Did you know that your customers or clients secretly gossip about your business to their friends, family and colleagues? It’s true, so why not make it good gossip. Viral Marketing can be low cost, easy and affordable for any small business to implement and receive exceptional results.
Here’s what fuels word of mouth marketing in a positive way.
1. Great Products
2. Great Service
3. Unusual Promotions
4. Unusual Marketing
5. Your Look
When Apple introduced the I-Pod people couldn’t say enough good things about the product. It was a huge hit and everyone became a raving fan. The I-Pod became an over night sensation riding the backs of each and every happy customer until every home owned at least one. That’s incredible viral marketing.
I understand that we’re not as big as Apple. But we can accomplish the same thing with our products and services on a smaller scale.
Write down how you can make your customers or clients raving fans. It can be as easy as writing them a thank you note after each purchase with a discount coupon. This strategy doesn’t only get them gossiping about you in a positive way, but the discount coupon lures them back to your business quickly.
How many businesses are sending their customers or clients thank you notes with coupons after their initial visit? Hardly any! It doesn’t take but a hand full of raving fans to spread positive gossip about your business that could quickly magnify into hundreds of new customers or clients over night.
The key to viral marketing is to get people talking about you or your business in a positive way.
Promoting a charity event will promote viral marketing, and get people talking about your business. I had a member of my Gold VIP Group implement this strategy with great results. She held a charity event at her Salon, giving 50% of the proceeds to the Breast Cancer Awareness Fund.
She received FREE publicity from her local newspaper and radio stations, and she acquired 32 new clients, giving her emphatic word of mouth marketing. She has acquired “Rock Star” status in her market because of all the wonderful things people said about her, and her business.
Unusual promotions will fuel viral marketing. I had a client who used a voice impersonator to send a voice broadcast of “Elvis” to all his clients offering a special one day discount. He had a 26% response from this campaign. But here’s the kicker. His customers thought the message was so outrageous and fun, that they kept the voice recording of “Elvis”, so they could have their family, friends and neighbors listen to it. It didn’t take long before the whole neighborhood was talking about his promotion. He sets up 4 viral marketing promotions a year using different voice broadcast personalities (Donald Trump, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and Joan Rivers.)
You need to decide how you can get viral marketing working for you. Maybe you’ve heard about the grocery stores charging 25 cents per plastic bag. A lot of consumers are outraged by this. Maybe you could give out a well designed grocery bag for FREE with your logo on it. You have to keep thinking about how you can help your customers create viral marketing.
Glen Andrews helps small-business owners with advertising and sales strategies to attract more clients, save money, and boost sales consistently and cost effectively.