The internet has taken over and more so social media. Most if not all businesses can be found on social media and every year we spend millions of dollars to ensure we are positioned in front our ideal clients so we get recurring sales and repeat customers. We study our analytics. We stress over the amount of likes and work at build our engagement. We experiment with different strategies and are always ready to jump on the next big craze which our clients love. It is a continuous cycle of work, testing and retesting until we find a formula that works and then we retest some more.
And for the even more adventurous, we do radio and tv ads. Try to infuse a sense of humor in it and tackle for the best space in the best of the best magazines and publications. We do great big ads to be shown on billboards to blind drivers as they whizz past our messages. And of course we do a ton of videos which we know will undoubtedly increase our visibility with the clients that we love.
Yet when I speak to at least 95% of my entrepreneurs and ask them how did their clients find them, the first thing they say is through word of mouth! Yet in all our marketing strategies we fail to focus on this important piece of information.
Word of mouth is still so powerful!
The clients who you have already served are your best piece of advertising and many entrepreneurs fail to realise that. The service you provide and the way you make your customers feel is just as important as that billboard or the next video that you do live. Because every time they have a great experience with you, they will tell somebody else and the cycle of references and testimonials will continue to flood in until you are totally booked out. This goes beyond merely having great customer service with the usual thanks you’s, please and on time delivery of service. It also relates to how well you know and understand your clients and can anticipate their needs before they even voice it. It comes from really taking time to treat each of your customers as if they were your best customer no matter how much money they are spending with you.
In devising your marketing plan and developing your strategies, always ask yourself these questions:
- What do I want my customers to feel when they interact with me
- What do I want them to say about me
These questions will help guide your own interaction with them. Their word of mouth is the best way for you to continue to get repeat clients and build a sustainable business.
Word of mouth can make or break your business! If a client gets bad service they are not afraid to hop on social media to share the bad reviews. Take a look at many of the top brands in our midst and you will see how many complaints they receive. The question then is, how do they and how should you counter these complaints because that is what they will remember and that is what they would share with their friends and family to describe doing business with you.
Word of mouth is not only about what your clients say about you but also marries into what you say about your business. What you say about your staff, about your clients, about your products etc also plays into how word of mouth helps to grow your business because somebody is always listening to you and many persons make decisions about your business based on what you share about your experience running a business.
For more awesome tips about how to grow your business using word of mouth, social and traditional media, be sure to join my fast growing facebook group- Dynamic Business Strategist, where all the magic happens!
