What Does It Take to Achieve Success through Word of Mouth?

In order to run a successful word-of-mouth campaign, you need to build an arsenal of credibility-enhancing materials. You should always have these at your disposal to make the most of every networking opportunity

Note: Please keep in mind that this is not a complete list of items needed to market your business. The items in this list are focused on enhancing your networking activities which will lead to greater word of mouth and referrals.

1-Testimonial letters from satisfied clients

2-Photos of yourself, your office facilities, equipment, and/or products

3-Logos of your key customers

4-A list of your memberships and affiliations

5-Question-and-answer sheets

6-Photos of awards and certificates you and your staff have earned

7-Articles you have published, or in which you’re mentioned

8-A one-page flier

9-New-product or service announcements or press releases

10-Current brochures, circulars, and data sheets, and product catalogs

11-Items that reflect your “brand”

12-Items that help you explain your business to your network

13-Client or customer proposals, bid sheets, or marketing letters you have written to existing clients

14-Articles on trends affecting your target market

For the sake of space, I didn’t go into much detail here regarding each of the items in this list but I can certainly go into plenty more of an explanation as to what these items entail.

I’ll leave it up to all of you blog readers to weigh in on whether or not you’d like to see a follow up blog explaining each of the items listed above . . . so, leave a comment and let me know–should I write a blog giving the details regarding these items? Thumbs up, or thumbs down?? . . . Thanks!

7 thoughts on “What Does It Take to Achieve Success through Word of Mouth?”

All but one (13) should also be regularly updated on your website, too. Thumbs up on more detail.

I’m finding the blog very good in terms of breaking down the ideas on various topics and making it accessible to all businesses. Any suggestions on how you would reach the word of mouth audience and which are most effective….for the print materials would you use a batch emailing, actual print, or social media and/or website. So thumbs up on more detail!

Tommy Jaye says:
August 16, 2014 at 9:22 am
Effective marketing today is based on personalization – telling relevant stories to those who want to hear them. With that said, it’s not about reaching them it’s about engaging with them. Finding them is the easy part while creating engagement is what’s difficult. Depending on your model (B2B or B2C), you should easily be able to find where they hangout and who they hangout with. Now, once discovered, meet them where their “at” and choose a strategy that enables/supports a conversation, a dialogue and some genuine interest. The purpose – to build personalized and community relationships, where those you serve will gladly inform you (permission) of how, and in what context, they would enjoy hearing from you (email – social – web – direct mail, etc.). In a nutshell, do your homework first, and then launch your campaign.
Bonus tip: Avoid batching, blitzing & bombing those you are reaching out to. Timing and content is extremely important (relevancy). Lastly, the message should resonate – it’s so exceptional that your target can’t wait to tell others. And “resonate” doesn’t mean faster, better, cheaper unless you’re a commodity.
If you’re a commodity, completely ignore this response. It’s not for you.
Tommy J
Reply

As always your blog gives us good information regarding how to use referral-marketing. I’d love to see more details on the listed points in your todays blog! So a big Thumbs-Up!

Thumbs up! I really hadn’t thought about a lot of these items and how helpful they would be for my referral partners to be able to recommend me to others.