The Simplest Way to Increase Word of Mouth Advertising

While most business owners would agree that word-of-mouth (WOM) advertising is the most effective marketing money can’t buy, most also have no idea how to maximize it. While there are many changes an owner can make to maximize customer service and – by extension – WOM advertising, there is only one major way to increase WOM, and that’s to use data in every part of the customer experience.

Take the humble restaurant. What data does a restaurant possess that could help it increase WOM? First, ask where all of the consumer touchpoints are: when they enter the space, when they sit down, when they order, when they leave, etc. At every touchpoint, data can help us.

For instance, if the patron has made a reservation, the restaurant knows who the patron is. What additional effort would it take for the server to address the patron by name when the server comes to the table?

What if we kept a simple database of meals on customers, and we taught it to recognize patterns? A system like that would tell us if a certain patron liked espresso after each meal, which could then prompt the server to ask whether the patron would like espresso – in advance, and like magic! Today’s tech would make such a system easy to create (it’s called a CRM!), and the results would be extraordinary in WOM effectiveness.

Every business can run through this simple exercise of using data at every consumer touchpoint. It’s the simplest way to increase WOM advertising, and if we agree that word-of-mouth is the most important marketing tool, I’d advise that any investment to boost it would be a wise investment indeed.

If you're looking for an agency that can help you with WOM advertising, or that can aggressively grow your business, contact us!

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• Analysis
• Strategy
• Word of Mouth
• Marketing
• Advertising