In a recent poll by Alignable, the social network for small business owners, 64% of over 1,000 owners selected “word-of-mouth referrals” as the most effective way to acquire new customers. This was the most effective customer acquisition method by a mile—word-of-mouth was 3.5x higher than the next result, social media.
But now what? Since you can’t simply go out and buy word-of-mouth, what’s a business owner to do to actually take greater advantage of it to drive their business success?
Know Your Influencers
Who has credibility with local customers that you can rely on to tell others about your business?
Your customers!
There’s no doubt that your customers are your best source since they have directly experienced what you have to offer. If you provide a great customer experience they are likely to talk about it when asked by a friend or colleague. Be sure to stay top of mind via regular email communications highlighting upcoming events, promotions, and featured products or services.
Local businesses nearby!
Other local business owners are a great potential source of word-of-mouth that’s often left untapped. Already a trusted source for local business information, simply forming good relationships with a few other business owners can result in a significant increase in your word-of-mouth traffic.
Get Word-of-Mouth with Your Free Alignable Membership
Insightly and Alignable have partnered together to invite Insightly customers to Alignable’s small business social network. Not a member yet? Join your local business neighbors and take these easy steps to help your word-of-mouth grow!
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Invite your customers and members to Alignable
Inviting your existing customers and members to Alignable benefits you in two important ways. You get exposure in Alignable’s Neighborhood feed every time someone you invited joins because your name and a link to your profile appears as the “inviter.” And by getting people who know and would recommend you to join Alignable’s social network, you’re making it easy for them to spread the word about your business!
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Share interesting and helpful content in your Alignable Neighborhood
The best way to get businesses talking about you and with you is to post interesting and helpful content in the Neighborhood feed. Here’s an example of an SEO expert helping other members’ understand how keeping your business profiles (including Alignable’s) up-to-date helps you get better search results:
We’ve seen a merchant organization get dozens of inquiries from potential new members after sharing relevant tips for growing a business. An insurance agent had many members thank him and ask for meetings after posting about things to consider when purchasing employee insurance. So share your knowledge!
- Make others in the community feel welcome
A simple way to get to know new potential members and customers is to reach out to them when they join Alignable. Welcome them in the Neighborhood feed and make them feel like a part of the community!
With Alignable, local businesses finally have an easy, online way to connect and discuss issues relevant to them. Make sure you’re taking advantage of every opportunity to be a helpful resource to your local business community, and it will pay off in spades!
