Word-of-mouth is not enough
There’s no denying the power of a good referral, but it needs to be part of a bigger strategy. In this week’s episode we discuss why relying solely on word of mouth not only limits your brand’s reach, but also impacts your message precision, and likelihood to connect with potential customers.
Branding Before Breakfast Ep 180 Word-of-mouth is not enough
Good morning. My name is Kiri, I’m the Business Growth Strategist here at Tiny Hunter.
This week I’ve had some really interesting conversations with potential clients about growth. And what I’ve discovered is that more than one of those have relied on word of mouth referrals alone to sustain their businesses over the years. Fascinating. It got me thinking about the power of referrals and its impact on brands. And while there is no denying the power of a good referral and it’s impressive to see that some businesses have thrived on that over the years. It has made me think about how many opportunities they’ve also missed out on just by not investing in their brand.
Let’s say when your customer talks to somebody else, their friend, about the experience they’ve had, great, that’s a win. But that person then wants to find out more. Perhaps what they’re after isn’t quite the same as what their friend has been offered. So they go to your website, but your service offering isn’t communicating your services very well. So they assume you don’t do that. Perhaps somebody else is convinced, but they want to see some more examples of other projects you’ve done, but you don’t have up-to-date case studies available for them. Or perhaps they just want to talk to a sales team member. But you haven’t taken the time to define your value proposition or train your staff in how to communicate that effectively, so it falls short. Being good at what you do is a given, and when somebody talks about how great you are to somebody else, that’s a massive win. But you shouldn’t rely solely on word of mouth because it limits your brand’s reach, it limits your message you’re trying to communicate and it limits your impact. Word of mouth referral needs to be a part of a more strategic approach. And every time your customer or somebody talks about your brand to someone else, it needs to be backed up with a consistent brand experience. Whether that’s walking past your signage, visiting your website, or talking to your sales team. Branding is holistic and word of mouth referrals are just one part of that puzzle.
That’s it from me, it’s time for brekkie.
Written by: Kiri White
Published: March 20, 2024