How would you like a sales team that promoted your product, your service, your entire company
at all hours of the day and night, targeting people who are most likely to become actual customers and extolling your company’s virtues – all without drawing a salary, medical benefits or other costly perks? Sound too good to be true? Not so – that’s what happens every time a customer tells someone else about what a great experience they had with your company and how much they love your product, and recommends they use it too.
That’s word-of-mouth advertising, or WOMA, one of the most effective forms of advertising around. The Harvard Business Review calls WOMA “a key driver of profitable growth.” According to a separate article in that journal, “the value of any one customer does not reside only in what that person buys. In these interconnected days, how your customers feel about you and what they are prepared to tell others about you can influence your revenues and profits just as much.”
And while it used to be that sharing information in person was the primary way people would spread the word about your business and it products, more and more often, people take to the Internet to share what they’re thinking on review sites and social network pages. As a cost-per-impression, WOMA is one of the cheapest types of advertising you can buy.
Establish trust even before a sale
WOMA is about more than getting your name out there – it’s about having a personal endorsement about your product that positions you as a trustworthy company that’s providing a high-value product or service. And, it’s a powerful way to build trust with customers with whom you’ve never even worked before. Trust-building is an important marketing activity that can take months – even years. When people choose your business based on the word of a trusted friend, your company already has a major and valuable advantage.
But despite its effectiveness, it doesn’t cost millions of dollars to implement. In fact, it takes very little money and effort to turn customers into loyal sales reps. One of the simplest and most effective ways to create positive word of mouth is by offering your current customers a free, branded promotional product that makes their lives a little bit easier, a little bit more enjoyable, a little bit more colorful.
Little cost can yield big results
You don’t have to go big. There’s no need to spend a lot of money on the items you use to create positive word of mouth. Your primary goal is to make a customer feel valued. You hear it a lot: We live in a fast-paced world, one in which virtual communication is becoming almost the standard.
As a result, most people miss out on the little niceties of one-on-one connections that make them know they’re appreciated. Reaching out to your customers and providing them with a little gift makes them feel special, and that can go a long way toward creating a loyal customer base that’s ready and willing to go to bat for your company.
Added benefits
Sure, making a customer feel valued is your primary goal, but there is a secondary goal: Making sure your name stays in front of your customer as much as possible. Promotional products that are useful, like a deskpad calendar, planner or mug, or smooth writing pen provide a direct and measurable benefit to your customer each and every time they use it. Designed with your distinctive logo front and center, they also have the added advantage of helping your company become more visible to other potential customers, even without word of mouth.
So while you’re considering your next marketing program or tweaking the one that’s already in place, make sure you include actions to increase your company’s WOMA. It’s a relatively small investment, but it can make a significant difference to your company’s growth and its bottom line.
