Word of Mouth Marketing - Are You Really Doing It?

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Word of Mouth Marketing - Are You Really Doing It?

A common conversation our marketing consultants have on a weekly basis with new clients.

Consultant: “What is your best form of marketing?”
Contractor: Word of mouth
Consultant: “Great. What do you do to generate those leads?”
Contractor: “Good work.”

And there’s the rub.

Word of mouth marketing is not just doing good work; it is a system of constant communication and asking for referrals. Referrals from clients and even prospects are the best leads you can ever hope to receive.

If you provide valuable, worthwhile products and services to your clients, they will want to share you with others. It’s just human nature! But sometimes they need a little nudge. So whatever your business is, you should have a system in place for promoting this positive “word of mouth.” You cannot simply rely on “Good Work.”

Listed below are some quick ideas that you SHOULD be doing to run a successful contractor business:
Customer Newsletters

If you are a Footbridge Media client, you should already be implementing the Rocket Referral Program. A newsletter, mailed (YES, SNAIL MAIL) creates a “top of mind” awareness unlike any other form of marketing. It is hands-on way to keep in touch and generate referrals with your clients.
Email Newsletters

This can be custom made to be sent out each month, or a simple auto responder system that you can create where you just build it and then forget it, but it is an excellent way to communicate with clients and stay in touch.
Discount Referrals

This referral system is very simple. Give your products or services away (or significant discounts on your products or services) in local raffles. One idea is to hold a raffle for a free kitchen design with the local Chamber of Commerce. The tickets sold in the raffle go towards paying for the cost of the project and the contractor gets to display the remodeling for several months leading up to the raffle in high-profile areas provided by businesses that are members of the Chamber of Commerce.
Strategic Alliances

Setting up strategic alliance relationships is an excellent marketing opportunity for you for a couple of reasons. First, for virtually no marketing cost, a strategic alliance can bring you in a flood of good business. Team up with other contractors in your area and refer services. Create a complete contractor alliance of different types of contractors and share resources and leads together. If you are a Footbridge Media client and interested in partnering with other Footbridge Media clients in your area contact your assigned marketing consultant.
Social Media

Thanks to forums, blogs, social networks and other Internet-based applications, the contractors can now know what their clients and customer think almost instantaneously! You can surf the web for reviews, and in most cases you can even send a reply or response right there and then. This helps build up your image as a company that cares and listens.

A contractor might not be able to buy ad spots on television but if you can get people to recommend your product or service to their friends, then this would build up the trust factor, because people will more often than not buy something from a company that they trust, rather than one that is simply visible and popular due to advertisements.

Source:

Footbridge Media Monthly newsletter

[MOTB]

Setting up strategic alliance relationships is an excellent marketing opportunity for you for a couple of reasons.

I completely agree with this section, and before continuing, wish to make it known that my company MyOnlineToolbox.com is a strategic partner with FootbridgeMedia. I have seen many companies form strategic relationships and then, at the end of the day, it winds up that two companies have each other's logos on their websites.

When MyOnlineToolbox looks for a strategic partner, we look for companies who will learn a little about each other, and ensure to promote their image wherever possible (in addition to our company image).

Footbridge Media is an excellent example becuase many people may say "I know a guy who can do my website for cheaper, etc.". I was in contact with dozens of so-called website development & marketing firms before meeting up with Footbridge.

When I called them, I introduced (like I did a dozen times before) an idea to educate contractors within a video forum. One of the key persons at Footbridge jumped at the chance to try something new, flew to South Florida and recorded a video.

Go to thecontractorshow.com , then Previous Topics , then Websites Do Create Job Leads to watch the video. It came out pretty informative.

We then discussed co-marketing and of course have our images on each other's websites. But we also have numerous ways of promoting each other's images where applicable (newsletters, customer service updates, and within the new signup process).

But it should not end there .... it is very important for a co-mareketing partner to follow up on any leads generated by the relationship, or the whole thing is a waste of time and bad for your image. I dropped some people simply becuase they were terrible at following up. And let me be clear, I couldn't give a hoot what someone's challenges are to simply contact a lead (phone, email or carrier pigeon) and say "I was referred by Brian of MyOnlineToolbox and would like to know how I can help you". It takes forever to get good leads, and the last thing I want to do is have a customer or prospect of mine tell me that they never heard back from my co-marketing partner. Sure, there may be telephone tag, lost connections, whatever, but the first attempts are the responsibility of the co-marketing partner.

I had to drop someone after asking, a few times in a week how it went, and each time I was told they were just about to get back to them. You get my point since there are some people who just are terrible at follow up.

So in addition to Footbridge (and my other partners) being good at what they promote, it is also the other things that you will never see on a website that will make a relationship work.

Brian