Word of mouth publicity can be one of the most effective ways of increasing your business so it’s worth giving it some thought.
Last week, whilst wandering through St Anne’s Square in Manchester with my family, we came across a Moroccan market taking place. This was a pleasant surprise as we weren’t aware that it was on.
There was one stall that had a throng of people around it. So, of course, we had to go and have a look.
Demonstration of an Ancient Craft
There, sat on the floor was an elderly man, making a bobbin from cedar wood. He did this using a bow lathe and he carved the wood with a sharp chisel held between his toes. Only a master craftsman could have made the process look so easy whilst at the same time talking about the wood and its moth-repelling properties to his mesmerised audience. Within a matter of minutes he had carved the bobbin and was getting us all to come and smell the fragrance of the wood and sell us other bobbins to keep amongst our clothes.
It was this theatre which made his stall, full of wood and woven craft items for the home, stand out from the rest. And, it was this demonstration that made me go and tell my friends and colleagues about the market.
Create a Talking Point
So, basically, if you want some word of mouth publicity give people something to talk about. But don’t give them something bad to talk about.
After we’d been to the market we went for lunch. Unfortunately, we ended up waiting 40 minutes for our order to arrive – and to add insult to injury the couple on the next table ordered before us and had finished before we were served.
In the end, after complaining and making a fuss, we had 25% deducted from the bill. And even though the manager was very apologetic and had given a discount to make amends you can guess what we were telling people about that restaurant – not the sort of word of mouth publicity you want.
So when looking at how you can gain positive word of mouth publicity consider:
• Giving exceptional service – going beyond the expectations of your customer
• Having a product that is good value for money as well as being well produced
• Creating a talking point or have a bit of showmanship to draw customers in.
Visit these blogs for some more tips about word of mouth publicity:
Jims Marketing Blog: http://jimsmarketingblog.com/2010/11/23/how-to-get-massively-more-word-of-mouth-referrals/
Tray Pennington: http://treypennington.com/2010/07/02/how-to-get-positive-word-of-mouth-advertising/
eUKHost blog: http://blog.eukhost.com/webhosting/word-of-mouth-publicity-the-most-effective-way-of-growing-your-business/
