Getting The Word Out About Your Business
Getting The Word Out About Your Business
Long overlooked in favor of other forms of marketing, word of mouth is back in a big way, and is a sure way to kick your sales into high gear if you do it effectively.
Word of mouth has always been a source of business—in fact, at one time, it was the only way that people found out about a product or service. Long overlooked in favor of other forms of marketing, word of mouth is back in a big way, and is a sure way to kick your sales into high gear if you do it effectively.
Virtually every business owner understands the role that word of mouth plays in their growth. Very few, however, think of it as something to proactively manage to capture sales. Some people think of it in only in terms of customer service: Customers who are happy will pass your name along to others because they’re just so darn happy.
Think about it, though. Do your happy clients talk spontaneously about your company to their networks? Not likely. It’s the unhappy customers who most often do the talking. In terms of customer service, the kind of word of mouth we are most concerned about is the negative kind, not the business-building kind.
Another off-base idea that business owners have about word of mouth is that it is a natural force, something that has a bearing on the business but over which they have little control. Here are some proactive ways to increase word of mouth about your company, products and services:
