“Word of Mouth” does NOT equal “Do No Marketing”
February 20, 2011
I visited a brand new local small business yesterday, checking it out for the first time. While the young lady behind the counter served the customers in front of me she asked them where they were from and the conversation turned to, “We’re here because ‘so-and-so’ told us about it”.
The woman behind the counter replied, “Yes we’re slowly getting more business and we’re counting on Word Of Mouth to help us…”
I realized I actually physically cringed. Ughhhhh…. There’s that ‘Word Of Mouth’ thing again and I wondered why those harmless 3 little words have such a strong negative effect on me.
Why hearing “All I need is Word of Mouth” makes me cringe
After thinking about it all afternoon I realized why. I constantly hear statements like: “80% of my business is Word Of Mouth” or “I’m counting on Word Of Mouth to grow my business” or “All I need is more Word of Mouth” from small business owners who continually struggle with getting more customers.
Yes, Word Of Mouth is an effective, inexpensive, and truly pure form of marketing. You can’t get any better than having an army of raving fans marching in the streets declaring how wonderful you are. There is no better endorsement of a brand than to have someone with no ulterior motive rant about their experience.
Word of Mouth does not equal “Do No Marketing”
Here’s what I think – and please, correct me if I’m wrong – I think many business owners think that getting “Word of Mouth” attention is the easy way out of doing any other marketing. I think business owners think if they open up shop, put out a decent product, and provide friendly service everyone is automatically going to tell all of their friends about it and they’re going to be rich! I think business owners think that word of mouth requires no work, other than opening up shop, plugging in the “Open” sign each day, and delivering a good product with a smile. I also think that what most small business owners don’t realize is that Word of Mouth is a strategy; one that requires planning, thought, and action.
Getting people to talk about your stuff takes work – yes, WORK. There’s that dirty word again. Nothing comes for free; nothing comes easy – especially in the world of small business. Word of Mouth is really about proactively creating, grooming, and nurturing brand advocates. It’s about creating a truly unique experience, and delivering on it diligently and consistently.
To harness the real power of Word of Mouth, you must Surprise and Delight. You must create a unique experience that is memorable and talk-worthy. You must create stories worth being told over coffee, at family gatherings, in line at the grocery store! You must be able and willing to think outside the box- do something different, be unique!
Word of Mouth marketing – or rather the success of Word Of Mouth as a tool for growing a business is a strategy. It isn’t a “sit back and let it happen” magic pill of business growth.
What do you think – am I totally out in left field on this one? I’d love to hear your thoughts on this!! Leave your comments here.
By the way – if you like this post, I would REALLY appreciate your ReTweet! Thank you!!!! 
6 Things Every Small Business Can Learn From Lady Gaga
February 14, 2011
I was never a fan of Lady Gaga. I grew up in the age of Madonna rolling and gyrating all over the stage in her fetish-style costumes and Ozzy Osbourne biting the heads off bats. Lady Gaga and her outrageous outfits and risqué lyrics didn’t faze me. She was just another wannabe exorbitant artist that the general public was eating up and I didn’t pay much attention. That is until I saw her on 60 Minutes last night; then I realized what a marketing genius she is and gained a new respect.
She built a brand (Lady Gaga) from scratch and is now, according to Anderson Cooper, “the most talked about entertainer in the world”. Lady Gaga didn’t get famous by accident. No, she diligently studied “the art of being famous”. This is a woman on a mission – a woman with passion and drive and I gained a whole new respect, if not for the music, but for the business woman and brilliant marketer she is.
Here are 6 things all small business owners can learn from Lady Gaga:
- Master the “Art of Fame” - Lady Gaga didn’t become famous by accident. She knows what it takes to be famous because she invested the time and energy; she studied it. Nothing she does is by accident. She plans every outfit, every song, every interview, every moment of her life. Are you a master of what it takes to become famous in your industry? Do you understand what others in your industry have done to make it big? Can you honestly say you KNOW what it takes to make your business as successful as you want it to be and that you plan each and every action with achievement of that goal in mind?
- Know your audience and connect– Lady Gaga knows her audience, she has a huge fan base of young and old who feel disconnected and disenfranchised in the world and she speaks to and connects with them in her music, her image and her interviews. She moves them because she understands them so well. Who are your “fans”/customers? What moves them and what do you do to move them? What do you do on every level to connect with them?
