Word of Mouth Marketing
Word of Mouth Marketing
It’s a scary thought to imagine your precious clients may be talking about you. If only you could be a fly on the wall listening to what they have to say. Who are they telling, what do they really think of your product or service and are they impressed enough to personally forward your company name on to someone else who trusts them?
Word of mouth (WOM) marketing. Everyone has heard of it – hardly anyone knows how to harness its immense power. And, I’m not just being a marketer here by using the superlative ‘immense’. The power of WOM marketing really is colossal.
Take me for example. I took my car to a mechanic a few years ago for it’s Warrant. He promptly told me that my brakes needed replacing (being a blonde female he must have seen me coming!). What he didn’t know though was that I had previously (only two months prior) had my brakes replaced – they were squeaky you see.
So, I am sure you can imagine how many people I have told over the past two years about my experience – at least 30. And how many people do you think they have told? Scary thought.
So weather your clients are speaking nicely of you or not, it is your responsibility to ensure your WOM marketing is being utilized for the better.
Now, many marketers believe that good customer service is the only way forward in terms of tackling what is essentially a difficult marketing medium. Yes, of course as with the mechanic, good customer service in fact, great customer service is an essential element for WOM marketing. However, this must remain your building block for an ongoing WOM drive.
As we have already discussed, bad WOM can be one of the most detrimental things for a small business. And, as most of you will already know, when people are impressed they tell a few people about their experience. When they are unimpressed, they will tell ten-times as many!
So, how do you harness the power of WOM Marketing and when will you see the benefits?
There are several key elements that will help you on your way to a successful WOM campaign. Here are some of the most important below:
1. Develop your WOM contacts. Developing relationships is an important element of any business and with WOM Marketing it’s imperative. Your contacts don’t have to be the CEO of some great company. Mr. Coffee Man can also be an important WOM generator.
2. Give people something to talk about. I like to call it Guerilla WOM Marketing. Do something a little wacky and you’ll have plenty of people not only talking about it but also wanting to get involved. And, by getting involved, you have begun the WOM Marketing phenomenon. Think Richard Branson and you know what I’m talking about!
3. Ensure your message is easy to communicate. A long winded, difficult to understand message is very rarely communicated. Ensure your message is simple, pointed and providing a benefit to your potential client. Us marketers love to mention the word FREE – if you are able to use it, do so. Viral marketing is also worth your while if managed and executed in a clever fashion.
4. Create interesting lines of communication. Important if you want to find out what appeals to your current clients. Clever application of viral marketing tools (internet based WOM marketing) can be really beneficial in this instance. Also, if you think “out of the box” when creating an important WOM message you will have a higher impact ratio.
5. Utilise those people who love what you do! That’s right! If you have a client or two who just think you’re fantastic then use them to sing your praises.
So, in summary...
Ensure you are giving clients (and potential clients) something to talk about. Weather it be great customer service, friendly staff, excellent discounts or that crazy stunt on the sidewalk, people need a reason to talk about your business. Get your networks running smoothly. Everyone is important in WOM marketing. Ensure your message is clear, concise and easy to relay. Get clever with your lines of communication and ensure you are making use of people who really like what you do!
Word of Mouth Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Emma McAlpine's Website.
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You’ve heard of it, you’ve thought about using it, some of your clients may even be utilizing it without your knowledge –but do you really know how to leverage the opportunity?
It’s a scary thought to imagine your precious clients may be talking about you. If only you could be a fly on the wall listening to what they have to say. Who are they telling, what do they really think of your product or service and are they impressed enough to personally forward your company name on to someone else who trusts them?
Word of mouth (WOM) marketing. Everyone has heard of it – hardly anyone knows how to harness its immense power. And, I’m not just being a marketer here by using the superlative ‘immense’. The power of WOM marketing really is colossal.
Take me for example. I took my car to a mechanic a few years ago for it’s Warrant. He promptly told me that my brakes needed replacing (being a blonde female he must have seen me coming!). What he didn’t know though was that I had previously (only two months prior) had my brakes replaced – they were squeaky you see.
So, I am sure you can imagine how many people I have told over the past two years about my experience – at least 30. And how many people do you think they have told? Scary thought.
So weather your clients are speaking nicely of you or not, it is your responsibility to ensure your WOM marketing is being utilized for the better.
Now, many marketers believe that good customer service is the only way forward in terms of tackling what is essentially a difficult marketing medium. Yes, of course as with the mechanic, good customer service in fact, great customer service is an essential element for WOM marketing. However, this must remain your building block for an ongoing WOM drive.
As we have already discussed, bad WOM can be one of the most detrimental things for a small business. And, as most of you will already know, when people are impressed they tell a few people about their experience. When they are unimpressed, they will tell ten-times as many!
So, how do you harness the power of WOM Marketing and when will you see the benefits?
There are several key elements that will help you on your way to a successful WOM campaign. Here are some of the most important below:
1. Develop your WOM contacts. Developing relationships is an important element of any business and with WOM Marketing it’s imperative. Your contacts don’t have to be the CEO of some great company. Mr. Coffee Man can also be an important WOM generator.
