About 62% of consumers search online for reviews and information before purchasing a product and 90% believe brad recommendations from a friend.
With numbers like those it’s hard not to ignore the importance of reviews, ratings and recommendations when it comes to planning your business’ marketing strategy.
Long before social media or even the written word, word of mouth was our go- to for sharing and learning new information. Word of mouth marketing is one of the oldest, and still most effective forms of marketing.
Somebody who should be a social connector might struggle with because if you're an introvert you're going to struggle to get out there and meet people. You’ve got to have market experts. You've got to be an expert in marketing otherwise you're not going to be able to create word of mouth around your products and services. And then finally you've also got once you've created the... You've got to know people, you've got to like them. You get to the point where they trust you enough and you can ask for maybe some money from them in exchange for your product or service. So, you've got to have some element of sales in your business and personally I feel that if you can't at least master a little bit of all three of those things in your business it's always going to hold you back a little bit more.
User-Generated Content is content created and shared by consumers about businesses or products/services they offer. Some ways you can get this is by generating a unique hashtag like #FearlessBiz this is to identify content and allows both customers to become more involved with your business and this creates a sense of community.
They help you by showing potential customers that you give your current customers quality and value, making your potential customers feel more comfortable in doing business with you. Once you have your reviews/testimonials you can repurpose them into a marketing tool.
Giving your customers a reason to share with others can boost your Word of Mouth marketing to. Big or small, people are always willing and more likely to do something if they receive something in return, for example I offer my Book ‘Take Your Shot’ by using bit.ly/tyspromo as an introduction to my coaching programme. By gibing my potential clients, a free copy of my book rather than them buying it online, builds a sort of trust.
Another way and probably the first one to come to mind is to contact influencers within your industry. Influencers are exactly what their name suggests – people with strong following on social media and have a power to influence the beliefs and behaviours of those in it. Because of their already well-established reputation, Word of Mouth Marketing from an influencer is VERY valuable.
40% of people say they’ve purchased an item after seeing an influencer use it on social media
Just contact them, they’re only human. I mean I would just send David Beckham a Direct Message but there are bloggers and influencers that are a bit closer to home, just have a look on Instagram for example they are plenty of Instagram influencers just waiting to promote whatever it is you’re offering.