- Be inspirational – People are drawn to positive people, businesses, and outcomes. If you aren’t excited about your business, no one will be. Lady Gaga embraces and uplifts the insecure, outcast, “freak” in us all. Hers is a message of self empowerment and self acceptance- and that has helped her succeed. What is your message to the world?
- Make it personal – Lady Gaga uses her own experience to connect. She grew up feeling like an outcast; she was different. But instead of using it to isolate herself she turned it into a way to connect to others. How can you tell your story to connect with your customers and prospects? What need, problem, or niche do you fill that is lacking in peoples’ lives? People connect with people – make it personal!
- Be outrageous – No one ever got famous or popular by being timid. Lady Gaga made a truckload of money and became a worldwide phenomenon by taking risks and by standing out from the crowd – by being outrageous. What can you do in your own industry to stand out and be outrageous? Don’t be afraid to take risks- don’t follow the crowd.
- Change it up sometimes – Never be boring! Every time you see Lady Gaga she’s sporting a different look. She’s always outrageous, always edgy and always true to her brand – but she’s always fresh and new and exciting! How can your company and brand keep it fresh and new and exciting so that every time a customer or potential customer comes into contact with you they get a new/fresh look or perspective? Maybe it’s a new product or service offering. Maybe it’s a new process… find a way to keep it interesting and keep your customers engaged!
By the way – if you like this post, I would REALLY appreciate your ReTweet! Thank you!!!!
5 New Years Resolutions for Small Business Owners
January 5, 2011
How was your 2010? If you’re like most people I know, it wasn’t exactly a banner year. to put it politely. So, what are you doing to make 2011 better? Have you reviewed, analyzed and tweaked your business or marketing plan? Have you committed to a new strategy?
If you don’t know where to start, here is a great article written by my friend and colleague, Kelly Weppler, Principal and Owner of WH & Associates called “5 Simple Marketing Resolutions“.
Now’s the time to make plans or resolutions for the New Year. Have you put down any plans or goals on paper—for you personally or for your professionally? Writing them down and making them tangible is the first step. Here is a list of 5 key marketing resolutions that you may want to think about as we move into the New Year.
1. Build a routine to market your business. Think of marketing as a system and build a routine to help yourself create some consistency in marketing your business. All too often small business owners look at marketing as a ne event rather than something they are doing on an on-going basis. Schedule regular appointments on your calendar to ensure that you’re working on marketing your business. And be sure not to cancel them–you wouldn’t cancel an appointment with a potential client, so why are cancelling an appointment to work on marketing your business?
2. Get better educated about what’s being said about you online. Create Google alerts to keep on top of what’s being communicated about you, your products and your business online. This is becoming more and more important to address any potential negative comments that might have been made. I also encourage my clients to create Google alerts on their competitors, the experts in their industry and some general terms that people looking for search on.
3. Create a marketing calendar. Think about a theme for each month or quarter of the year and then you do something surrounding that theme. No doubt this will help you better plan the year out and you’ll know exactly what you need to do ahead of time. Then your monthly newsletter will follow the theme and you’ll spend less time worrying about what kind of content you need to come up with.
4. Let your existing customers know you appreciate them. Send them an email, give them a call, just make a point of contacting them and thanking them for their business.
5. Send out 5 handwritten notes each month. This is a simple task that more often than not rekindles a business relationship with a past client and results in additional business or the past client referring you to someone else.
Just pick one of the above and implement and execute. Number 4 is very simple and anyone can implement this with a minimal amount of time and an extremely limited budget. Just doing this one thing and being consistent is what counts and produces results.
*Posted with permission by Kelly Weppler of WH & Associates to view the blog in its entirety, click here.
What New Years resolutions have you made for your small business??? Tell us!
Leave your comments here.
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+Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company
- Carolyn Higgins, President of Fortune Marketing Company specializes in helping small to medium sized businesses get the customers they need to sell more, increase profits and achieve all of their business and personal goals. We do this by implementing and managing marketing systems based on data and strategy - there is no guess work. For more information visit us at: FortuneMarketingCompany.com. We'd be glad to help!
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