Word of mouth marketing is when a customer shares a positive experience with your brand with their friends, family, or social media followers. It’s one of the most powerful and cost-effective ways to promote your small business, as it can generate trust, loyalty, and referrals.
But how do you get your customers to talk about you? Here are some strategies that can help you boost your word of mouth marketing:
- Create something buzzworthy. You need to offer something that stands out from the crowd and makes people want to share it. It could be a unique product, a catchy slogan, a viral video, or a social cause. For example, TOMS Shoes donates a pair of shoes to a child in need for every pair sold.
- Provide quality service and experiences. You need to make sure that every interaction with your customers is positive and memorable. You can do this by being friendly, helpful, responsive, and professional . You can also surprise and delight your customers with extra perks, discounts, or thank-you notes.
- Amplify brand advocates. You need to identify and reward your most loyal and satisfied customers who are willing to spread the word about you. You can do this by creating a referral program, a loyalty program, or an ambassador program that offers incentives for referrals, reviews, or testimonials.
- Encourage user-generated content. You need to invite and showcase the content that your customers create about your brand on social media or other platforms. You can do this by creating hashtags, contests, or challenges that encourage your customers to share their stories, photos, or videos with your brand.
- Leverage influencers. You need to partner with influential people who have a large and engaged following that matches your target audience. You can do this by offering free products, discount codes, or commissions in exchange for honest reviews, mentions, or recommendations of your brand.
Word of mouth marketing is not something you can control; it’s something you can influence. By following these strategies, you can create more opportunities for your customers to talk about you and grow your small business organically.