Are you aware of how powerful word of mouth marketing is?
If you're not entirely sure, it's incredibly effective. It contributes to $6 trillion of spending worldwide and is responsible for around 13% of general sales.
Spending isn't just the only benefit of this form of marketing, though; it also can help your customers build stronger connections with your business and increase the ability for others to trust you.
This is especially relevant if you own a small business, such as a pub, bar, or restaurant, as positive referrals can help put your business at the forefront of others' minds.
Therefore to help you be a gamechanger in your industry, we're going to provide you with some top triggers on how to increase word of mouth marketing.
What is word of mouth marketing?
Word of mouth marketing is a type of marketing that sparks natural discussions about your business or recommendations about your products or services.
One of the major benefits of word of mouth marketing is that it's cost-effective. If you're a small business with a limited budget, you don't have to splurge large amounts of money on print advertising in your local media, social media ads, and more to get customers through your doors.
After all, word of mouth marketing is free, and if you provide a positive customer experience, your customers are more likely to share it with others in their network. Therefore creating strong recommendations and reasons for strangers to visit your business.
4 epic ways you can increase your word of mouth marketing
While there is a range of ways you can increase word of mouth marketing, you should stick to a few at first to see what works best for your business. It's kind of like trial and error; it's worth it in the long. Out of the many that exist, here are four ones to try for your business:
Generate more tags on social media
Who doesn't use social media nowadays?
Simply letting your customers tag your business on platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Google Business can have a major impact on the number of customers you receive. If your business location is tagged, your customers' followers can see it, which could expand across a larger network if liked or shared.
But the main question is, how do you get your customers to tag you on social media?
Well, if you have a bar or restaurant, you might want to create visual triggers like a cool area in your space with neon lighting, a cutout, or making it look aesthetically pleasing for people to want to pose for photos and tag you in.
You could even create a quirky dish or cocktail that might trigger a lot of attention or questions. If it's cool enough, some of your customers might upload the photo to Instagram and tag you or show the image to others, increasing your company's reputation through their words and actions.
Similarly, if you decide to run competitions or giveaways on your socials, you can always make it a rule for users to tag your business when entering.
Share testimonials and reviews
In today's times, to thrive as a business, you need to have a good amount of social currency. People who want to buy your products or use your services will look for something to trust.
Often people develop their trust off referrals and from the opinions of others. It's estimated that 70% formulate their sense of trust off strangers. Therefore, if you're a restaurant or a bar, you might want to raise awareness to your followers by sharing others' experiences and showing you can be trusted.
This is easy to do, especially if you have reviews on platforms like TripAdvisor or Google Business; simply share the positive ones on your socials.
Stay engaged
Offline and online, your customers matter and want to be treat like humans. The best way to make them feel appreciated and talk about your business is by listening and acknowledging their opinions. This could be as simple as asking what they want from your menu or feedback about their experience.
You could even utilize your social media channels to ask opinions through polls or respond to reviews and comments regardless of them being positive or negative. By taking time to engage with others, you can look more transparent and honest than your typical restaurant or pub.
Include loyalty schemes
One fantastic way of gaining repeat customers and new ones is by incorporating a loyalty program for your business. For example, if you're a coffee shop, you might want to give a free coffee or hot drink for every 10 coffees bought.
Doing this can help encourage repeat business and give new customers a reason to trust your company. For example, you could offer a specific discount off a first purchase or include a refer a friend scheme.
Conclusion
Overall, there's a range of strategies out there to help you increase word of mouth marketing for your small business. Some of the simplest and less time consuming tend to be encouraging more tags on social media, staying engaged with your customers and sharing their experiences. Try them out for yourself and see which one works best. But before you build your community, it's important to have a product or service that's worth talking about first.
What strategies do you use, to increase your word of mouth marketing? Share with us your experience.
