Word-of-Mouth Marketing

When was the last time you raved about a good movie to a friend? You might not have realised it at the time, but you were providing the best possible advertising for the movie makers…word-of-mouth advertising.

If you endorse the movie, chances are they will go and see it. Your genuineness will be far more credible than the Hollywood hype. Fear melts away, and any uncertainty or doubt surrounding the decision disappears as the movie is presented truthfully.

Further to this point, you must have a good product or service for word-of-mouth to work in a positive way. If the movie isn’t liked, the negative word will spread even faster. For every person willing to spread the positive word there are eleven who will spread the negative.

So word-of-mouth marketing might be described as ‘giving people a reason to talk about your products and services, and making it easer for that conversation to take place.’

To get started, list the objectives you want your word-of-mouth advertising to accomplish. You might say, "I want everyone talking positively about my business." That's great, but it's too vague.

Marketing goals and objectives must always be specific. They should have time limits and detailed methods for accomplishment. For example, "I want to cut our returns by 50% in the first quarter to improve customer perception of our products and customer service." "I will accomplish this goal by having each employee go over every purchase in detail with the customer, before the product leaves the store." "I will follow-up with every customer within seven days of purchase." "Each month I will record and analyse the reasons for returns." If I do these things, two things should happen. First, my return rate should go down. Second, the number of satisfied customers should go up.

What's the best way to handle customer complaints? Welcome them. Make it as easy as possible for customers to complain to you. Follow-up with satisfaction cards or phone calls. Stop customer problems before they get out of hand.

When it comes to customer service, you are competing against every other type of business. Customer service is a "feeling" the customer experiences, not a thing they can see, touch or smell. They know it when they feel it. Customers respond to confidence, fear, a genuine smile, gestures, voice inflection, body language, eye contact, and or course, attitude.

If you expect customers to spread the word about your business, everything that happens to them in your business must be a positive experience. The products, the service, the personnel and the follow-up must all be first rate.

How does your word-of-mouth stack up?

(Please note any opinions expressed are my own and not that of my company or employer)