If you are a business owner, you are most likely to appreciate the importance of positive word of mouth. It can work wonders for your business and is one of the best benefits since old times. Way before any internet marketing or commercial! Unless you live under a rock, you make use of various services. In life you encounter those who gave you a normal service, an extremely bad one, and an exceptionally good one! If you get a normal service which simply matches your expectations, you are not likely to mention it a lot with your inner circles. If on the other hand, you have received a disastrous service, you are more likely to ask people to steer away from that place.
The good news for the business is when it manages to provide a service which is stellar and exceeds customer expectations. This is most likely to lead to positive word of mouth, where you would tell all your family and friends. Remember the last time you went to a fantastic restaurant and you would recommend it to anyone? That is precisely the sort of feedback which makes people interested and willing to try the place out. If a business manages to create that type of buzz around its services and products to a wide array of consumers, it is in for some good sales.
The positive side of word of mouth is that it is a free form of publicity, where your customers are doing the work for you. In addition to this, people are more likely to trust the opinions of others who are close to them, rather than advertising.
So let’s imagine you starting off your business and want to gain some positive word of mouth. Think of it as a snowball effect, where you start off small and as you progress you go larger. For certain service providers, reputation is everything. Consider certain professionals such as accountants and lawyers who are restricted in terms of the advertising they can conduct. In this respect, word of mouth is make or break for their business.
Another benefit of word of mouth is the fact that it is unstoppable, as one person tells the other, and the other, creating a loop which may be highly beneficial. Obviously, you lack control over this, which is why you need to make sure that customers are given the best service and value for money, so that they can pass on a positive message.
Be careful as negative perceptions can be quite difficult to handle and highly detrimental. No amount of advertising can guarantee to diminish negative perceptions, once they are formed.
Want to learn more about how you can develop a strong reputation? Speak to MYC for strategic reputation management by sending an email on info@myc.com.mt
