17 Tips to Trigger Positive Word of Mouth Marketing (PT 1/2)

Remember 2014’s ALS Ice Bucket Challenge?

Yes, that!

You know about it, and you still remember it, but did you ever see one of its ads?

Unlikely. Because there were no paid ads.

It is one of the finest examples of positive word of marketing that ALS absolutely nailed. During the eight-week period, $115 million was raised.

That is the power of WOMM. That is why the world’s leading brands focus so much on influencing the organic discussion about their brands and products. If done right, it can snowball to bring a huge positive impact.

So, it makes sense why you’re aiming to trigger word-of-mouth marketing for your brand. To help you get started and achieve the desired WOMM goals, here are seven tips:

1. Personalize your content

The primary objective here is to get people aware that you know who they are, where they live, their pain points, and solutions they are looking for.

Taking their name (in emails), talking about their city, and using other data points to identify them through your content can make them feel special, which can trigger a positive emotion.

They would have an overall positive interaction with your brand. This increases the chances of them discussing your brand in their circle.

2. Amp up your after-sale service

Many businesses abruptly leave a person as soon as a sale is made. Don’t be one of them.

Have a well-defined after-sale strategy wherein you assist your new customers with every query and confusion.

If they don’t know how to use your product or if they have some problem with their purchase, listen to them and promptly resolve it.

Good after-sale service can leave customers with a good experience, thereby compelling them to leave good reviews and recommend your brand to others.

Run post-sales email drip campaign

This is in continuation to the previous point.

While you must respond to customers who reach out with questions and complaints, don’t leave others who don’t.

After the sales, it’s important to keep those customers engaged with your brand.

Creating and running a post-sales email drip campaign is a good idea.

For instance, if you offer an HR SaaS product, sending a series of emails and explaining how the users can use that platform efficiently can be a lever for a good user experience. Similarly, if you sell fitness equipment, you can send customers a series of fitness-related articles through emails.

Good engagement with customers will enhance your brand identity. Those customers are more likely to stick with your brand for the long term and recommend your products.

Ask for their feedback

Imagine someone asking for your opinion or help. Does that not make you feel special?

That’s the primary objective here. When you ask for the feedback and opinion of the target audience, it makes them feel worthy. And if you incorporate those feedbacks in your product or execution, it can truly win their heart.

Note, however, you don’t want to broadcast a give-us-your-feedback message. That’s generic and may not work as effectively. Instead, you want to reach out to people individually and for their feedback.

(Besides, customer feedback can be one of the biggest assets for you. Based on that, you can improve your products and marketing strategies.)

Offer them something “extra”

No matter what industry you’re in and the kind of products you’re offering, incentives will work no matter what.

Admittedly, offering something “extra” like discounts or goodies can be costly. But it is also the most effective way to trigger word-of-mouth marketing.

So, figure out what extra value you can offer to your customers; what more you can offer them.

The more added benefits they get, the more they will like your brand. This can lead them to talk good about you and your products on social media and with friends.

Encourage people to leave reviews/testimonials

Did you know 95 percent of customers read reviews before making a purchase?

In fact, 91 percent of customers between the age of 18 and 34 trust online reviews just as much as personal recommendations.

Moreover, positive reviews, ratings, and testimonials can not only boost your direct sales but even encourage more people to talk about your brand.

So, ask your customers to leave positive reviews for your products, to send you their testimonials.

Adopt surprise and delight marketing initiatives

It’s your birthday and one of your favorite brands sent you a shopping coupon. Wouldn’t you absolutely love it?

That’s surprise and delight; that brand surprised and delighted you.

S&D initiatives can win you long-term customers. They can turn your customers into admirers and brand ambassadors.

In fact, this is one of the surest ways to get your customers to talk positively about your brand on social media.

So, get together with your team and come up with a plan to run successful surprise and delight campaigns.

Create a referral program

Some of the biggest brands (especially in the B2B category) have referral programs. Follow suit!

Reward your existing customers who bring you more customers. This will have more people advocating for your brand and product to get rewarded.

Today, creating referral programs is fairly simple. There are dedicated solution providers who can assist you with this.

Team up with the industry’s influencers

Influencer marketing is still BIG… and it will continue to get bigger.

If you haven’t already tried it, it’s time to jump in.

Getting together with key influencers in your niche can be very effective in getting the words about your brand going.

These influencers can expose their audience to your product. They can “influence” the latters’ opinions and decisions.

Influencers can encourage their audience to try your products and talk about your brand.

If done right and in alignment with your overall inbound and outbound marketing, this can bring you high ROI, including a wave of word-of-mouth promotion.

For help with influencer marketing, connect with any of the top digital marketing agencies in Kolkata.

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