Word of Mouth Marketing – Give ’em Something to Talk About

In my last appearance at this blog, I talked about getting started with word of mouth marketing and the importance of setting goals, identifying key prospects to deliver your word of mouth marketing message, and how to ask these key people to be part of your program. Now that those people are in place and ready to start talking about your small business, what comes next?

First, as Bonnie Raitt sang to us, you need to give them something to talk about. Sure, it would be great if they talked about every great experience they had with your small business. However, some people just feel more comfortable having some specific information to share with others. So let your advocates know what types of things you would like them to share…information about new products, about promotions, about in-store events. You can do this in person, but it is probably easier to send out an email newsletter. You can even ask them to forward the email to their friends…what could be easier to get some word of mouth marketing started.

Next, think about ways to keep your advocates talking about your store. Everyone loves a little thank you gift, a treat, an incentive, which recognizes that they are an important part of your small business community. You could have a ‘bring a friend’ promotion…if your advocates bring someone to the store; both parties get a discount on a purchase.

You could also give your advocates business cards to pass out, with room for both the advocate’s name and the new customer’s name.  When new customers bring in the cards, you can collect them (say, to start a loyalty program with that new customer, or enter that new customer into a drawing or add them to your mailing list), and you’ll have a record of which advocate generated the new customers. When you get a few cards from a single advocate, give them a nice gift or a discount.

Hesitant about discounting?  Often, a simple thank you is enough. One option is to create a bulletin board with the ‘customer of the week’ on it…with the customer being your word of mouth marketing advocate. Or, write a personal thank you note to the customer who brought in other customers.

The final step is probably the hardest one…keep the word of mouth going. You need to put some effort into monitoring your word of mouth marketing, thanking your advocates, and providing them more information to talk about. You also need to be on the alert for new advocates for your store…include your salespeople in this activity to help you identify key advocates for your business.  Keep an eye on the goals you’ve set up for your word of mouth marketing plan, and make adjustments as necessary.

As you’ve probably figured out right now, the investment in a word of mouth marketing campaign isn’t primarily with money, it is with your time. A bit of your time designated to creating advocates can bring big rewards to your store. Good luck with getting started with word of mouth marketing!

– Kim