Note - There are lots of great bloggers in Tampa and we're going to begin showcasing their talents with periodic guest posts. This is a great way to further strengthen ties with the community. This first guest post is by Laura Petrolino of Flying Pig Communications. - Dr. Nate.
You visit the grocery store to find the cashier remembers your name and asks about the sick child you had come in last week to buy cough syrup for....
What do you do?
The manager at your favorite restaurant surprises you by giving you a complimentary lunch, for no reason other than as a thank you for your continued business.....
What do you do?
You go to have your hair cut by a new stylist, who not only takes you late and treats you rudely, but also leaves you with a Beatles inspired mop-top........
What do you do?
You call up Bright Eyes with a concern about fuzzy vision and not only does the office work you in, Dr. Nate takes extra time with you to make sure he addresses all of your concerns.......
What do you do?
Hopefully you are telling your friends, family, business partners, pretty much everyone you know! When you receive good service, spread the word! When you receive terrible service, warn your friends! Whatever you do, talk about it.
Word of mouth marketing helps weed out the losers and elevate the gems. It helps encourage businesses to value you as a customer, because they know if they don’t meet your needs and treat you well, you’ll spread the word.
The power of the human voice and human contact are the most powerful communications tools we have. In this day of intense media bombardment, the average person receives thousands of messages a day. With all of these ‘sales pitches’ hitting you daily, it is no wonder you tune out as a consumer, if you didn’t your head would explode with all the slogans and jingles.
Word of mouth marketing allows the consumer to cut through the clutter of constant bombardment and focus in on the best (and worst) business to patronize. We will listen and trust the advice of other people. We don’t have to guess who the best Eye Doctor is, we heard rave reviews from our friend Tonya. We don’t have to pray that the restaurant we are going to for dinner has good sushi, Uncle John raves about it.
The only way word of mouth marketing will help you as a consumer is if you go into action and spread the word yourself. It is easier than ever today with sites like wombeat.com, angieslist.com, and yelp.com, among others. Get on twitter, facebook, email. Use your blog (if you have one) or just chat to friends over lunch. The more you spread the word about local business the more benefits you will receive in return.
Better service, easier choices, customer focused business....all because you weren’t afraid to open your mouth!!!
Laura Petrolino is Founder and Senior Consultant at Flying Pig Communications a full service public relations and communications firm specializing in helping small businesses, start ups and non-profits reach their goals and expand their market outreach. Find out more at http://flyingpigcommunications.com.
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