and not excessively long. If you make it difficult for customers to refer your company, then they won’t; it’s as simple as that.
While you may not be able to directly control word-of-mouth marketing, you can have some effect on it indirectly. Just remember to always treat your customers in a way that makes them feel special and important. Always work to put a smile on their face – it doesn’t take much effort or cost a lot of money, but it can end up making a big impact on your sales.