Service-based businesses have long relied on word-of-mouth marketing (WOMM) for growth. More than 90% of consumers trust recommendations from family and friends more than company advertising. WOMM reaches far beyond verbal referrals to the rapidly expanding digital marketplace. It’s essential to learn how word-of-mouth marketing works and harness its potential to maximize your online presence.

Digital WOMM includes reviews, testimonials, and other informal, user-generated content found on the internet. Without a proactive word-of-mouth marketing strategy, though, your business is at the mercy of whoever publishes an opinion about your service — good or bad. Fortunately, you can be intentional about influencing what current and prospective customers say about you through a variety of online platforms.

CraftJack Reputation Manager is a tool designed for digital word of mouth. Sign up today and get access to the tools you need to understand what people are saying about your business online.

Word-Of-Mouth Marketing Vs Traditional Advertising

Here are a few ways in which word-of-mouth marketing differs from traditional marketing techniques:

1. Control: While traditional advertising is structured and initiated by the company, word-of-mouth marketing is largely random, organic, and created by customers or others not directly affiliated with the company.
2. Emphasis: Your marketing may be based more on facts and features; word-of-mouth marketing leans toward customer perceptions.
3. Influence: Customers are more open to WOMM because they feel that this advertising is free of company bias. The perceived unfiltered perspectives of “everyday” people can have the same effect as those of an expert.
4. Costs: Traditional marketing can be a large business expense, but WOMM utilizes free and low-cost avenues such as social media, blog posts, and email marketing.

Organic And Amplified Word-Of-Mouth Marketing

Organic word-of-mouth advertising happens naturally when customers are pleased with your service and enthusiastically share their experience with others in person or online. Amplified WOMM takes place when you launch marketing campaigns that encourage customer interaction. These types of marketing can overlap and build on each other.

Increase Your Organic WOMM

Your business lets you serve customers face-to-face in their most precious space: their homes. Providing a stellar experience for them is naturally necessary to foster their loyalty. You can boost the chances that they’ll remember and refer you when you offer more than they bargained for.

1. Being accessible: If you haven’t yet, build a company website to let potential customers discover who you are, what you do, and how much you charge at their convenience. Provide different ways for them to contact you, and respond as quickly as possible to inquiries.
2. Giving: Impress your customers with free, useful things like refrigerator magnets, sticky note pads, or pens. This can create a positive, lasting association with your service.
3. Checking up: Contact your customer a week or two after the service call to see if they’re still satisfied with your work and if they need further help from you. Following up demonstrates your concern, which adds to the customer’s satisfaction with your company.
4. Fixing: Resolve any grievances immediately to avoid or minimize negative publicity. Sincerely apologize for mistakes or misunderstandings and offer a remedy that exceeds your customer’s expectations.
5. Informing: Post blogs and send regular email newsletters that educate your customers. Invite them to respond and share with friends.

Increase Your Amplified WOMM

The explosion of social media has transformed how word-of-mouth marketing works online. Recommendations, shout-outs, vlogs, and customers’ blogs have introduced people to small businesses that would likely not have reached such vast audiences on their own. Instead of waiting for people to talk about you, though, you can spark conversations that increase your brand awareness with these tips:

1. Get out there: Be present and active on as many social media platforms as possible. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, YouTube, LinkedIn, and your company’s website let more people find you and interact with you and other customers.
2. Get them talking: Don’t settle for likes on your posts and tweets. Encourage your audience to comment by asking questions such as “How has our service helped you?” or “What did you appreciate most about your most recent interaction with us?”
3. Get them tagging: Increase your social media following by asking your audience to tag their friends in your posts.
4. Give them something: Sponsor a social media giveaway with entry rules like tagging friends and following your page.

Optimize Your WOMM With CraftJack

Customers trust what others say about you more than what you say about yourself. Channeling this with a proactive word-of-mouth marketing strategy is a powerful way to capture and keep the attention of your target audience. Let CraftJack partner with you to drive more traffic to your business and strengthen your online presence. Call one of our dedicated account managers for details and leads today