How does word of mouth marketing fit into your marketing plan?

Business owners starting out dream of the day when they don’t have to spend their time or money on marketing. That first time a customer comes to you because they heard about you through someone else gets the birds chirping and the music playing.

When a loyal customer becomes your ambassador and brings new business to you, it is a beautiful thing. You must be doing something right, and they are doing you a great service to be your mouth piece. When you have enough loyal customers that their ambassadorship can bring in all the business you need, you are truly living the dream.

But as you start penciling word of mouth marketing into your plan, let’s remember two important things.

  • Word of mouth marketing takes time to build. It takes time to build your customer base, and it takes time to grow that loyalty. Even offering referral bonuses does not replace growing a real and true relationship. A full roster of loyal customer ambassadors does not happen overnight. In the meantime, it helps to make them feel like gold for the value they are bringing.
Word of mouth #marketing takes time to build. #smallbusiness #smb #smallbiz Share on X
  • Word of mouth does not allow you to control your message. When your business is starting out, you may still be formulating new offerings or making some tweaks to your brand. Although it is wonderful when someone speaks on your behalf, you have no idea what is being said. There have been times someone has come back to me to ask me about a service that they heard I do – and I don’t. You can still provide them good customer service in that moment, but bear in mind that the game of telephone is fickle. If you want word of mouth to work for you, make sure your message is clear.
If you want word of mouth to work for you, make sure your message is clear. #marketing #smb Share on X

As you build your client base, feel free to build in incentives for referrals. But remember that it takes take to build enough loyal client ambassadors and enough easy access to clear information about your brand. In the meantime, make sure you are putting your message out there the way it is meant to be seen.

 

If you want to be proactive about building a strong, effective word of mouth marketing plan, check out my Referral Marketing Guide. It will help you find the contacts, set your strategy, and initiate conversations to create brand ambassadors for your business so you can leverage testimonials to a wider network and convert more sales.