Customers will advertise for you, if you do it right. Imagine a world where you don’t have to spend extra money on advertising because your customers are hitting the pavement in your name. That’s the world where the first statement is true, and that’s the world in which we live. You want this to happen for your business, so make it happen.
Image credit: Rosen Georgiev | FreeDigitalPhotos.net
Here are six ways to get your customers to advertise for you:
Swag it out
Swag, swag, swag – give it out everywhere. Go farther than the pens though – go with custom shopping bags. If you’d like, have them made from canvas so customers will reuse them. Hand out free tee shirts and hats with your brand everywhere you go. Get your brand on every article of clothing the customer wears to further your exposure.
Hand out tiny pads of paper that they can use to write down a quick note to a friend. This is how the big brands began, and this is how brand recognition begins.
Get appy
Get an app for your website or company. Make it something really fun related to your brand. You’ll want to get people interested in the app, so consider a game or information tied to your brand.
For example, if you sell windmills, consider an app which provides a daily fact on every type of renewable energy. Make sure the app includes sharing options.
Create shareable content
Put content on your website along with an easy social media sharing button. Don’t be stingy – put more than one social media site on the content. Of course, the content must be something worth sharing, so make it good. Once it hits Facebook, encourage your customers to share it. They are now advertising for you.
Add videos
Instructional videos are a great way to spread advertising among customers. If a customer does not know how to fix their kitchen sink, and you as a plumber have added a simple troubleshooting video to your website, your customer’s friend might recommend your video to help solve the problem. You now have a recent customer encouraging his friend to become your future customer.
Add coupons to your receipts
CVS is famous for this. Customers are consistently talking about how much money they saved, thanks to CVS store coupons, which further spreads word-of-mouth advertising. The coupon policy is not directly promoted by CVS; rather, it is promoted by word of mouth among happy customers. Offer a similar policy and watch your customers advertise for you.
Respond to feedback, especially on social media
Make sure to respond to comments and questions right away. Your attentiveness will bring attention to your brand, and customers will be talking about their positive experience.
Additionally, when you respond to a customer on social media, their friends can see the response. This means that you are reaching a new level of potential customers. Your customers, through their feedback to you, are helping advertise your superb level of customer service.
Make your customers advertise for you through subtle branding and information sharing. Your customers will do this happily, especially when you are the type of company which pays them back for doing so!
About the Author:
Marlena Stoddard writes on business and marketing. Originally from Senoia, GA, Marlena lives in Santa Rosa, CA with her husband and two children. You can follow her on Google+.
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