Browse the business section of any bookstore and you’ll find several aisles of marketing experts touting the latest in communications whether it be Pay Per Click, traditional print advertising, website optimization or public relations. As you contemplate various marketing options, it’s difficult to know which tactics are best.
One of the most overlooked but most effective marketing vehicles available is Word of Mouth marketing. It’s that third-party endorsement that adds credibility, warms the sales process and gets the phone ringing with less required in the way of a formal sales pitch. Successful Word of Mouth is based upon creating an experience that so wows your customers that they are compelled to write about it or talk about it to others who might be interested.
Here we offer just a few of the many ways you might enhance your Word of Mouth efforts gathered from multiple marketing resources including the Word of Mouth Marketing Association (http://www.womma.org):
- Give people something to talk about. With each interaction, ask yourself whether or not you gave your customer an experience worth sharing.
- When a customer has referred you, say thank you. Something as simple as a hand written note or a $10 gift card to Starbucks goes a long way.
- Don’t be shy; let people know. Post testimonials on your website, in your newsletter, in ads and through any social media, like Facebook.
- Consider old fashioned person-to-person networking. Attend events, shake hands and talk to people with whom you might not otherwise connect. Then follow-up with a “nice-to-have-met-you” email.
- Work with the influential communities within your trade organization; get known through work on committees or take on a leadership role. Inform the membership of what you do and encourage them to spread the word.
- Write an article about your specific area of business that you think may be of broad interest in your industry, and submit it to your trade publications. They are often looking for fresh content and may use your piece or quote you as an expert.
A productive Word of Mouth campaign takes time and commitment at every level of the company. However, its benefits are valuable and longstanding as you built a reputation as the go-to company in your industry.
Why is a metals company is providing you with tips for marketing your business? There’s a simple answer: we see our role as your partner in helping grow your business. Whether through overnight delivery, JIT stocking programs, consistently high quality, or sharing business ideas we’ve found useful, it’s one more way we deliver at Admiral Metals.
| Wishing you the very best in business, |
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| bursteinj@admiralmetals.com |
