How important is word of mouth marketing? Highly. Particularly in an industry dealing with reputation. At many agencies, a vast number of clients on the books have come from recommendations by other clients or people in their business network.
A reputation people want to share
People will put their own reputation on the line to recommend your business, and according to Nielson, 92% of people trust referrals from those they know. So it pays to transform clients into your biggest fans and get them having conversations about your agency. There are a few small things you can do to delight clients and get them talking about you.
Engage with clients
Social customer service – the clue is in the name. Social media is all about being social, starting real conversations with real people about what interests them. The trick is to treat social media as you would any other personal interaction. If you were at a networking event, you wouldn’t whip out a megaphone and start talking about yourself and your agency. You’d get people talking about themselves and their business, identifying their needs through conversation.
Be your own billboard
If there’s a campaign you’ve done recently, or client-launch that was very well-received, don’t be afraid of telling the world of your great work. Most agencies will showcase their previous successes on their websites, but going a little further can be a good way of boosting your word of mouth marketing. Share it on your social media accounts or mention it to clients. Take care not to be boastful though, rather suggest how a similar activity could help them.
Professional foot forward
No one is willing to recommend a business to their peers if they don’t think it’s up to scratch, as it reflects on them. An agency may well achieve great results for their clients, but if they’re tricky to get hold of, or are lax in their communications, they’re not going to be the shining beacon people want to tell others about. Make sure that every time a client or prospective customer gets in touch – whatever the medium – they get the best possible treatment. The warmest greetings, answered promptly, handled efficiently.