Take Your Foot From Your Mouth And Spread Word Of Mouth!
There is one thing that every business needs and that is quality marketing. The right marketing strategy will take a business from the bottom to the very top, and it will keep it there for a long time. Well, that is as long as a company chooses the perfect medium for their needs. Marketing can be complex, and there are various platforms at a firm’s disposal to make the process harder. There is a way to make it easier, however: word of mouth of advertising. Word of mouth advertising is one of the oldest methods of marketing, but it still has plenty to offer. Because it can circulate through a huge audience, plus it is inexpensive, it can be a huge hit as long as it is used correctly. After all, it isn’t as simple as saying ‘let’s spread the word! as there are intricacies businesses need to know. Luckily for businesses, they can find it by reading the following.
Provide A Quality Service
Customers are picky and only wax lyrical about the things they love. If a business isn’t on the list, they won’t mention a name even if someone put a gun to their head. Instead, they will think the service was okay but it could have been better, and they move onto a different store. Consumers are fickle like that! Because consumers are fickle, it is important businesses give them what they want or need. If they get it, they will more than likely tell their friends and family. And if they receive the same service they will spread the word, too. It is a simple cycle that is so effective when it gains momentum, yet a company must have a quality service or product to gain momentum in the first place. Every business tries to provide a quality product or service, so it is a bit facetious to say ‘make it better, now!' Instead, it is better to concentrate on tweaking and changing them to add more value.
Be Friendly
Every firm on the planet should know how much consumers value kindness. It is amazing how much it affects their opinion when someone who represents the company says hello and asks them if they need any help. A simple greeting with a follow-up question couldn’t be easier. Most businesses do use English speaking staff, after all. However, it shouldn’t come as a surprise because the method is pretty scientific. People respond to kindness, especially in this country, because of the way society values it as a virtue. Every parent tells their kids they have to be polite because that is what a good person does. Whether it is right or wrong, the culture dictates it to be true, so consumers respond to it more positively. In fact, they expect it as the very minimum requirement so rudeness won’t get a company far.
Invest In Customer Service
Customer service ties in nicely here (see how that worked?) because it is the representatives that make contact with the customers. If the initial contact is bad, there is little chance of a client making a recommendation because they won’t get anything from the service. Why would anyone say positive things about a company that didn’t help? Www.inc.com shows they wouldn’t, which is why a business must try and fix any issues that occur. It is the oldest problem in the book and one that will cause a lot of nightmares, yet it isn’t impossible to troubleshoot. The trick is always to stay calm and collected. When a representative loses their cool, they give the consumer an excuse to get angry even if it is the consumer that is wrong. Also, a company should never take too long to find a solution as there is nothing more infuriating than waiting for an answer. Finally, try and go the extra mile whenever possible. Good customer service is standard in the industry, but excellent customer service is rare. And a firm that is willing to try anything to help their customers has a great service.
Get In Their Personal Space
Getting in their personal space doesn’t mean a business should surround a customer and make them feel uncomfortable. That isn’t a good tactic for a lot of, obvious, reasons. What it does mean is a business needs to take up advertising space in the consumer’s mind. When a business thinks about it clearly, they will conclude that they have to make the customer aware they exist. How is a person going to make a recommendation if they don’t know a company exists? They aren’t – it is that simple. Thankfully, it isn’t too difficult to get in their space and them aware. For example, a trade show booth from http://www.steelheadproductions.com is an excellent way to set up on the street and spread the word manually. Seriously, all it takes is a few visual effects to grab their attention and peak their curiosity. Once you have their curiosity, you have a lead and, leads soon turn into a conversion and a recommendation. Quite simply, it is the theory of six degrees of separation at work.
Maximise Social Media Presence
Renting a trade show booth and hitting the streets isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. In fact, the thought of providing people with information they don’t care about is pretty terrible. It is even more terrible when the realisation hits that social media can do the same job without anyone having to set up a booth. Even better, social media hits the right audience because businesses only have followers who are interested in what they offer. The latter is the reason why Twitter.com and Instagram.com are so important. Everyone a business needs to talk to is available at the click of a button, and they are available to talk, too. The result is a firm can provide them with information, deal with their queries promptly, and form a bond. The relationship a business and a customer form is of vital importance because it develops loyalty. That commitment means a customer is more likely to recommend the business they have an allegiance to than any other business. Should anyone want another reason to invest in social media, try this on for size, it is free. There is no need to invest because anyone can sign up for free.
Do A Good Deed
Businesses are always investing in the local community, and it isn’t because they care. Well, they do care, but only about showcasing their brand. The thing to remember is that local audiences are more emotionally invested in their area, especially in the small towns. Big towns and cities don’t have the same investment because they are used to the publicity. As a result, the small places respond to a business that gets involved in the community. It makes them feel wanted and as if they are part of the bigger picture. It might be something as simple as hosting an event, but that event will get tongues wagging. ‘Did you see who hosted?’ ‘Isn’t it good of them?’ With only a small amount of money and effort, a business can change popular opinion in their favour. No good deed goes unpunished, and it is especially true in marketing and advertising.
Show Off Positive Feedback
Customers are like most human beings in the sense they need validation for their opinions. So, even though they love a service or product, they want other people to love it too. That way, they have a form backup in their peers. It is a little illogical, but it is the way the human brain works in a lot of circumstances. Whether it is logical or not, it is easy to manoeuvre in a business’s favour. All a business has to do is provide customers with validation which is as simple as putting up reviews on a website. A customer visits the site, sees the reviews, and acknowledges that other people feel the same way. The validation gives them the permission they need to start spreading the word because they are less likely to be wrong. Let’s face it; no one wants to be wrong.
Easy To Find Contact Details
The simple fact is a customer won’t recommend anyone if it is going to be hard work. Even if they like the service, they won’t go out of their way. After all, they get nothing from it because they have already made their purchase. If there is no resistance, however, they won’t mind passing the details on. People are lazy, and it is important to remember that laziness will affect their actions. The moral any business should take from this is to make it as easy as possible. At the end of the day, there is no excuse because a firm can publish their contact details on their site.
Word of mouth advertising isn’t dead. In fact, it is still alive and kicking thanks to these tips.
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