How To Leverage Local Marketing to Build Referral and Word-of-Mouth Marketing?

Imagine this. You’re out and about. You meet someone. You’re a marketing consultant with an online business that includes information marketing, consulting, and a few affiliate products. The person you meet is actively involved in the Chamber of Commerce. You talk. They think you might be a good person to come and speak to at a Chamber meeting. Boom. You now have a captive audience and a room full of prospects.

One of those prospects goes to work the next day and mentions to their employees that they attended the event and heard you talk. One of the employees has a brother who owns a business and could use some marketing help.

The brother reaches out to you and you have a new customer. Now the brother raves about your service on social media. After his post, your website receives 100 new visitors, six inquiries, and three new customers.

Do you see how one local connection can spread and start a domino effect that builds your business?

That’s how word-of-mouth and referral marketing work, and at a local level it can be extraordinarily powerful. People are twice as likely to buy from a company that was referred to them by a peer. Many business owners also say that their best customers come from referrals and word of mouth.

You don’t have to wait for that happenstance meeting with an influential person in your community either. You can make it happen. The following are a few tips and ideas.

• Join Networking Groups

  • You’re going to meet community leaders and influencers if you get out and shake hands with them regularly.
  • Everyone knows ten other people and your reach can expand quickly.

• Ask for It

  • Ask your current local customers to help spread the word. Consider creating a local referral program.
  • For example, “recommend me to a neighbor and get 10% off your next purchase.”

• Become a Connector

  • Introduce people. Make connections for them.
  • If You meet someone who needs a graphic designer, introduce them to someone you know; a local designer would be great because then they can reciprocate.

Position yourself as a listener and a problem solver. This helps you learn more about the needs of your audience. It also allows you to make connections and help people solve their problems. They in turn will be more than happy to make connections for you and refer others to your products or services.

Finally, consider leveraging online review sites. Google Places, for example, can help you generate positive reviews. You can ask for reviews and help build local word of mouth through an online tool.

Speaking of leveraging online tactics, social media can play an important role in word-of-mouth and referral marketing. Let’s take a look at leveraging social media for your local audience.

So, what are you waiting for… Call Us Now at +91 8850318060 OR Email Us at inquiry@localsocialmediasolns.com