Word of Mouth in the Digital Era

It is often said that the best form of advertising is “word of mouth” – and it’s true! Consumers trust their peers for brand recommendations and feedback. And the only real cost of word of mouth advertising is providing a great product/service, and a stellar customer experience.

Generating word of mouth is not without effort. Remember, if a customer has a good experience, they may tell a friend, but if they have a bad experience, they will tell everyone. Getting the good message out there takes some work on the business owner’s end, but is well worth it for your brand.

Be sure your brand’s story is being told. From the business owner to the mailroom employee, everyone in your company should know your story. It should be on your website, demonstrated in your social media posts, and deliverable to your customers.

Find out if your customers know and understand your brand. Simply because they have made a purchase does not mean they are loyal to your brand. Ask clients to complete a brief survey about your brand, and be sure to ask what they like and do not like about doing business with you. Once you find out the areas for improvement, make sure to take the steps to make your business better. Your clients will notice!

While you’re at it, present that same survey to your employees. They should be your biggest cheerleaders, and if they are not, then this is a great opportunity to find out why. Fix the issues that prevent them from recommending you to their network.

Paul Jankowski, author of “Four Tactics to Build Your Word of Mouth” advises businesses to, ” Make sure you are speaking to leaders and influences in your space. These can be journalists, public figures, bloggers, or even trendsetting fans.” He recommends making a list of influencers in your network that relate to your target audience and engage with them to make sure they understand your brand.

Leverage social media to personally engage with your audience. This is the platform consumers use most to gather information, reviews, and brand recommendations. Outside of having a presence on social media, it is here where you can speak directly to your potential clients. Keep the communication informative and honest; avoid attempting to make a sale and focus on building a relationship.

Writing news articles, blogs and white papers, and speaking at industry functions and other networking events are a great opportunity for you to position yourself as an industry expert. What better way to gain a word of mouth referral than to be seen as the go-to person in your field?

Ready to build your word of mouth? Start by making sure your brand’s story is told – consistently – in every place possible. Next, survey your clients and employees. Build your list of influencers and engage with them. Get active on social media and spark personal conversations with your target audience. Book yourself for some speaking gigs and put your writer’s hat on. The effort you put into building word of mouth for your business is an investment you can’t afford not to make!