Speaking about business, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools you have as an entrepreneur. People talk about you and what you do, so make sure to give them reasons to share your knowledge and expertise by giving them quality content to read and listen to.
People will tell others things they like or dislike about you, and they’ll speak openly about how well or poorly you manage your company. Their comments can either add credibility to your message or discredit yours!
It’s important to understand that people don’t always say nice things about businessmen and -women, especially in times when marketing isn’t working and their companies are going down. However, if someone does praise you, it will spread like wildfire and earn you some loyal followers.
Word-of-mouth marketing: They tell their friends
As mentioned earlier, people trust others more than products or services. People will often choose to spend money on someone else’s recommendation instead of buying something themselves because they think you know what you are talking about!
By creating an environment where your colleagues, superiors, and family members refer to you as knowledgeable and trustworthy, you increase your reputation and perception of being an expert in your field.
This is especially true if you handle your job with precision and efficiency – like giving high-quality customer service or running an efficient business.
Your peers and employers perceive you as someone who knows what he/she is doing so they feel comfortable working with you.
Word-of-mouth marketing: They tweet and post on social media
People talk about you, so why would they do that if it wasn’t for someone thinking highly of you? Plus, most people don’t say bad things about others, so chances are there are a lot of conversations happening around your business with all kinds of positive comments.
A survey conducted by TopTenReviews found that 94 percent of respondents said that reading reviews helps them to form an opinion of a product or service. And 95 percent agreed that online reviews help make decisions when buying products or services.1
So what can you do to capture the attention of potential customers who may be talking about your company right now? Here are six tips to get some word-of-mouth marketing for your business.
Give away something free – A great way to gain exposure is to offer a free item to one or more of the major social media sites. This could be a piece of merchandise such as an article shirt or book, a service like editing work, or even a coupon for a shopping trip somewhere.
Some examples of this include offering a free ebook, a sample box of snacks, or a discount at a local restaurant. By giving these things out through the community, your audience will spread the word for you!
Run a contest – Creating buzz doesn’t have to cost money. Running a contest is a perfect way to generate interest in your business and its offerings.
They review products and services on sites like Yelp
People use these websites to read reviews and assess whether or not to make a purchase. By having great reviews, you create an impression that people will believe in your product and support what you sell.
A recent study found that 94% of online shopping decisions are made by something someone said about a product or company. So, how do you get those positive comments?
By being active on social media, talking about your business, offering freebies, and creating fun conversations – word of mouth is a powerful way to promote your business.
It’s also a lot less expensive than advertising! And it works because we’re all human, and we love a good deal.
So, start building relationships with other businesses and individuals and see the power of word-of-mouth marketing.
Word-of-mouth marketing: They talk to the staff at the local grocery store
When you are trying to find new customers, word-of-mouth is one of the most powerful tools you have in marketing. This includes things like talking about your business, going out of your way to being friendly, and creating positive reviews and comments about what you offer.
The people that work at the local grocery stores are exposed to many different brands and companies. If they notice something about your company that makes it unique or better than others, they will tell their friends about it.
By having more people know about how great you are, these professionals can help grow your business.
It’s important to remember that credit doesn’t belong to you alone, it belongs to those who helped promote your product or service. Make sure to give them all due respect by responding to their comments and encouraging them to do the same for you.
They ask their friends about the products they are interested in
Recent studies show that around 70 percent of all buying decisions are made by people with little to no influence from advertising. Research has shown that it is more likely to buy a product after talking about it than before!
This effect, known as word-of-mouth marketing or recommendations, can have massive impacts on your business.
It can boost sales dramatically – especially if you’re trying to find new customers! And though it may feel like a cliche, making things accessible and encouraging conversations will increase awareness and use of your products and services.
But how do you get those conversations going? By creating an environment where people talk about you and your company, naturally.
By acting and communicating professionally, offering quality service, and supporting communities and charities, you’ll create a positive buzz about yourself. People will be willing to share their experiences because they see value in you.
Word-of-mouth marketing: They read reviews to find new products and services
As mentioned before, word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most powerful tools in the business. People will talk about you or your product/service and how good they are!
By listening to what people have to say, you learn a lot about your company and yourself as an individual.
You also get some great tips that other people may not be willing to share with you. By adding the appropriate comments and replies to messages and conversations, you can gain a ton of knowledge.
And while it sounds weird, creating a buzz around your company can boost its exposure and sales dramatically.
But only if you do it right! Here are some things you should consider when asking others to spread the word about you or your service.
1) Don’t overdo it
Overdoing word-of-mouth marketing can backfire and hurt your reputation instead of helping it.
People who interact with your company will want to see more proof that it works before recommending it to their friends and family. If all they ever hear is praise, then they might feel like they’re being lied to or tricked into spending money.
It could even make them avoid doing business with your company due to bad experiences.
On the opposite end of the spectrum, no one will take your recommendations seriously if there are too many ads and promotions going on. This looks unprofessional and can easily turn off potential customers.
They read descriptions to choose a restaurant or movie
People talk about things they experience or experiences that feel good. If you want your business to succeed, you need to give people reasons to share with you and talk about you.
That is why word-of-mouth marketing is so powerful- it is one of the most effective ways to market your company.
As we all know, talking about things helps us form opinions. When someone else talks about something, we are likely to look into it more than if we knew no one who had done so before.
If you want to see how much power word-of-mouth has, try reading some reviews online or chatting with friends at the mall or outside of work.
People who have used a product will tell you all sorts of information about it, from whether it was worth the money to any problems that may have caused them to lose trust in the product.
Word-of-mouth also has an effect beyond just buying a product or going to a place. It can influence which brands you buy and do business with, or even whether you go to a specific location or not.
It is important to use tools like YouTube to learn what makes a successful business and what doesn’t. By watching these videos, you will get a sense of whether what they are advertising sounds credible or practical.
By having conversations about products and businesses, we create an environment where others are inspired to do the same.
They choose their friends’ friends
A lot of business happens through word-of-mouth. People tell each other about products and services they use and trust. As others have done so, they spread your name and influence to more people.
This is why social media sites like Facebook and Twitter are such powerful tools – you get exposure by adding members and sharing information with them.
By giving away free content or advertising for a product or service, you’re creating an opportunity for it to be shared and noticed.
People will talk about what you’ve got going on, and eventually, someone else will do business with you.