As mentioned before, marketing is an ever-changing field that requires you to be aware of what strategies work well and are effective for your business. Have you tried a word-of-mouth referral program?
One of the most important forms of marketing in our society today is word-of-mouth referral. People refer and talk about businesses they want others to know about!
As marketers, we should strive to make sure that our business has enough referrals so that people can spread the word about us and how good we are.
But it’s not just any old word-of-mouth referral, it needs to be positive!
Why would anyone tell their friends about your business if all they heard was that you’re expensive or bad at your job?
Hopefully, by now you’ve picked up on the fact that this article will discuss some fun ways to gain more referrals for your business.
How to Get a Word-of-Mouth Referral
Being able to access word-of-mouth referral is one of the most powerful tools you can use in your business career. People talk about you, and when they’re talking about you, it’s because they believe in you and what you offer.
Running an online store is a great way to get referrals. When someone else buys from you, that person spreads the word for you. They also may write an article or review about your product or service to share with other people.
A lot of people start their search for a new doctor by asking friends and family if they know anyone who has good luck with doctors. Or they might ask around at work regarding their favorite employees.
By creating a niche website, you will gain exposure to many potential clients.
1) Find out what the word-of-mouth referral likes about your company
Sometimes, even after doing business with you for a while, people will still refer talk about you to their friends. They may have enjoyed working with you before, or maybe they’ve heard great things from them. Either way, this is a valuable asset to promote for your business!
As mentioned earlier, talking about your strengths and encouraging others to use you are powerful marketing strategies. By asking how their experience was with your company, you can learn some tips and tricks that other people liked about yours.
These tips include ways to improve your service, information about products and services related to yours, and more. All of these add value to your business and help spread the word about it.
2) They are impressed with you
Many people will trust you more easily when they feel like they know you, that they can connect with you, and that you seem professional. When they feel comfortable around you, they will be willing to let go of tighter barriers in their social circle or work setting.
When someone feels trusted along with some basic information about you, they may refer you for a job. For example, “I heard so-and-so speak very highly of you at the such-and-such event” or “You must have done something right because my friend got hired after talking to you.”
These types of referrals are one of the most effective ways to gain new business since they do not cost anything extra (unless your budget has limits).
3) Connect with the referrals
The second way to gain exposure is by connecting with your potential clients or customers. Create an account on social media sites like Facebook, Twitter, and YouTube to share business updates and information.
Create content that people are likely to look at and read, be it a short article or a quick review. Yours should emphasize how you can help their company succeed and achieve their goals.
Interact with others – if someone comments about a product or service you offer, add something meaningful in response. You could also comment on theirs or ask questions to get more insights.
You may even start up a conversation! While talking about products and services isn’t necessarily a referral, having conversations that lead to referrals is.
Held accountable through trackers and software, many professionals now have access to proof of these conversations. Others may not, but you can always be honest with each other.
Running into another professional? Ask them who they use for marketing and what works for them.
Ask for a referral
Asking for referrals is one of the most powerful ways to gain business insights. More often than not, your colleagues or coworkers are willing to share their success stories and strategies for growing their businesses.
By asking about others’ business, you’re giving them the opportunity to tell you what they know and how they grew theirs. It’s an easy way to get helpful information that may otherwise be hard to come by!
Asking about someone else’s business can also provide you with more in-depth information. For example, you might ask why they hired so many people, what kind of results they got, and whether there were any problems they encountered.
It’s always good to listen intently and ask smart questions, but beyond those two things, don’t worry too much about what other people do. Instead, focus on what YOU could be doing to grow YOUR business.
Running your own business takes time and energy, which means you have to recognize that it will probably take some resources from others at times.
They may not be able to refer you yet
Sometimes, even though they might want to recommend your product or service, they are just not able to at this time. This is normal as companies come and go all the time, but it could also be because they just don’t know enough about your products or services.
Or maybe they have tried yours before and nothing ever happened for them, which is a good thing!
Whatever the reason, if there’s one day that there’s no conversation happening online about how great your company is then chances are someone else will notice and tell people about it.
That’s what happens in nature; look out the window and watch everything from birds to trees to flowers grow tall and strong due to exposure to sunlight. It’s the same way word of mouth grows businesses – except instead of plants growing, people do.
And while some may think that staying quiet is the better option, I can assure you that isn’t always the case.
Ask for word-of-mouth referrals often
As mentioned before, your business depends on others to succeed, so it makes sense that you should be asking people to do things for you. But how about in the off-season? How about when they’re not working for you?
Your time is their time, so why wouldn’t you ask them if they could help you with something during those times?
This is exactly what I did after my first year running my business. I was actively seeking ways to grow my online business at the time, but nothing clicked for me. So I would send out an email every few days or weeks asking if anyone knew of any tips or tricks to improve my site or business.
I never got a lot of responses- just a couple messages here and there – but they were all helpful! Someone always had a tip or trick they used for their website or business that worked for them. Sometimes it was personal style or marketing strategies, but everyone had someone or something they learned from along the way.
That’s what made this small group of people very valuable to me. They gave away parts of themselves to help me succeed and I tried to return the favor by educating and inspiring them. It’s a win-win situation!
By being aware of what areas people are struggling in and offering solutions in these spaces, you’ll stand out as more knowledgeable and worthy of trust. This will create opportunities to connect with people and promote your services or products via referral.
Cultivate your network with a word-of-mouth referral
As we mentioned before, being aware of what types of businesses are similar to yours is an excellent way to gain referrals. If you’re in the education field, then talking about how well others have done with their career or how you can help people achieve the same goal is a great conversation starter!
If you own a restaurant, talk about successful business strategies for other restaurants like How to Take Care of Your Business during times of recession. Or if you run a gym, tell stories about why this particular workout program works for you and what results in you got from using it.
By educating yourself on all areas of the market, you will know what conversations need to happen and who needs to be informed of these new ideas. People love to hear success stories and tips from those that do more than just purchase products, so continue to hone your networking skills!
Editorial writer job opportunities come and go, which is why it is important to always stay ahead of the game when looking to find employment. Creating content online helps build your portfolio and brand while seeking out writing positions is an easy way to get started.
Heck, even having a professional website can put you in the game! All of these things take some time upfront but will pay off in the long run. The best way to ensure that happens is by not overworking yourself.
Don’t stress too much about finding work immediately, instead focus on creating a strong platform that attracts employers.