Every marketer knows there is no stronger marketing tool
than word of mouth. Someone who shares the same interests as you recommends a
product and boom! You become a dedicated user of that product. At times word of
mouth is not verbal and the non-verbal has an even stronger effect than verbal.
For instance, your favorite sports personality walks in wearing some great
shoes and immediately you associate those shoes with that star’s performance.
As a business owner, this type of marketing is invaluable to your bottom line.
But how do you get your existing customers to talk positively about your
products to other potential clients? How do you get role models to use your
products and present them well to others and increase your sales? Any marketer
who can do this successfully will never have to worry about sales figures or
budget deficits. There are a few important ways one can do this.
Buzz Marketing
It may feel pleasant hearing your customers describing your
products as being the best kept secret, but that will not drive sales. You need
to get the word out that you have a great product to offer that satisfies your
target market’s needs. Buzz marketing relies on your happy customers telling
the world about their satisfaction with your products. In effect, your existing
customers become your products’ goodwill ambassadors. This works in two ways.
First, it entices new customers to try out your product. Secondly, it gives
your existing customers a reason to justify their choosing your product and of
course this encourages them to be repeat customers. When done online, it can be
equated to viral marketing where genuine customers post positive reviews about
your product. Testimonials posted on your website and other websites or blogs
serve the same purpose.
Viral Marketing
Consumers generate hype about good products almost as much
as they do about poor products. If you are satisfying your customer’s needs and
meeting their expectations, they will tell others. This leverages your
marketing campaigns and empowers your customers’ buying experience. The overall
effect is that you will gain a loyal customer base which will keep growing
despite mounting competition. A perfect example of how this works can be seen
by the rapid growth of Facebook during its first years. Facebook was not the
first social media site, but most people joined it once they heard from
friends, relatives, and colleagues all the raves about how it kept them
connected. With such a loyal fan base, you do not even need to advertize. Your
goodwill ambassadors are doing the work for you.
Endorsements
How would you feel if a famous and popular personality spoke
favorably in public about your product? And what would that do to your sales?
Wouldn’t they just sky-rocket and make your products the hottest thing in town?
But sometimes this comes off as a paid star making an advert for professional
fees. It speaks more about your products if the star would be spotted using
your products. For instance, if you own a restaurant and part of your frequent
clientele and notable people, everyone else will want to be your regular
customers. Being publicly endorsed by popular and famous individuals will get
you noticed faster and grow your customer base rapidly. If you can get some of
your star customers to take a few pictures with regular customers and use the
images in your banner ads from http://www.webbanner24.com/
that would speak very well for you. Just make sure not to harass the stars and
ruin their experience.
Customized Branding
Check out this scenario, the highest performing salesmen in
your company walks in with a sleek, high-end computer and makes his reports and
presentations faster and better than everyone else. The end result, every other
salesman walks in the next day with a brand new laptop with the same
capabilities. This does not only apply to work tools and high end products.
Something as simple as having coffee mugs or Styrofoam cups branded with
company logos will get you noticed by the right kind of audience. If you own a
coffee stand then your customer walking away with your branded paper hot cups will
get her colleagues and friends in the know on where to get the best coffee to
go. A company such as Custom Takeout can easily get you noticed with their paper hot cups whatever
the type of business you are in.
Your regular customers and even superstar customers if you
have any can be the greatest ambassadors for your product. And the best thing
about it is that these people will reach your target market better than any
other marketing gimmick you might employ. When your customers spread the word
for you, they bring you new clients who will buy repeatedly and stay loyal.
