Professional Advertising
Seriously Effective Print Advertising
Professional Advertising
Seriously Effective Print Advertising
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The Most Effective Advertising Of All Word of
mouth advertising is more influential than any other form of
advertising. People believe what their friends and neighbors say about
your company, and they remember it for a long, long time. Your company generates word of
mouth advertising, whether you know it or not. People are talking about
you. The question is, what are they saying? Unlike other forms of marketing
and advertising, we cannot give you design tips, or targeting
strategies, or copy points for word of mouth advertising. Instead,
let’s discuss what goes into generating positive word of mouth, and some ways
to eliminate negative word of mouth.
Word Of Mouth Advertising Business 101 The basis of all positive word of mouth advertising is providing superior products and services. This is, in fact, the basis for success with all of your marketing and advertising. Happy
customers will notice and read your ads. Your advertisements act as positive
reminders of your great products and services. You customer thinks,
“Oh yeah, I have to call them. And I need to tell Fred at work about
them too.” Superior products and services, combined with ongoing
marketing and advertising, are the keys to success.
But no company is perfect.
Word Of Mouth Advertising People Don’t
Complain It is a fact that very few
people will complain – to you. They simply take their business
elsewhere. Most of those people will then share their experience and
their opinion with their friends and family. If they are really unhappy,
they will tell everyone they know. A Word Of Mouth Advertising Example: A young woman was not happy with her automobile, and she could not get satisfaction from the dealership. So she printed a large sign on the back of the car that read “I hate my (car name)”. It
is hard to imagine a more effective way to ruin a car's reputation, or a
more costly marketing blunder for the company. Other drivers beeped and
waved. Everyday, every mile, every minute, irreparable damage was done
to the car company’s reputation. A mad consumer is a very bad enemy to
have. Yet, if you had a customer with a problem, you would probably act to resolve it, and satisfy the customer. And that would be the best thing to do, because customers who have problems that are satisfactorily resolved are far more likely to be loyal, and to say good things about your company. [That’s one major reason why companies have customer service departments.] So getting your customers to complain is a big part of replacing
negative word of mouth advertising with positive word of mouth
advertising.
Word Of Mouth Advertising Ask for Complaints Make it as easy as possible for
your customers to complain. Instruct your salespeople to diligently ask
about problems. Make feedback and comment forms easily available, or
include them automatically in billings or at the cash register. Give
feedback forms at the table, or after the service has been completed.
You need to know how you are doing, and what the complaints are. You might randomly call
customers to ask about problems. Use your service warranty program to
search for and handle complaints. Conduct surveys, ask for suggestions,
give discounts for good ideas, or do whatever you need to do to get
feedback. Remember, dissatisfied customers don’t complain. They just
don’t come back, and they spread negative word of mouth about your company. Think of complaints as
opportunities to improve your products and services. Complaints are a
great way to learn about what your customers are thinking and feeling.
Complaints will give you new ideas, improve your customer service, and
make you a stronger, more customer-oriented company. And best of all, fixing
problems will lead to loyal customers that spread really nice word of
mouth advertising for you.
Word Of Mouth Advertising Keep Promises A broken promise is a hard
thing to fix. The best strategy is to encourage your people not to
over-promise. Things come up, and things go wrong. And if you must break
a promise, notify the client as fast as possible. Customers really are
very forgiving. They will say nice things about you just because you
were polite enough to call them and apologize. But don’t call, and
they will be very angry. “I hate my ______.”
Word Of Mouth Advertising Exceed
Expectations. If you under-promise, it will
be easier to over-deliver. This is about creating word of mouth
advertising, right? Most companies fulfill their customer’s
expectations. But people will talk about you if you surpass their
expectations. Do the few extra things, and you will have loyal clients
that recommend you to their friends, neighbors, family, church members,
etc, etc, etc. It’s the little touches that touch people and create
positive word of mouth advertising for you.
Word Of Mouth Advertising Satisfy the Unhappy
Customer
First, not
every customer is a good customer. Not every client is profitable or
desirable. Some people have unrealistic expectations, and will not be
happy no matter what. This is business. Cut those relationships, and
move on. Now, regular customers that become unhappy actually have the potential to be your best advocates. When you resolve problems to the satisfaction of these customers, they will become your loyal, staunch supporters, and they will spread positive word of mouth advertising for you. It’s
human nature. We respect people that admit mistakes, and correct the
situation. We give them the benefit of the doubt in the future, and we
tell others that they fix their mistakes and keep their promises. It
leads to great word of mouth advertising. And if you
really want to stand out, go in search of the unhappy customer that
never complained. If you really want people to say great things about
you, find and fix the problems that the customer didn’t identify. Ask
for feedback from your customers, and follow up. You will win customers
and friends. And they will actively influence other people with their
positive recommendations about your company.
Word
Of Mouth Advertising - Ask It never hurts to ask for
references. Ask your clients to tell other people about your company. Or better
yet, create an incentive program for references. Give additional discounts
for each reference, a free service, special treatment, or whatever will
work. People will recommend you if they believe in your company, and a
little extra perk always helps for creating positive word of mouth
advertising. If you know a customer feels good about your company, ask him or her for a testimonial statement or letter. The written testimonial really is a form of word of mouth advertising. People believe testimonials, and you can use them to increase the effectiveness of your advertising.
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