For decades, advertising execs have sung the praises of word of mouth advertising. It’s free, it has always had the potential to spread quickly, and it’s a proven fact that consumers trust the word of people that they know far more than they do any marketing piece that you could create. Technology has significantly changed the word of mouth landscape and business owners need to be very cognizant of this change and know how to make it work to their advantage.
Thanks to social media, anyone can quickly and easily share their opinions with others.While this can be a good thing, it can also be a very, very bad thing. Think about your own predisposition to share. How often do you take to social media to sing the praises of something you just bought, tried or did. Often we hesitate for fear that it will seem as though we are bragging. On the flip side, however, give us a product that doesn’t work or a provides us with a bad experience and it almost feels like our duty to warn others to spare them from the same ill fate. We are much more likely to take the time to post when we are dissatisfied than we are when we are satisfied. Get a few negative comments about your business posted online and that can quickly have a negative impact on your business. This is especially true if the negatives aren’t counterbalanced by the comments of some happy customers.
Word of mouth used to travel in smaller circles as well. Customer Jane might tell her friends and her husband might share with his coworkers but chances are they weren’t shouting their opinions from the rooftops. Now Jane’s comments reach all her Twitter followers, Facebook friends and any other social media accounts she may post on. If she tags a friend or a friend comments on her post suddenly her comments are reaching all of their friends as well. Today we are so much more connected with people that we would have lost touch with in previous generations because social media has made it so much easier to keep in touch. Consider your own list of Facebook friends. How many of those people would you actually write a letter to, or call on the phone? How many of them would you even have a number or address for? And yet, you can share your thoughts on anything with these people every day with just minimal effort.
As a business owner, how do you put social media to work for you, while minimizing the risk of being negatively impacted by the word of mouth wildfire?
- Create meaningful interactions with customers. Give them a reason to want to sing your praises. If their shopping experience is truly spectacular they will want to let others know.
- Conversely, if they experience a problem with your business be ready to manage the situation and turn it into a positive. Things will go wrong, it’s a fact of life. It’s our response to these setbacks that truly sets us apart from the competition. If you provide superior customer service and effectively address any issues that customers have they will share that with their friends.
- Offer incentives to encourage people to post positives. Gamification, promotions and other carrots will get your customers talking about your business online. Stumped for ideas? Check out our previous post and get started creating your plan.
- Respond appropriately. In the old days you were unlikely to hear criticisms (at least from the source) so it was hard to respond to the allegations. Today you can search for comments regarding your company and then address them. Check your emotions before you start typing, though. A heated, argumentative response won’t garner favor with the disgruntled customer or their cohorts. Offering concrete examples of what you’d be willing to offer to satisfy your customer can impress everyone.
Consumers have choices. To retain a competitive advantage you have to constantly give them reasons to choose your business. Word of mouth is out there and it’s spreading like wildfire.You need to be controlling the impression that is being spread about your company. Most internet savvy users will give positive messages extra weight because they know that these are the people least likely to take to social media to air their opinions. Taking the time to get those good reviews out there will pay dividends for weeks or even months to come.
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