Word Of Mouth Marketing

If you have a business, you know that advertising is essential to getting your name out there.  The more familiar with your name people are the more value your name has, thus, the more value your product or service has in the minds of the consumer.  However, advertising can be expensive, so business owners are always looking for ways to advertise for less.  The most popular form of inexpensive advertising is word of mouth marketing.

Word of mouth marketing once simply meant telling your friends and getting them to tell their friends.  Do you remember the shampoo commercial that went along the lines of “…and they’ll tell two friends and they’ll tell two friends…” that was so popular in the 80’s?  Well, the same premise still applies today but now there are new ways of getting “friends” to tell their “friends”.  Word of mouth marketing has grown by leaps and bounds with the advent of the internet.

The internet has brought forth the world of word of mouth referral programs.  With incentives like free products or services, a discount on their next purchase, or even a percentage of every sale, word of mouth marketing has become very popular.  These are often called affiliate programs as well.  They allow you to get the word out about your product or service through other people.  People who participate in word of mouth referral programs may have their own web site and put your banner or text ad on their site allowing them to make a small profit from every lead or sale they send your way.  They may also use personal email or classified ads to bring attention to your business.  They are essentially doing your advertising for you.

Another word of mouth marketing technique that is becoming very popular is blogging.  People all over the world and of all ages are writing blogs.  Sometimes they are just general chatter about their own lives, but more often than not they are focused on a specific topic.  You can start your own blog as a means of getting the word out about your business and then link to other blogs that focus on similar topics to yours.  When you link to them, they will usually link back to you.  Their “friends” become your “friends”.  You can also approach blog writers and ask them to review your business products or services in exchange for links, percentages of sales, or free products or services.

Word of mouth marketing can help you spread the buzz about your business quickly and effectively.  It does take time but costs are minimal thus increasing your profit margins.  You can still spread the word with your real time friends, but your online “friends” can be an invaluable resource to your business.