Word-Of-Mouth: How To Leverage The Most Trusted Form Of Marketing
by Abdul Aziz Mondal Sales & Marketing Published on: 30 November 2022 Last Updated on: 13 January 2023
We can all talk about social media and other modern alternatives, but word-of-mouth is one form of marketing that has served the test of time (and always will).
It does exactly what it says on the tin; it relies on people referring your business following a positive experience.
At first glance, this feels purely organic – and there might be no way to enhance the pull of word-of-mouth marketing. However, as we’ll find out today, this doesn’t have to be the case, and you can leverage this tactic in more ways than one.
Give customers an incentive to refer you
The first thing you need to understand about word-of-mouth marketing is that customers are much more likely to refer you if you give them the incentive to do so.
This could be in the form of a discount, additional services, or anything else that would be of value to them.
Granted, you do need to be careful with some incentives. For example, in the case of online reviews, some platforms have strict policies that forbid companies from incentivising customers into leaving reviews.
For the most part, this is a tried-and-tested technique and one that can accelerate the number of customers that decide to refer you to their friends and family.
Keep delivering great experiences
Of course, word-of-mouth marketing is only effective if you deliver great customer experiences in the first place. In other words, this isn’t a green light to start skimping on quality in favor of quantity.
Your customers need to have a reason to refer you, and the best way to give them this reason is to ensure that their experience with your brand is as positive as possible.
For some companies, this is easier said than done. They will plow their marketing budget into attracting new customers, forgetting their existing bunch. You must keep the customer happy from the very first touchpoint, all the way through the customer journey.
It’s also worth mentioning that this doesn’t always refer to direct touchpoints with the customer. For some companies, it’s all about holding status or prestige, whether by always having the most up-to-date accreditations or protecting customers by maintaining the best forms of indemnity insurance.
Use word of mouth in your content marketing
Content marketing is an umbrella term covering various digital marketing strategies, all of which aim to drive engagement.
A key part of successful content marketing is to ensure that your content is shareable and, as a result, more likely to be seen by people who might not have otherwise come across your brand.
However, this isn’t always easy. You need to create interesting and engaging content without being too salesy.
One way to do this is to focus on creating content that is helpful to your target audience. For example, if you sell IT products, you could create a blog post that lists the top five IT security threats for small businesses.
As well as being shareable, this type of content will also show your audience that you’re an expert in your field – meaning they’re more likely to come to you when they need your products or services.
Content marketing can be a great way to enhance your word-of-mouth marketing strategy, but it’s essential to get the balance right.
Use customer testimonials
A great way to show social proof and, as a result, encourage word-of-mouth marketing is to use customer testimonials. Customer testimonials can come in many forms, from written reviews to video testimonials.
The important thing is that they’re genuine and from customers that you know to be satisfied with your products or services. If you use customer testimonials on your website, make sure you have a good selection and that they’re well-displayed.
If you have too many, it can look like you’re trying too hard. Equally, if they’re tucked away on a hard-to-find page, they’re not going to have much of an impact.
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