How to Generate Word of Mouth

A word of mouth marketing campaign is personal recommendations from people to use your product or service. It is the best marketing tool a business could ever use. Generating a word of mouth campaign doesn't just happen; it is carefully, methodically created by the business. The process of generating a word of mouth campaign is explained in these steps.

Instructions

Difficulty: Challenging

1. Define and refine your product or service until it is the best it can possibly be. Deliver far beyond what your customer expects. Have such excellent service they can't help but tell others about your business.
2. Spend your time identifying the most influential people in your market. Most likely there are a few who others look to for guidance or opinions about where they shop or who they go to for service. These people ignite the word of mouth campaign. It's started by those who sway the others to follow. Celebrities are obviously an example, but there are "normal" people in your circle of business that influence people. You need to find them and bring them into your fold.
3. Recognize people who trust and believe in your product or service to be exceptionally high. These people speak highly or you and consider your work ethnic to be beyond normal means. They are customers or employees who want to tell others about your company. Give them business cards, brochures and other information to help them get the word out.
4. Offer a sampling of your product or service. A sample to a potential new customer not only entices him, but word will also spread of your "free" sampling and more people will come requesting the same. A ripple effect takes place where more and more people take up your offer. Not all businesses have tangible samples, so consider offering free consultations, free critiques or testings.
5. Turn verbal compliments into written testimonies. If a customer compliments your product or service, graciously thank them and ask them if they could write the compliment down for you to show others. Even have such a request on your customer evaluation form.
6. Maintain a referral campaign. When you receive a compliment, not only get it in writing; but also ask, "Who can you tell about...?" Place a referral button or "please forward" in all email messages, websites and snail mail campaigns.

Tips & Warnings

• Impressions are very important in the business world. The old cliché "Dress for success" is definitely applicable to a word of mouth campaign.
• A lot of time and concerted effort goes into creating an effective word of mouth campaign. Reaching a high quality product and service worth mentioning doesn't happen over night. Getting others to spread the word takes forethought and perseverance.