Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Thank you for helping my mom. You saved our family.”

“My son passed along your YouTube video on preventing falls — my husband slipped and hit his head on the sink. I wish I had seen this earlier. Your help prevented a repeat!”

What do you do with comments like these from customers? You get approval to post them, pass them along and publish them. These are simple ways to push word-of-mouth along.

Kitchen table word-of-mouth recommendation has always been the best advertising. But today, word-of-mouth takes many forms and flows at Internet speed. Online and social networking tools have changed the game.

Word-of-mouth is the primary factor behind 20 to 50 percent of all purchasing decisions. Its influence is greatest when consumers are buying a product (or service) for the first time or when products are relatively expensive, factors that tend to make people conduct more research, seek more opinions and deliberate longer than they otherwise would.

Today, you can't leave word-of-mouth marketing to chance. Take a deep breath. Think like your customers. What is their decision journey? Now, transport yourself into your customer avatars.

In your referral source avatar, you are examining HME sales personnel for their comparative services, street credibility and likeability. You require metrics that demonstrate performance and references. You contact colleagues to be assured that the company is the performer they define. You can't afford to add or change suppliers and be caught with complaint calls.

In your consumer avatar, your medical professional may have suggested suppliers. You are confused and upset about what has happened and have gone online to research the condition, doctor and products. You've checked out supplier websites, online reviews, product ratings and comments. And if it's a cash item, you've looked at online pricing, but don't know if you can wait for, or want to pay for, shipping. You may have called your best friend to ask about his or her experience with a particular supplier.

Talk to your customers. Learn their decision journey and then place your company, your message and your shopping/service experience in the digital — not just the traditional — points on their path.

Where online marketing is concerned, you'll find that:

• You need to give prospects and customers exceptional, authentic reasons to visit.

• Customers need and want content. Fresh, new content also keeps search engines scanning your website.