We can’t stress this enough – word of mouth marketing matters! Even in the age of digital marketing, 74% of consumers state that hearing about companies from someone else is the key indicator in whether they buy. As if that weren’t impressive enough, an astounding 92% of consumers trust the opinions of friends and family over generalized ads.
Perhaps this shouldn’t be altogether surprising, but countless companies still neglect these word of mouth benefits. The stats even suggest that only 33% of companies actively seek what’s know as amplified word of mouth. While organic word of mouth is, as the name suggests, easier to come by, even this can be difficult to achieve if you don’t turn your attention to the cause.
Given that you’re reading this article, it seems safe to say that customers aren’t talking about your business as much as you’d like. You wouldn’t be alone, but you do need to address the issue to enjoy profits that last. The good news is that customers typically fail to talk about a business for a few key reasons. To help you overcome them, we’re going to look at what they are, and what you can do about them,
#1: You’re Failing to Impress
Failing to impress your customers is simply never going to lead to word of mouth recommendations. Remember that, whenever a consumer shops with you, you’re going up against every business they’ve purchased from. If your service is lackluster or uninspiring, there’s no chance you’ll beat the others to be the company that person recommends.
Lucky for you, the solution is simple, and it can help your business efforts no end. All you need to do is think about how you can give yourself an edge that’s sure to impress and get those tongues wagging. Simple things, like improving customer satisfaction and going above and beyond with service, can both help. Equally, making sure you have an edge on your competitors is vital. It could be that you achieve this with in-store refreshments or free samples. Or, you could focus on shop designs that stand out. Either way, you need something that’s guaranteed to impress if you’re going to enjoy word of mouth anytime soon.
#2: Your Brand Lacks Personality
‘Brand personality’ wasn’t much of a priority as little as twenty years ago, but oh, how things have changed. Now, we’re reluctant to recommend companies we don’t feel personal connections with. Why should we? Competition is fiercer than ever, and a company that makes an effort to shine is always going to stand the best chance at getting us talking.
By brand personality, we largely mean those little personal touches that take you from another faceless company to a name consumers are happy to spread among their friends. Social media is, of course, the leading contender here. By actively posting updates and replying to comments with a consistent character, you can create those all-important connections. Equally, allowing your employees to express themselves in offering personal shopping assistance, etc. can be a huge help. Stop thinking so much about a ‘professional’ image, and think about the personality behind your brand instead. If you’re stuck for ideas here, consider your primary audience. Would they better appreciate cool employees in laid-back dress or professional assistance from well-dressed individuals? As soon as you work that out, focus on projecting personality that finally guarantees your customers talk about you.
#3: You Haven’t Considered Incentive
In an ideal world, word of mouth would happen without any active incentive necessary. This is what we call organic word of mouth. Sadly, though, it doesn’t always pay to rely on this. Remember, you’re a little company fish in a big business sea. As such, you may find it beneficial to focus on the amplified word of mouth we touched on above. As the name suggests, this is WOM that you’ve actively encouraged or incentivized, and it can prove invaluable.
Of course, incentives vary a great deal from company to company, and you may again want to consider your customers before making set decisions here. Still, a common incentive option would be money off when consumers refer friends. Or, you may want to provide promotional items from a supplier like Dynamic Gift after every referral. Products like these are especially beneficial as they become marketing tools of their own when customers use them, which is often as good as word of mouth itself. You may even just want to provide loyalty programs with customer benefits to those who spread the word/share posts on social media etc.
While these techniques vary, the one thing they have in common is incentive. It simply isn’t enough to assume that customers will shout from the rooftops about your brand, especially if they aren’t doing so right now. Instead, you may need to give them a push in the right direction before those benefits come your way.
#4: You Aren’t Asking for Referrals
Along the same vein, your mistake might also be to not ask for referrals upfront. The time for being shy is over, and your company depends on your ability to put yourself out there. Sometimes, asking for people to share your stuff or tell their friends is a big part of that. Of course, you want to strike a balance to avoid annoying the customers you already have here, but approaching this in the right way can work wonders.
Asking for referrals is sometimes as simple as calling for your social media followers to share your post (or providing an incentive for them to do so). Equally, something as fundamental as requesting feedback on your website after purchase could do the trick. Even if you think these techniques won’t work, you’d be amazed by how much more receptive your customers could become to recommendations once they know you desire them. Pair upfront asking with an incentive and the other points mentioned, and you can bet word of mouth will be within your reach at last.
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