Is there any better way to win business than word of mouth referral?
Think about it.
When you are recommended by existing clients it saves so much time and effort because the person they’ve referred you to already has an understanding about WHY they should work with you.
And, when you start talking with them you already have someone you both know to use as a case study.
Social networks have changed the way we communicate
Not so many years ago, if we needed to fix a problem, most people called one or two friends for advice. If they couldn’t help we would then pull out the Yellow Pages.
That book used to huge, with almost every local business listed. Now the Yellow Pages is like a skinny pamphlet, and will soon cease printing altogether.
These days recommendations typically come from people asking for one on Facebook or Twitter. In fact, Facebook added a dedicated ‘ask for recommendations’ feature in October 2016.
Did you know that 85% of Facebook fans recommend brands they follow?
And it is not just recommendations…
Just as we share recommendations on social media, many people also share reviews or status updates about their experience with companies and services.
This is especially true when the service or product is significantly different from expectations…
People are more likely to post about the extraordinary. This is both their AMAZING experiences and the times when things go horribly wrong!
Everybody’s voice is louder
Perhaps the biggest difference about social media and traditional word of mouth is the volume.
People have always told their friends about the extraordinary, but it used to be 5 or 6 people.
When I ask the attendees at my seminars about the number of Facebook friend they have, the average person has between 500 and 600.
Social Media is like an amplifier that has enabled the average person’s voice to be 100 TIMES LOUDER.
How to use social media to get more word of mouth business
So how do you make sure your amplifier is one of the loudest and position yourself as the go-to person in your market and location?
In one word… CONTENT.
The more content you can put out to demonstrate your experience and expertise, the stronger your position will become.
In today’s world, some of the best referrals come from people sharing your content with others.
How much louder would your WORD OF MOUTH be with an engaged audience who are re-posting and re-tweeting YOUR videos, blogs and pictures?
Put out content that helps your audience, by solving a problem or helping them learn to do something better.
Using social media to grow your word of mouth referrals is NOT about advertising, it is about ADDING VALUE.
Master your message… then TURN IT UP LOUD!
Posted by Neil Martin on Sunday, 8 October 2017
