Posts Tagged “Word of mouth”

Word of mouth sales are something that have been around ever since mankind discovered commerce.If someone was impressed by a product or a service, they would highly recommend it to their friends and family.  This phenomenon continues even today, despite the fact that we have other, more sophisticated advertising sources.Basically, if you learn how to utilize the simply concepts of word of mouth, you could actually create higher sales utilizing the same high-power advertising methods.

Let’s consider Kashi, an American company that prides itself on selling wholesome, all-natural food products.  Even though they already have an established brand, they decided they would create even more buzz using television and word of mouth, (the perfect combination).The television part would come through a commercial, while the word of mouth part came through a special give away or incentive.The incentive alternates according to what they promote, whether it’s for their cookies, health bars, or frozen dinners.In the end, they receive a ton of word of mouth sales because people see the commercial, buy the free product, and then tell people they know about how much they love the product.

Yet, what about businesses that can’t afford to run a television campaign?  How do they go about acquiring word of mouth sales?  Well, if they have no upfront capital, it is recommended that they embark on an Internet marketing campaign.  To do this, they should buy or create an e-book related to their business.At that point, they should to promote the e-book through a lead page.The lead page will capture the email addresses of anyone interested in registering for a subscription, as the subscription will be one requirement for receiving the desired information. 

Now, if the e-book is good, and you use it to advertise your services, you will get word of mouth sales through viral marketing.How does this method work?If effect, with viral marketing, readers are so interested in your information that they pass it along to other people they know.This creates a type of chain reaction, when the friend then promotes the e-book to another person.This pattern continues forever and it is not very often that people will lose interest. 

This method may be viewed as somewhat impersonal, which might not work as well if you’re trying to create buzz for a local target audience.So, in this situation, you may want to contemplate hosting a PR event.  Some companies choose to have an event where people sample their products.  Others plan more elaborate events, such as carnivals or golfing games.Ultimately, try to ensure, (if you can), to have the PR event relate to what your business specialty is.  This will make your business more memorable, since participants will link their experiences at the event with your company.

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Even in today’s technology driven world, word of mouth marketing is a very powerful way to get tons of new customers to your business. The concept behind word of mouth, or any other type of marketing campaign for that matter, is simple – you reward the person who brings you new business. Why is this type of marketing so effective? Just take a look.

People really like to get rewarded for their actions. People especially love to get recognized for what they do as well. If you combine these two things together, you have got a great incentive for a word of mouth campaign. In such a marketing campaign, you can reward people who give you new business in two ways.

1.You can give them an incentive or reward. This could be countless items – service credits, money, or gift certificates.

2.You acknowledge them for their great effort. You can mention their names and thank them for their efforts in your newsletters and business magazines.

This can make people extremely happy and satisfied – happy to get something useful and satisfied to know that their effort has been a success.

Here are some very useful tips to help you initiate your word of mouth marketing campaign the right way.

1.Be sure to offer an incentive that is meaningful. Money is the choice that comes to mind first, but some people could feel uncomfortable with cash rewards. In my opinion, gift certificates are the best choice you can make. Amazon has gift certificates you can get – they are always a great choice. You can also choose to give free meal certificates for your customers at local restaurants, wine clubs, movie passes and more.

2.It is wise if you let your customers know that they are being recognized for any referrals they give you. In your office, put a notice board on the wall and mention the names of people who have brought in new business there. With this method, your customers can see their own names mentioned every time they come to your office and this will make them feel truly special.

3.    When you send out business newsletters about your word of mouth campaigns, you can mention the names of people who have referred a lot of high value customers. Your newsletters reach everyone in your mailing list and you can imagine how happy your customers will be if they see their names in there. This clearly shows your clients that you appreciate them and whatever they have done for your business.

4.If you are conducting a sales event or a meeting, simply ask your existing clients to bring their friends along and offer them some form of incentive for doing so.

5.Whenever your customers bring new business, it is wise to thank them immediately. Call them, send them a mail, send them a text message, or send them a thank-you card. It is imperative, you need to make sure they understand that you appreciate their effort.

This is pretty much what you need to know about word of mouth advertising campaigns. Remember – they cost so very little, they increase brand awareness tremendously, and increase your customer base. So, if you want to get great results, be sure you set up a marketing campaign today.

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