How to Create a Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategy
Apr 18, 2024
If you want a marketing strategy that requires little budget but is incredibly powerful, word-of-mouth marketing is for you. Also known as referral marketing, it’s one of the oldest marketing strategies and still one of the most effective.
Consider the last time you bought something recommended by a friend; this is a perfect example of referral marketing in practice. People naturally trust the opinions of family and friends when they're looking for something new.
Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the best marketing strategies for your holistic business. It’s the main way many of my clients, find new clients.
4 Benefits of Word-of-Mouth Marketing
- By the time a person comes to work with you, they already trust you. Because they’ve been recommended, they’ll know about the services you offer and will trust in the results they can achieve.
- Your marketing is super targeted to those who need what you do. Your existing clients know exactly how you can help others and will recommend you to people they know will benefit too.
- You also have the potential to reach a much larger audience than your family and friends and reach other people within your client’s networks.
- And you also don’t need a big budget to build your business using word-of-mouth marketing.
Building Your Word-of-Mouth Marketing Strategy
Create Amazing Experiences
Focus on providing your clients with the best possible experience during all their interactions with you. The aim is for them to become a champion of your services and share their amazing results with their peers.
The good news of their experience will travel fast and help you build your reputation as an expert in your niche.
Exceed Expectations
Where appropriate exceed your client’s expectations by making life easier for them and showing you care. This could be by providing extra information to support them, checking in by email for an update, giving them a free sample, or sending a handwritten card.
Take an interest in your clients and make them feel special, building these relationships will build trust and turn clients into your best marketers.
Address Issues Immediately
The speed and reach of online marketing mean you can’t stick your head in the sand and hope something will go away. You need to address any issues as soon as they are raised to avoid any damaging, bad reviews from happening wherever possible. You’re never going to please everyone, but if you demonstrate respect and fairness, people will see through the situation and forgive a lesser review if you handled it well.
Collect Testimonials
When a happy client has completed their sessions with you, ask for a testimonial. Whether this is an online review on Google, or Facebook, or an inspirational client story to share on your website – they are worth their weight in gold for your practice.
In my experience, happy clients are generally willing to help you. Make sure you use the testimonials you collect on your website and other marketing to reinforce why you are a great choice for new clients.
Ask for Referrals
Depending on your discipline and professional register, you may have specific rules around actively asking for referrals. If you’re permitted to ask for referrals, include this request in your client follow-up process – let clients know you are looking for others just like them who you can help.
Referral System
Keep yourself on your client’s radar and remind them of how helpful you are. Create a simple system that helps people refer to you. Make it easy for people to find and contact you with details that can be easily passed on.
When I worked as a practitioner, I provided an information sheet to clients with useful tips that could be passed on which included details of what I did and my contact information. I also sent a monthly email newsletter with news, interesting articles, and the opportunity to contact me if anyone needed support. This reminded clients I was there, and I received numerous referrals off the back of these two activities.
Give People Something Interesting to Talk about
Studies estimate up to 90% of all buying decisions are influenced by word of mouth. Whilst great service and results for your clients are key to this, by being creative, you can boost the process.
The book ‘Talk Triggers’ by Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin provides a great framework for creating an effective word-of-mouth strategy. It’s all about turning your happy clients into volunteer marketers. This is my quick summary of the book:
Talk triggers are the differences that prompt conversations by your clients with others. Being good at what you do isn’t necessarily enough to get people talking, you need to give them something to talk about. They will share the things that are distinctive about you and your services.
Creating a talk trigger for your business can save you time and money on marketing. It will be how you operate daily and will make you stand out from the crowd in a great way. We naturally try to be better than the next person, the key is to be different.
A Talk Trigger in Action
Locksmith Jay provides his customers with an experience that’s meaningful and different from other locksmiths. In an area notorious for poor service, Jay went from starting to being the highest Yelp-rated locksmith in just 3 years. He gives guaranteed estimates with published rates, has a rating system for the locks he sells, performs a security audit for every customer and oils all their existing locks as part of the service.
Excellent service isn’t enough on its own, but it does provide Jay with good tips. He donates a share of his tips to the dog charity ‘Sugar Mutts Rescue’ which is noted on his website. One happy customer wrote about it on her blog, and it was seen by a celebrity who shared it on their social media and went viral. Jay also has hundreds of five-star reviews mentioning the service and Sugar Mutts in particular.
Talk triggers outline the four requirements of a worthy talk trigger:
Remarkable
You must have something that gives your clients a story worth telling. Doing something better than the next practitioner isn’t enough. You will be noticed for being different or extraordinary.
Relevant
Your talk trigger must make sense in the context of what you do, who you are, and what you stand for.
Reasonable
Clients will be suspicious if you promote something that seems too good to be true. Your talk trigger needs to be simple, remarkable enough to be talked about but reasonable enough to be trusted.
Repeatable
Your talk trigger should be offered to every client, every time. It becomes part of what you do consistently, day in and day out.
The book includes lots of other case studies of talk triggers to inspire you including:
- A hotel that serves a warm cookie to all guests on arrival
- A bank with a phone hotline to the boss, in the branch, for any customer to use
- The dentist who calls patients before an appointment to put them at ease
This is a really quick overview of the value of having a talk trigger for your business. Hopefully, it’s inspired you to consider what you can do to create your own talk trigger and have your clients be your volunteer marketers. I highly recommend reading the book for the full framework and in-depth case studies of what this can do for your business.
The Guiseley Osteopathic Center, Leeds
This osteopath has created a genius talk trigger in the form of Stan the Skeleton who resides in the window of their clinic. He's famous in the local area for being dressed up in different outfits to bring a smile to passing locals as well as providing a great talking point. Check out their Facebook page to see Stan in action.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a powerful way to find clients. Start by providing an outstanding service and then consider how to boost it by adding a talk trigger- you'll be pleased you did.
If you're struggling with marketing and finding clients, it's time to get help. Book a call with me and let's have a chat about your situation and I will help you figure out your next best step.
