Tips for Creating Word of Mouth Buzz About Your New Business
by Leeia Ladipoh on May 1st, 2008
Congratulations! You have started your own business.
Now you may be thinking about ways to get the word out about your products. If you’re like most small business owners, you’ve already checked into advertising and now you realize that it can cost a lot of money. As with most new businesses, you are likely on a tight budget and looking for affordable solutions.
You may have printed a few business cards and fliers, but they are not generating many customers.
What other options do you have? Well, think about generating word of mouth buzz, where you’re only limited by your imagination and creativity.
Open Your Mouth
You must be prepared to talk. Tell everyone you come into contact with about your new business and its products and services. Tell them where you are located and what you have to offer.
Offer a Freebie
There is a line in a popular country song that says, “Just give it away.” You have to do that. Give a sample of one of your products to people you meet.
Give one as a tip when you eat at a restaurant, and to your pastor, mailman, delivery truck driver, and Sunday school teacher. Give away as many of your products as you can.
Hand Out Gift Certificates
When you are giving away products, include a gift certificate good for the next purchase of your products or services.
Once the first one runs out, the customer may be more interested in purchasing your product if they think they are getting a good deal.
Special Sales
Have a weekend sale where you give a percentage off to all new customers. Alternatively, offer a free product to all existing customers that bring in a new customer who makes a purchase.
While new and prospective customers are in your store (online or otherwise), get names and addresses for future product specials.
They will think they will get a great deal by giving you their information, and you will have a customer base you can easily call on when you want to make more sales.
Use Motivated Talkers
Pick several motivated talkers to help ‘talk up’ your product. Give them a product to try and let them tell everyone they know about how much they enjoyed it.
Have a yard sale and give away your product to anyone that takes some of your unwanted stuff off your hands. Or, better yet, sell your products at the yard sale. This way, you increase business profits and make more room in your house at the same time.
Holiday Advertising
Kill two birds with one stone. Give your product as Christmas gifts to your family members. You never know who they will come into contact with that they can tell about your business.
Once you start to implement word of mouth publicity, you will soon see that it is just as effective, if not more so, than taking out an advertisement in your local paper.
If you really feel that it’s necessary to do traditional advertising, keep in mind that the more buzz you create by word of mouth advertising, the more successful you will be – and the more money you will make to put into those traditional advertising programs.