Word-of-mouth marketing is still the most powerful marketing tool for most businesses, along with an ad that appears during the Super Bowl. In a study conducted by Nielson, the global media insight company, “Global Trust in Advertising”, 83% of responders said they trust the recommendations of friends and family most of all. A study done by McKinsey showed that 20-50% of all purchases are influenced by word-of-mouth marketing.

Positive comments, reviews and recommendations are powerful—don’t underestimate them. Face2Face and online conversations started by you, your customers and even potential referral sources are among the most valuable marketing assets available. Positive talk contributes to your brand’s reputation. Business owners and marketers who take the initiative to build a word-of-mouth marketing strategy can create a steady drumbeat of customer conversations that have the potential to generate new business. User experiences drive word-of-mouth marketing, mostly fueled by product customer recommendations and reviews.

Engage on social media

Social media sites, including Facebook, Twitter, Instagram. Pinterest and Snapchat, are tools that amplify your word-of-mouth advertising. Communicate with your customers, solve problems and build your referral network by way of your preferred social media platforms (and also your company website).

Quick response to questions and complaints.

Not all customer experiences will be positive ones, but the right approach can make all the difference. Being proactive about complaints can turn dissatisfied customers into your most loyal brand advocates. Stepping up your response time and personalizing customer care can cement your positive reputation—within four hours, ideally.

Email marketing outreach

Using email to communicate regularly with customers and prospects who have requested to be on your mailing list helps them remember you and brings in repeat business. If you’re regularly providing interesting information, discount coupons, useful how-to articles, or other material customers want, they’ll update friends who have similar interests about the benefits they’ve derived. 

Influencers and brand ambassadors

Although most word-of-mouth marketing is focused on organic engagement, don’t neglect the value of influencer marketing. Having influencers shout out your product or give it a review not only introduces you to a new audience but once again serves as social proof. In fact, recent data shows that reviews are actually considered “the most valuable type of content” that influencers publish. Chances are there are relevant influencers out there that’d be the perfect fit for your brand. If you already have a dedicated customer base, you might alternatively consider starting your own ambassador program.

Reviews and recommendations

It’s been shown that 41% of shoppers say that “robust” online reviews (featuring photos, keywords and more) are important for a positive shopping experience. Potential shoppers will notice that these testimonials are not present and you will be well-served to encourage your happy customers to speak up about what they like abut your company, products and services. Getting good reviews not only represents positive word-of-mouth but also a proven way to gain trust.

Much like user generated content, sometimes scoring reviews is as simple as asking. Ideally, this can be done non-intrusively via email. Many brands implement post-purchase auto-responders to ask for reviews by default, meaning that each purchase is a potential opportunity to earn a much-needed review.

But how you ask for reviews matters. Beyond putting on a smiling face, also consider additional incentives, Your customers’ time is valuable and sweetening the deal is worth it if it means a rave review.

Monitor mentions and respond ASAP to comments.

Do yourself a favor and make sure to respond within 24 hours, and ideally within 4 hours, to customer questions, comments and concerns. accordingly. As you build your brand, your quick, polite and complete responses will be imperative.

• Respond to all customer questions, comments and concerns
• Defuse difficult situations and negative comments
• Keep track of your conversation history so you can build better relationships with customers

Encourage user-generated content

Global brands can easily generate user-generated content but regional and local brands will find it useful to promote their company #hashtags and even customer photo campaigns. Along with your own company photos (hint: start building your photo library!), invite your customers to share photos and feedback. To increase the visibility of your user generated content, try the following:

• Feature a hashtag (and call-to-action) in your bio, perhaps on Instagram or Twitter, and encourage customers, friends and family to share photos
• Include invitations for customers to promote hashtags on-site, in-person and via email (see an example below)
• Regularly publish and re-post user generated content in your content calendar

Share positive reviews and customer testimonials online.

When you do receive positive attention and word of mouth advertising, do not keep it a secret. Share that valuable information online, where the world can see it. Take the initiative to use customer re-posts and re-tweets and into your promotion strategy.

Building buzz for your business and your brand will take time and effort, but the steps you take today will pay dividends tomorrow. Word of mouth advertising is not for sale at any price, but it is the most valuable form of marketing your company can receive. The eight strategies listed above will give you a starting point, but the rest is up to you.

Thank your customers for their business.

Everyone likes to be appreciated, and customers are no exception. While you may have the words printed on receipts or included in email confirmations of sales, or you or your staff may say “Thanks” in person, doing something such as sending a handwritten thank you card to new customers or a returning customer will set you apart as a business who cares about their customers and is worth recommending.

Thanks for reading,

Kim

Image: Photographed by Bert Morgan (1904-1986) on the golf course at the Everglades Club in Palm Beach, FL circa 1940.