Word-of-mouth marketing is the perfect technique for small business owners and service providers everywhere. It's inexpensive, it's scalable, and it's uniquely powerful. However, while generating great referrals doesn't take loads of money, it does take some creativity, and a desire to push the envelope. Want to start getting more referrals right away? Here are some leads to help you brainstorm your approach.
- Never give customers or clients just one business card. Give them at least two, maybe three. That way they'll have one to hold onto, and a couple to pass on to a friend. Why set built-in limits on your clients' abilities to pass on your information?
- Send out special email discounts or special offers to existing customers, with a postscript encouraging them to pass the email on to a friend. By creating newsworthiness and urgency in the form of an exclusive offer, you give your existing customer a much better reason to tell their friends about you. And by giving them the message, and suggesting that they hit the forward button, you make it easy for them to do so.
- Add something special to your communication and interaction with your customers or clients. This is easy to say, but hard to do. How can you truly stand out from the crowd, add a big extra to your services or products, and impress your client in a unique enough way that they're willing to talk about it? It's not enough to just do a good job. You've got to really do something different.
- Be the expert. If you can offer a unique and worthwhile library of information in your store, on your website, or available as a special packet sent directly from your offices you will constantly generate word-of-mouth referrals as potential customers and clients pass on your information.
- One of the best way to get referrals is to ask for them. If you sell services, make a list of your best and most loyal clients. Then write them a polite letter asking for referrals. You can even include a handful of pre-written envelopes or letters to make it easy for them to refer you. If you sell products, insert a flyer or handout into each bag or box. Remind your customers why your products or company are the best. If you've done your job, it should be an easy sell at this point! Then ask them to pass the word along to their friends. Even better, make the flyer into a tear sheet, with coupons on the bottom half.
Of course, the most important part of generating word-of-mouth referrals is simply doing a great job. Remember that unhappy customers talk a lot more than happy ones, and merely satisfied customers won't talk at all. Make sure that you deliver an experience that is truly a pleasant surprise to your customers and clients. Combine a superior product or service, with a creative and energetic word-of-mouth marketing campaign, and you're on your way to success. |
