The Power is Still in the Word-of-Mouth
The best marketing is word-of-mouth. Many of us have heard that phrase over the years. That sentiment still holds true, even as marketing continues to evolve with the expansion of digital marketing tools and strategies develop. Customers expect a brand or company to say how great they are so advertising from that vantage point has limited success. The most trusted testimony on a company’s performance comes from its customers. Customer reviews or testimonials on a company’s service(s) or product(s) are considered more objective and if you have ever read the comments on social media posts or reviews on Yelp you know that people particularly those who are dissatisfied do not hold back. Below are a few methods that you can use to maximize the customer perspective:
Capture It
After you have completed a project, how many times have you graciously listened to a customer share their kind words and wished others could hear it? Well, they can. If you, capture the moment. When someone expresses enjoying your products or services, ask them if you can record them sharing their experience. I recommend video because it can be used in its entirety or in separate elements such as audio only or quoted in text for your website or marketing collateral.
Reviews on Social
Your next option is to ask for reviews or recommendations on social media. The power of reviews posted on social media is that others can easily see them. It is social proof connected to an individual’s profile. The network of social media users connected to the person leaving the review will see that their connection was impressed with your work. This method, also, increases the interactivity on your social media account(s), which increases the possible audience reach.
Customer Appreciation Moments
Regardless of the industry, there is competition for someone’s money, time, and trust. Show your gratitude through customer appreciation campaigns. This could be a coupon, special gift, social media highlight, access to exclusive information or events, which gives the customer another opportunity to brag about how wonderful your business is. Your customers are your business partners. Show them how valuable they are.
Reviews or testimonials can be repurposed as content within promotion videos, on the company website, social media posts, or quote(s) in advertisements and marketing collateral.
Just a note: If a customer leaves an unfavorable review, do not ignore it or them. Discover what the disconnect is and try to resolve the issue.