The biggies in the business spectrum unleash the returns through influencer marketing, mainstream advertising, gorilla marketing, and many others. 

But, as a small business, focusing on all these might burn your pocket. And also, aiming for a global reach in the competition is a hard nut to crack.  

Instead of looking for a large-scale reach, you can sow your seeds for local visibility through word-of-mouth marketing and grab the fruits.

Let’s read the full story of WOMM for small businesses.   

SmallBusinessWeb’s Words about Word-of-mouth Marketing (WOMM)? 

Sharon purchases a coffee mug from a local mom-and-pop store. She takes it to her office. On seeing her new mug, her friend Felix comes running to her and asks, Ah! This cup looks so cool, from where you got this? 

Sharon with the same excitement, replied, I got this from ‘Cups World’, a small shop near my PG. This encouraged Felix to head up to the same shop for the cup.  

Now, what do you understand from this conversation? In a general view, this is a simple chit-chat between two friends at an office.

But, if you listen to this chat from a business POV, there is much to learn. And, that’s the potential of Word-of-Mouth-Marketing (WOMM), a local branding strategy: Making Customers Your Brand Ambassadors.

Reap the Perks of WOMM 

As a small business, when you embrace WOMM into your marketing strategies, it will save the many dollars you spend in searching for popular celebrities/influencers, to become the voice, face, & brand image of your small business.  

Not only this, there are many more benefits, let’s walk through them one by one.

Surprising Statistics about Word-of-mouth Marketing

• 92% of consumers trust word-of-mouth such as recommendations from friends and family
• Word-of-mouth marketing is ranked as the #1 of the top five popular ways to recommend a business compared to Facebook, Google, and more
• 77% of consumers are more likely to buy a new product when learning about it from friends or family
• According to Wharton marketing professor Jonah Berger, author of the bestseller Contagious, word-of-mouth is 10 times as effective as traditional advertising
• 90% of people are more likely to trust a recommended brand even from strangers online

Powerful Strategies to Win in WOMM

Make people talk about you and spread the word about your services. But, how is it possible to create that buzz? That’s where you should put in your efforts. Right from the welcome message to the end note, everything can encourage customers to spread the word. The point here is, you need to inspire your customers with your values and actions. 

To uncover the potential of word-of-mouth marketing, in the below sections, we’ll help you with a few proven strategies.  

Quality in Everything!

If you want your customers to spread the word about your small business, you should first make them happy with your quality. If you don’t deliver quality, people will start spreading negative views about your product. This will prevent your future customers too.  

Stay Connected – Buyers Fall for it!

The basic tendency of any consumer is that they must be treated well. So, make sure you be polite at all times. Don’t sound harsh. Welcome buyers in-store with a smile. Greet them using names if the same customer re-visits. 

And moreover, if a customer calls with a complaint, don’t feel sad about it and don’t be angry at their criticisms. Apologize to them and take the action right away. Respond to them as and when required. Always express your care towards them.

Wish your customers on their special days, and birthdays through email or social media, or normal text messages. This will keep your customers connected with you emotionally.

Giveaways – The Key

Giveaways are a great way to grab your audience. On and off, offer free coupons and gift cards to customers. Handwritten notes emotionally connect with your audience. Offer free samples and the trial version of your product just for testing purposes. And, offer more free points to your loyal customers who have been with you so far.     

For example, Dropbox is an online storage company that has used word-of-mouth to attract new customers. It offered free storage space for referrals which drew a lot of attention in real-time. 

User-generated Content – Win-win Mantra

Online reviews are the key to pull in the attention of new customers. Long gone are the days when customers purchased without looking at the reviews. So, encourage your customers to post real-time feedback about your products & services once purchased. 

To create optimal exposure, share your reviews on your social accounts, website, directory sites, Google searches, and so on. 

Looking for effective strategies to run a successful social media campaign, this blog has got it all covered. 

Become a Thought Leader

Harness the power of blogging and social media marketing for the elevation of your small business. Write topics related to your niche and keep posting regularly on social media. All these will enhance the reach of your small business both on local & global scales. 

If you’re a person well-versed technically but don’t know how to put all those insights in words, leave your worries, and give this blog a read – How to Create a Content Marketing Strategy for Your Small Business?  

Give Your Small Business a Social Media Exposure  

Post frequently on social media platforms such as Facebook, Instagram, Whatsapp, YouTube, and many more. And also, if you’re planning to showcase your small business on social media platforms, run through a basic analysis. 

See if your followers are active on the platform. Make sure of the timings you post. Keep consistency. Build a community. Don’t forget about the hashtags. You’ve so many schedule tools for social media management, though initially, you don’t focus more on this. Going forward, these tools can pay off!   

Go hand-in-hand with the trends, check out the blog to explore all the Instagram Trends for Small Businesses

Unleash the Power of WOMM Together with SmallBusinessWeb 

A famous saying goes like this, every coin has two sides. Word-of-mouth marketing is not an exception to this. It can both build or devastate your small business. 

If you don’t satisfy your customers’ expectations, they might spread negative words about your products & services. So, you must be so cautious about it! 
Maintaining your reputation through word-of-mouth might seem overwhelming. Avail of professional guidance from marketing experts. At Small Business Web, we’re so concerned about ‘word-of-mouth marketing’ and we’re well aware of its importance and hard side. With our WOMM strategies and consultation, you can nurture an organic conversation between your current and future customers!