Word of Mouth Marketing is a free form of advertisement. It’s triggered by positive customer experiences. In a nutshell, your customers become a driving sales force for your business.
Word of mouth is a powerful marketing strategy for your small business and it seems silly to ignore it. Why not tune into what people are saying about your small business and speed the spread of positive word of mouth by applying the strategies listed below?
1. Provide Great Customer Service
How important is customer service to DePinho Website and Logo Design. Tips on Word of Mouth Marketing for small businesses? Studies show that half of the dissatisfied customers will tell their friends and family about bad experiences, and 32% will take their business elsewhere.
Show your customers that they are important to you and treat them with courtesy, respect, and interest. Listen to customer complaints, learn from them, and train your staff accordingly. Follow these practices consistently, whether you run a retail store, restaurant, or an online business, and positive word of mouth will ensue.
2. Make It Easy for Your Customers to Contact You
Poor communication practices will drive away not only an existing customer but the other people they tell about their frustrating experience, BAD-OF-MOUTH (BOM). Supposed business phones that just ring and ring and don’t even connect to an answering machine or that connect to full voice mailboxes are pet peeves of mine
If you want positive word of mouth, set up your small business to be reachable. Follow these simple tips. Answer your emails promptly, return voice mail the same day, provide an appointment app on your website and make sure that your staff is trained in a way that will encourage business communication, not discourage it.
3. Always Present a Positive Image
Face to Face: remember never to show your customers that you are having an off day. Always treat your customers and workers with courtesy and respect. Workers, just like customers, can help spread the word.
Environmental Experience: People will tell other people how organized your store is or how clean the restrooms are. This is also true for your business website. Having a well laid out website (site organization) where items and information are easy to find. Having a navigation system that is intuitive and simple to use is also very important. Remember, your website is the first point of contact for most businesses, don’t screw it up! Make sure you hire the right team to build your website.
4. Ask for Testimonials and Display Them Prominently
Testimonials are great for Word of Mouth Marketing. Satisfied customers, are a very powerful way to spark good word of mouth. Let me say that one more time, “testimonials, from satisfied customers, is a very powerful way really spark good word of mouth”. Get in the habit of asking for them. I personally won over customers before even speaking with them. Simply because of the many positive reviews for my business.
Make sure you display them prominently. Posting them on your website, on your Facebook business page, in your advertising, and in your store. Testimonials are “seeds” that will help grow a positive image of your small business.
5. Engage Customers on Social Media
Word of Mouth Marketing is all about people saying good things about your business. Social media is where many of them are talking now. Your small business needs to be in that space. It’s not hard to set up a Twitter account Instagram account or create a business page on Facebook. Ask folks to like your FB page. You need to develop a social media strategy that will engage customers to talk about your business.
6. Visibly to Your Community
Doing a good thing in your community can only do good things for your word of mouth. Sponsoring community events is one way of doing it. Another is to take an active role in community organizations, such as sitting on a hospital, school, or other boards. Be that person who’s willing to support your community and others will take notice.
SOURCE: Susan Wars, The Balance SMB
