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"The Most Effective
Advertising"
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.
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.
Word
Of Mouth Advertising
Ask
For Help
As always, we strongly
recommend that you ask a marketing professional to review your
advertising plan or your marketing materials. We can help you to build
value for your customers, and to increase your bottom line. That’s
what Professional Advertising is all
about. Please contact
Professional Advertising for these
services and additional assistance.
And
since it never hurts to ask for references, if you know of a company or
organization that can benefit from our services, please tell them about myprofessionaladvertising.com.
Thank you very much.
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Advertising
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