Is Word Of Mouth Advertising Working For Your Business?

 Word of Mouth Marketing is not only getting your brand or product to gain trust, it is also the inexpensive way to advertise. The drawbacks is it takes work, it takes trust building, and your network of friends, associates and others you have empowered, (influencers) must start sharing your marketing progression. Getting a trusted friend or colleague to talk and share about a cool new product or service that has made their  work life easier or simple make the product or service offered less sensationalized and more genuine. You start to want that product or service. That is the power of a good word of mouth marketing strategy. But is this something we can control? To some extent, yes. The worst thing you can do is to leave it up to chance. Let’s talk about some specific ways in which you can ignite positive word of mouth and use it to spark further customers. Here are a few tips I found that can help you with word of mouth marketing.

1. Build Trust
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Nothing builds a customer-company relationship faster or more solidly than trust. Yet, trust is a quality sadly lacking in many companies. In our me-first world, customers often get the short end of the stick. Whether it’s hidden fees or a disappointing product experience, people have endured incredibly frustrating situations when dealing with some companies. A wonderful way to prevent this and build trust is to do right by your customers. For example, did they receive a faulty product? Get them a new one as soon as possible and go the extra mile to make them not only satisfied but also happy. When a company goes above and beyond to champions its customers, those efforts build confidence and loyalty.  Through strategic content marketing and thought leadership initiatives, you can establish a solid foundation of trust with everyone who experiences your brand.

2. Create an Unbeatable Customer Service Strategy

Customer service is an area where many brands fail to hit the mark. When you hear about negative experiences, it’s rarely during a sales pitch or initial install of a product. Usually, it’s when something goes awry and people reach out to customer service. Make sure to have a solid and reliable team of customer service agents to care for customers. Make your agents available across all platforms, including phone, chat, and social media. Such positive experiences will cement a customer’s relationship with your brand. And when a customer shares those experiences, it will create a ripple effect.

3. Be Different

People don’t talk about middle-of-the-pack brands. If you strive to be carbon copies of your competitors, nothing will distinguish you in your customers’ minds. Differentiate yourself in simple ways, such as the language of your marketing. Don’t use the same language as every other company in your industry. Strike out on your own and individualize your messaging. Think of words that describe your product in new and engaging ways. From your website to your email marketing campaigns, make your messaging reverberate.

4. Find Passionate Advocates

Across every brand there are passive customers and then there are advocates. Advocates are those who are loyal and passionate about your brand. They keep coming back — whether it’s to use your again or upgrade to a new tier of services. Look for individuals who are…
·        Well-connected across online and offline networks (social media a must!)
·        Credible among friends, family, influencers, and colleagues
·        Willing to share opinions in a sound and positive manner.

5. Give People a Platform

Not many people will spread the word about your brand if you don’t give them the opportunity. Social media pages, customer testimonial sites, and case studies are all excellent ways for your customers to share their happy experiences. You might include a link on your site or an email that encourages customers to leave a review. This could be as simple as "Did we make your day? You can make ours by leaving a great review!"  Keep it light and conversational. If you know of an especially positive experience a customer has had, you might even reach out for an even more in-depth review or a case study about their experience. Eager and happy customers may not know how to support you and let others know of their wonderful experience. It’s best to give them several options, across different online platforms.

6. Incentivize Your Audience

Some of your customers may need some motivation or incentive to spread the word. Somebody might love your brand, but not do much else about it unless they have a push in that direction. How can you solve this? Create a loyalty or brand advocacy program that rewards audiences for different levels of engagement. Everything from following a brand on social media to retweeting a post can all be rewarded.

7. Be Enthusiastic

My final words of advice: Love what you do. Enthusiasm is contagious. If you have a great product or service you personally believe in, love what you do, and do it well, others will be naturally attracted to your brand. And these enthusiasts will tell others about you who in turn will tell others and on and on.
In conclusion, a word of mouth marketing strategy can at times be a fickle friend. There are no guaranteed recipes for success. Every industry has its own quirks so be real that not everything you do will work. Be patient and be up for changes in deployment.

-Roy

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Tags:  #social media, #marketing, #advertising, #branding