Don't Forget About Word of Mouth

by Kori Rodley Irons | More from this Blogger

04 Jun 2007 06:00 PM

I happened to be part of a conversation planning a little party for a colleague. Someone mentioned that we should get a cake from a very popular and specific local bakery. I suddenly remembered that I had been there only a couple days before and had the most fabulous, fresh peach mango champagne cake. I gave an instant testimonial and we were on the phone ordering the cake for our little celebration. Word-of-mouth marketing at work!

Known in some circles as "Buzz" (this is a more recent term), word-of-mouth marketing has been a staple of small businesses for centuries! There are many fields and businesses where word-of-mouth marketing is really still the most reliable and effective means of getting new business. Even if you have a very solid and elaborate paid advertising and marketing plan, make sure to include some energy and effort into generating some positive talk and word of mouth.

How can you do this? It all starts with giving exemplary service and establishing a solid connection with your customers or clients. Once you do this, you can feel fairly confident that whatever people do say about your business, it will be positive. Some businesses create special events or promotion projects that encourage clients to "tell" or "bring" a friend. 2 for 1 coupons and offers are another way that you can generate word of mouth in certain markets.

Press releases and making use of more conventional marketing-especially if it is in the form of interviews, feature stories, or articles also have a direct correlation to word-of-mouth marketing. If you can get some good press coverage and story placement, people will start talking about what your business is up to. This can be traditional print, television, or radio-or you can really get some wildfire buzz going on the World Wide Web. Just remember keep a little bit of focus on word-of-mouth marketing as you work to grow your business.

See Also: What if a Customer or Client Wants References?

Do You Have a Marketing Plan?

Learn more about Kori Rodley Irons

Bio has been removed by administrator

View Full Profile | More from this Blogger