Word-of-mouth Marketing is Effective
Marketing a business is one of the most important tasks for the business owner.
The best person to market the business is the owner.
Glenn Muske, Oklahoma State University (OSU) Cooperative Extension interim associate dean, assistant director, family and consumer sciences, said part of that marketing should use a very effective marketing method: word-of-mouth.
This type of marketing is often overlooked, but having your customers, employees and community tell your business' story is a great marketing tool.
"Today, when business marketing is discussed the terms 'buzz' or 'social networking' are often used. These terms arose from today's technology for old school word-of-mouth marketing," Muske said. "Think about it, who can better tell your story than a satisfied customer? Word-of-mouth marketing is the most effective means to advertise a brand."
As an owner, Muske suggests the following to maintain a word-of-mouth marketing campaign:
• Word-of-mouth marketing starts with the owner.
• Find out what customers say now. Give them a simple question: "On a scale of 1-10, how likely are you to recommend us to your friends and family?" Follow with: "How can we do better?" and "What do we do well?"
• Remember employees are an important part of the business. Give them the same questions you ask the customers, find out what incentives matter to them and give them the tools they need. Once you have them going, stay out of their way.
• Look through sales reports. What items sell? Does the information correlate with what you hear? If you have a strong word-of-mouth campaign, you would expect an upward trend.
• Consider today's social networking tools. There is nothing better to a company than having real voices and having the CEO serve as this voice is a good choice.
• Participate in your community. Be a part of it and let that be a part of your story and your brand.
"As an owner, you may wonder when to get started," he said. "Don't wait, get started right now."
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