Word of mouth marketing is a potent tool that for growing your business. When customers share their experiences with others through social media or personal interactions this results in increased brand awareness as well as increased sales. In this article we explore the benefits of word of mouth advertising and discuss strategies for encouraging referrals.

The Basics of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing has always been important. However, with the advent of social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and Instagram, its influence on consumer behavior has grown exponentially.

Customers can share their thoughts about products or services, easily and in real time, with their networks. This is an incredibly effective way of promoting goods and services because consumers are more likely to believe what they hear from someone they know and trust.

The Advantages of Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Word of mouth marketing is a cost effective way for businesses to reach out to potential customers. There is no upfront cost, unlike other advertising methods. It is driven by satisfied clients sharing their experiences with others within their network.

It has several advantages over other forms of advertisement:

  • It comes across as authentic and trustworthy compared to paid advertising that may exaggerate claims about products/services:
  • When someone shares positive feedback about you, their recommendation can spread quickly leading to more sales.

Prioritizing good customer service is something we should always do anyway. Leveraging it to encourage positive word-of-mouth makes sense – it helps your business grow at virtually no cost!

Get More Word-of-Mouth Referrals – Here’s How

To harness the power of word-of-mouth marketing, we need to understand how to encourage referrals from our customers. Here are some tips:

  1. Ensure your customers are singing your praises time and again by providing exceptional service. They feel valued and appreciated and you build brand loyalty.
  2. Encourage them to refer new clients. You can offer incentives like special discounts or free products or services. However, acknowledging and appreciating referrals promptly and directly is a sure fire way to get more of them – we all like to feel that we can make a difference and we love to know our efforts are noticed.
  3. Post relevant and valuable content on your website, blog and social media channels. Make it easy to share and encourage your visitors and customers to send it on to people it will help.
  4. Ask your customers to leave reviews on relevant sites where other prospective customers are likely to see them. Customer reviews can have a significant impact on driving traffic so make it a point to ask. Just as important is responding, especially to poor reviews. People will be more influenced by how you respond than by the original complaint.

Conclusion

Word of mouth marketing is crucial in any business. You can maximize its impact by:

  • providing exceptional customer service;
  • offering recognition and rewards for customers who refer others;
  • creating shareable content that resonates with audiences; and
  • leveraging user reviews.

But above all else, just ASK!