2. Give people something to talk about. I like to call it Guerilla WOM Marketing. Do something a little wacky and you’ll have plenty of people not only talking about it but also wanting to get involved. And, by getting involved, you have begun the WOM Marketing phenomenon. Think Richard Branson and you know what I’m talking about!
3. Ensure your message is easy to communicate. A long winded, difficult to understand message is very rarely communicated. Ensure your message is simple, pointed and providing a benefit to your potential client. Us marketers love to mention the word FREE – if you are able to use it, do so. Viral marketing is also worth your while if managed and executed in a clever fashion.
4. Create interesting lines of communication. Important if you want to find out what appeals to your current clients. Clever application of viral marketing tools (internet based WOM marketing) can be really beneficial in this instance. Also, if you think “out of the box” when creating an important WOM message you will have a higher impact ratio.
5. Utilise those people who love what you do! That’s right! If you have a client or two who just think you’re fantastic then use them to sing your praises.
So, in summary...
Ensure you are giving clients (and potential clients) something to talk about. Weather it be great customer service, friendly staff, excellent discounts or that crazy stunt on the sidewalk, people need a reason to talk about your business. Get your networks running smoothly. Everyone is important in WOM marketing. Ensure your message is clear, concise and easy to relay. Get clever with your lines of communication and ensure you are making use of people who really like what you do!
Word of Mouth Marketing - To learn more about this author, visit Emma McAlpine's Website.
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John PowerJohn Power, founder of Biltmore Franchise Consulting, has extensive experience developing and marketing franchises and business opportunities. He has been in and around franchising for over twenty years. From 1980 through 1990 he conceptualized, organized, and developed the American Video Association. He grew AVA to 2,000 national members, before selling the company it 1990. It was later merged into another home video marketing company. From 2000 to 2005 he worked as a contract marketing and human resources consultant to several local and national companies. In 2005 Mr. Power began working as a franchise development consultant on a full-time basis. Since that time he has helped more than three dozen companies initiate and develop their franchising program. He notes that there are many companies interested in developing a franchise program, and who need his specialized assistance. Mr. Power is a “hands-on” franchise consultant. He said, “I am the ‘nuts and bolts’ person who tends to the details for my clients.” Mr. Power holds a B.S. degree with a major in Marketing. See: www.biltmorefranchise.com You may contact Mr. Power at: jpower@biltmorefranchise.co - Visit John Power's Website |
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Dave KurlanDave Kurlan is the founder and CEO of Objective Management Group, Inc., the industry leader in sales assessments and sales force evaluations, and the CEO of David Kurlan & Associates, Inc., a consulting firm specializing in sales force development. Dave has been a top rated speaker at Inc. Magazine's Conference on Growing the Company, the Sales & Marketing Management Conference and the Gazelles Sales & Marketing Summit. He has been featured on radio and TV, including World Business Review with General Norman Schwarzkopf, in Inc. Magazine, Selling Power Magazine, Sales & Marketing Management Magazine and Incentive Magazine. He is the author of Mindless Selling and Baseline Selling – How to Become a Sales Superstar by Using What You Already Know about the Game of Baseball. He created and wrote STAR, a proprietary recruiting process for hiring great salespeople, and he writes Understanding the Sales Force, a popular business Blog and is a contributing author to The Death of 20th Century Selling and 101 Great Ways to Improve Your Life, Volume 2. - Visit Dave Kurlan's Website |
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Stephanie RobeyStephanie Robey is President and CoFounder of Pivot Positive, LLC - an Internet marketing business focused on helping people start work at home ventures. Previously, she was employed at The Search Agency with over 20 years experience in graphic design and 10 years experience in online marketing. She was responsible for launching the Conversion Path Optimization (CPO) unit where she and her team have conducted hundreds of optimization tests for online companies across multiple verticals. She is a successful entrepreneur having started and sold 2 companies and remains on the board of directors of the third, PhotoSpin.com Stephanie began her career in the direct marketing realm creating and producing direct mail for many of the major cable television companies and directly attributes her understanding of Internet marketing to those early offline experiences. Stephanie is a graduate of San Diego State University with a BFA in Graphic Arts and also holds an Executive MBA from the Graziadio School of Business and Management at Pepperdine University. Read Steph's Blog Meet Steph and Dave Sign up for our Free 7-Day BootCamp: Self Employed & Rich - Visit Stephanie Robey's Website |
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As an independent film producer, his upstart film fund Aliquot Films is currently producing a films with Spike Lee and Abel Fererra (starring Ethan Hawke and Dennis Hopper.)
Jay's entrepreneurial spirit is irrepressible. He’s the owner of five companies, a professional speaker and trainer, international real estate developer/investor, extreme sport enthusiast and emerging philanthropist. Jay resides in NYC with his wife Jamie, son Milo and dog Cooper. Visit Jay's official website: www.JayKubassek.com - Visit Jay Kubassek's Website |
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