Creating Your Own Fireworks – The Explosive Power of Good Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Creating Your Own Fireworks – The Explosive Power of Good Word-of-Mouth Marketing
Thunder Over Louisville has been the Derby Festival kick-off event for the past 19 years. It is an air and pyrotechnics show, unrivaled by any other city in the USA; and, Kentuckiana gets to call Thunder its own. Each year I head out to the riverfront, Thunder is bigger and better than the last. I have watched the spectacle from many locales, but one thing impresses me every year even more than the fantastic show – Thunder Over Louisville is no longer just a hometown event for the Louisville area, but it has grown into an event attended by many people from all over the world.
Kentuckiana residents have been great cheerleaders for Thunder Over Louisville through the years. We have invited friends and family, who have, in turn, invited their friends and family. This has helped our hometown tradition become the nation’s largest annual fireworks event, mostly in part to great word-of-mouth marketing. The power of “good buzz” is amazing – just think of the growth your business could experience if all employees and customers adopted the same word-of-mouth excitement about your company and services. Below are a few tips to help you grow your business with word-of-mouth advertising:
1) Always Remember Your Customers Know Your Potential Customers
Unhappy customers like to talk, and that is a fact. When you have an unhappy customer, they are likely to tell their friends, coworkers, and families about their experience with your company. Most customers take their business elsewhere due to poor customer service and uncaring employees. It is important to make sure that all your company employees treat each customer like they have a golden tongue, and resolve all issues tactfully. It is also equally important that all employees speak well of your company to everyone they encounter. You never know who your neighbor’s brother-in-law might know and refer to your company.
2) Ask Your Customers for Referrals
Your customers don’t know who you know; therefore, you should ask them directly for referrals. They may know others in their industry or in different branches of their company that could also use your products or services. Become a shameless self-promoter; don’t be too afraid to ask for a referral, because you may be missing out on some great business.
3) Network in Your Community
Being active in the community is important to word-of-mouth marketing. This will increase your exposure to new people, while naturally allowing for even more business networking. People are more guarded when they are expecting a sales pitch, so being involved in civic volunteer groups, community events, or rotary clubs provides networking alternatives. Not only will they be able to learn about your business, but they will also get to see your company involved in a common organization that gives back to the community.
A good customer is always your best commodity. Strive to please and grow these customers. A study done by the Verde Group and the Wharton School discovered a salient fact that 50% of Americans will not step foot into a store or business due to a colleague or friend’s bad experience. Positive comments about your company, as well as being a good steward of the community, will keep your company in a good light. Companies, both big and small, can benefit from word-of-mouth marketing. Create “fireworks” with your own customers by going above and beyond. Remember to ask them to invite a friend to the “show,” and you may never know how big you will grow!
