HOW TO HARNESS THE POWER OF WORD OF MOUTH
7/2/2019
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A study by Convince & Convert found recommendations from friends are valued 27% more than other forms of advertising when making a substantial purchase.
Do you remember the last time you tried a new product? It’s very likely a person you trust recommended this product to you. It is also likely you did some research and read some reviews before making this purchase.
Word of mouth is one of the oldest ways to promote your products and services. Today, it continues to be one of the most effective ways to grow your business. With social media and online reviews, consumers are empowered to share their opinions freely and leverage the opinions of others before making a purchase.
For many businesses, online reviews can be intimidating. Nobody wants to read negative comments about their company, and most business owners feel this is not something they can control. The good news is, there are many ways you can positively influence and harness the power of word of mouth.
How can you generate word of mouth?
To help influence word of mouth, you will need to focus on the type of relationship you want to build with each person who comes in contact with your business. Word of mouth is not exclusive to your customers; it can also come from other organizations or suppliers you interact with. It’s important to make sure that you establish solid relationships with them and give them the resources to recommend and refer your business.
These relationships need to be based on trust, and this is something you can build with time. To make sure you are building a good relationship with each person we recommend developing a word of mouth marketing strategy for your business
Develop a successful word of mouth marketing strategy.
Do you know who is talking about your business? Do you know what they are saying? Do you know where they are having these conversations? These are all questions you will need to answer before you can develop a plan.
To begin planning your strategy, review the different touchpoints customers have with your company. Make sure you are engaging them every step of the buyer’s journey. Each time a client comes in contact with your business is an opportunity to strengthen your relationship and build trust. There are four things you should take into consideration when creating your marketing strategy:
1. Understand your customers. Take the time to understand what your customers want, need, and where they spend most of their time. Depending on your demographic many of them may spend a lot of time on their computers, specific social media sites, their phones, etc. Once you have these answers, you will be able to make your services available to them when and where they need them.
2. Listen to their feedback and take action. Reviews can be incredibly helpful when used correctly. With the right approach, you will be able to turn a negative review into a positive learning experience. In some cases, you can even turn a negative review into a positive one. The important thing when it comes to customer feedback is to acknowledge it and use it to improve your company.
3. Deliver a great experience. Having a good product or service is not enough. Today’s consumer is usually willing to pay more for any product if the experience they receive is better. This is where big brands get things right. They make sure every time anyone interacts with their business, they feel like they matter.
4. Create a referral program. Invest in building relationships with your customers by rewarding their loyalty and continued business. There are many different types of reward programs that can motivate your existing customers to make more purchases and recommend your products and services to others.
Train your employees to not only deliver an excellent customer experience but also to identify new opportunities to improve it. Having highly satisfied customers is the best starting point for word of mouth marketing.
For more information on how to develop a successful word of mouth strategy, partner with American Speedy Printing | Marketing Print Mail. We can help you streamline all your print and marketing needs and support the growth of your business.
Joe is passionate about helping SMBs. He’s spent the last 30+ years building the American Speedy Printing Marketing • Print • Mail – and sharing best practices and marketing trends with his customers. Through research, in-person visits and this blog, he hopes to engage with and empower local business owners and marketing professionals.
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