Is word of mouth marketing an effective marketing channel? Businesses contemplating using word of mouth to promote their businesses always have concerns about using this channel. A good number of them fear it may not pay off. The truth is, it does pay off when everything is done right.
In fact, 50% of word of mouth recommendations are the leading factor behind a buying decision. Not to mention 92% of consumers trust recommendations from the people they know. These figures clearly show that word-of-mouth marketing does help grow a business.
However, telling people about your business is not enough. You need to go above and beyond to get the message about your products and services out there.
Here are ideas to help you increase your word of mouth marketing.
Make yourself interesting
Make an effort to share what makes you look good, interesting, and good. Doing that triggers sharing, and the information you want to pass across will go far and far. Keep in mind people love sharing interesting or funny things. Give them a reason to share info about your business.
Satisfy your clients
Want your customers to recommend your brand? Make sure they are always satisfied. Find ways to address their needs, show that you value them, and if possible, incentivize them. The easiest way to incentivize them is through a referral program. Studies show that roughly 81% of consumers are influenced by social media posts from their friends. Simply, try every possible way to keep your customers satisfied and motivated to spread the word about your products and services.
Have value
Be mindful of what you share with your customers as well as your prospects. Always focus on sharing valuable information as that will make you more valuable. If customers remember you because of your good value, it will be easier for them to talk about you to other people. Also, focus on excellent customer services and delivery of outstanding products and services to up your value.
Create a trigger
The best way to create triggers is by putting yourself in the shoes of your consumers. Think of things they do or use and then design products or offer something unique that will make them talk about you. Simply offer them something that will make them remember about you. It is more like starting a referral program.
Be creative and innovative
Creative and innovative businesses always attract many people. This helps such businesses to use those people to get the message across. If you are creative and innovative enough, you can be sure word of worth will work for you very well.
Provoke emotions
Naturally, people share things that make them happy or upset. Focus on creating and sharing things that will trigger your customers to talk more about your brand. Be cautious not to share info that will upset them.
Surprise them
A little surprise can go a long way into amplifying your brand. For example, you can surprise your loyal customers with thank you notes, shopping vouchers, coupons, and anything you find appropriate. If you surprise them well, without a doubt, you can be sure they will speak positively about your brand to more people.
Try to viralize
Why not leverage viral marketing to get people to talk about your brand? It is simple to use viral marketing. Just come up with engaging content that will inspire people to speak about your business.
Appreciate your customers
Customers are more likely to talk more about brands that recognize them often than those that don’t. Be creative and appreciate your customers in the best way possible. To appreciate them in a way that will make them feel loved, first put yourself in their shoes. That way, it will be easier to recognize them appropriately.
Be transparent
Studies have shown that consumers reciprocate positively to honest and transparent companies. One way customers reciprocate when happy is by talking good about a company. If you are transparent, you can expect your consumers to say good things about you.
Tell your story
Naturally, people love listening to stories and even sharing the most interesting ones. With that in mind, why not create engaging stories and share them with your customers. If you are not a good storyteller, it is worth learning if you want to take your word of mouth strategy to another level. For the best experience, make sure to create stories your clients love and yearn for.
Create communities
Communities go a long way in increasing the visibility and reach of a brand. You can create communities and use them to talk about your products and services. Alternatively, find relevant communities in your industry to join. Fortunately, today it is easier to find communities to join.
Strive to become a thought leader
Prove to your consumers that you know what you are talking about. This may require a certain level of understanding for you to become a thought leader. Word of mouth marketing will work for you very well once you establish yourself as a thought leader in your niche.
Encourage your customers
Be in the front line in encouraging your customers to share your content. Come up with strategies that will help them share as much information about your business as possible. Don’t just sit and hope they will automatically share.
Keep your clients in the loop
Don’t leave your customers in the dark. Update them often on everything that matters most to them. By keeping them on the loop, you make them feel loved, and that can trigger them to talk positively about your hustle. Fortunately, today there are various ways to keep customers on the loop, including social media and emails.
Evangelize
It is effortless to evangelize. Just find those people who naturally promote your brand. You can be certain there are such people out there. Make sure to encourage them to keep up with the good work.
Find and engage influential individuals
There are always influential individuals in your market. Those people with high power of persuasion. Build a good relationship with them and let them play a key role in presenting your products to the market. Once you do that, it will be easier to have many people talk about your brand. Alternatively, sit influencers down and let them talk about your brand.
Ask for feedback
Asking your customers for feedback is an excellent way of sparking conversation in a good way. By just asking your clients for feedback, you make them feel appreciated, and that helps you build a better brand. Don’t ignore negative feedback as they can help you adopt strategies to stop them from happening again. So take any negative feedback seriously if planning to up your word of mouth marketing efforts.
Conclusion
As you can see, there are different ways to encourage word of mouth marketing. We recommend you try each idea until you have a list of ideas that work well for your business. Which idea would you love to implement first? It is your turn!