Word of mouth marketing, known as WOMM, is a term used in the business industry to describe the activities companies use to generate sales through personal referrals and recommendations.
This form of advertising is highly recommended among advertisers. This form of communication is believed to be more credible than other forms of promotion. Most people will believe a recommendation that comes from someone they know. Word of mouth advertising offers small businesses an advantage because it is often very inexpensive, but can be time consuming.
Successful “word of mouth” marketing can create buzz. This is when the media picks up on a product and it becomes a “hot topic” to talk about. This can happen when a small group of people successfully use your product, then tell their friends, who then tell their friends. For this to be successful, you must have a way to spread your message about your valuable service.
A good group for beginners is BNI. The chamber of commerce is also a valuable group and allows you to get the attention of larger companies. Another source is joining community service groups, such as the Lions Caucus. BNI is a networking group that only allows one professional from each industry to join. The group then acts as a referral source for its members. For example, a group may have a real estate agent. The realtor gets a client and then refers his client to the group’s home inspector and group mortgage officer. Another advantage of this organization is that it is very structured and organizes seminars that teach “word of mouth” networking. This is a good organization for startups with little or no business experience.
The chamber of commerce allows you to contact larger companies, such as banks and marketing companies. This is achieved through what are called “Chamber Mixers”. These meetings allow members to mingle with each other. One must be experienced in how to introduce yourself as you may not see the member again and have about 1 minute to make a first impression.
Getting involved in community service organizations is another way to network and spread your message. A good group to start with is the Lions Club. They are mostly made up of businessmen. They focus on how to improve the community and the businesses within. In addition to the Lions group, there are organizations like Habitat for Humanity, which specializes in building houses for the poor.
A successful “word of mouth” marketing strategy is not only an effective means of building your business, it also provides a learning and social outlet. A useful website is www.usachamberofcommercedirectory.com. I hope you find these sites useful and I wish you luck in your word of mouth marketing campaign.
