Tweet

Word of Mouth

Written by: Phillip Ross

Article Overview: The Psychology of Problem Centered Marketing For most businesses word of mouth is still the best advertising money can't buy. But it can be nurtured.

Word of Mouth

The Psychology of Problem Centered Marketing

For most businesses word of mouth is still the best advertising money can't buy. But it can be nurtured.

Your marketing materials may highlight the benefits, features and solutions your business or organization offers and still miss the proverbial boat. Why?

People naturally talk about their problems and the solutions they find. That's word of mouth advertising.

Determining your marketing target is the most difficult and most rewarding thing that a business or organization can do. The million-dollar question is, "Who will buy your products and/or services?" Figure that out and your business will soar.

This is particularly difficult for new businesses who don't have sufficient sales history to examine for answers. But if the truth be told, many businesses and organizations simply do not have sufficient data about their existing customers to make a definitive definition, either.

So how will you determine who will be interested in your products and/or services?

Answer: Quit trying to push your customers into a sale. Pull them in with a correct diagnosis of their problem. Put your finger on the sore spot. Don't avoid the problem. Talk about it. Invoke suspense and intrigue. Don't bore people with your solutions. Bring up their problem and the people with the problem you bring up will give you their undivided attention.

Elements

Problem—People spend money to solve problems. People ignore features, benefits and solutions that don't relate to their problems. Help make this essential connection by describing the problem you solve.
Solution—People are not interested in your solutions or the benefits or features of your products or services. Rather, they simply want to solve their problems.
Target Audience—Take your attention off yourself, your company, your organization, your products and your services. And present your ideal customer's perspective.
Questions—People naturally have questions. Don't think of them as objections. People just want to know about this or that, or how it works or applies, etc. So, answer their questions for them. Don't make them ask.
Case Study—People go where people have gone before. Present a simple case study of someone who has had a problem like the one you described, and how they solved it with your products and/or services.
Risk Reversal—People crave safety. Make doing business with you safe by providing a guarantee of some kind.
USP Your Unique Selling Proposition—Why should anyone buy from you, rather than from someone else? If you don't tell them, they won't know.

Related Articles
  The Power of Word of Mouth
  Talking Behind Your Back is Good
  Word-of-Mouth: The World's Best-Known Marketing Secret
  Engage Your Staff in The Word of Mouth Process
  Viral Marketing vs PR

Article Tags:



Related Forum Posts
Measuring Word of mouth - [quote="jvprosperity":2l2ujat4]I couldn't find the Part 1 Doctrine on the site but I believe from reading the blog posts it had to do with the distractions entrepreneurs and their customers face daily. He may have also talked about Word of Mouth and the true way of measuring it.[/quote:2l2ujat4] Hi Andy, So how can one measure "Word of Mouth" marketing then?
Re: What's Up With Word Clouds? - I would like to see Word Clouds used in conjunction with a Survey. I've been experimenting with Word Clouds within Google Docs forms using the advanced Word Cloud Widget.
Word of Mouth - Word of Mouth marketing by its very nature takes time. You need to develop relationships before people will refer you. Why not boost it a little by making a few partnerships? You could partner with a gym or put on seminars. Think who else targets the same people and how you can work with them and help them. You can also write articles and become and expert in your field - put them online, write a column for a community paper on health, etc. Even a door to door flyer drop with a simple one pager can help drive some clients. Good luck!
Re: Free Word-Count Tool - Hi David, Thanks for the link. I will only use it anyway if I am not using Microsoft Word
Question for Shri - Shri, If you don't mind me asking, w hat software do you use to create your Ebooks? Do you use quark Xpress, or just convert a word processing file like Word into an ebook?


Share this article with your friends. Fund someone's dream.

Leave a comment below or share on the left and you'll help support entrepreneurs in Africa through our partnership with Kiva. Over $50,000 raised and counting - Please keep sharing! Learn more.

Tweet

Newsletter

Get advice & tips from famous business
owners, new articles by entrepreneur
experts, my latest website updates, &
special sneak peaks at what's to come!

Name:
Email:

Popular Articles

When Living the Dream isn't enough!

Executives and Elevators Perfecting That Pitch

SEO Link Popularity and the Home Business Website

Suggestions

Email us your ideas on how to make our
website more valuable! Thank you Sharon
from Toronto Salsa Lessons / Classes for
your suggestions to make the newsletter
look like the website and profile younger
entrepreneurs like Jennifer Lopez.