One of
the most effective forms of marketing available
is also the least expensive: referrals. When
people are happy with a product or service,
they naturally want to tell their friends and
associates about the experience. Your satisfied
customers can become your “volunteer sales
force,” spreading the good word about
your business for you.
Linda Coss
949-699-2749
|
Ask
for Referrals |
|
“Word
of mouth” is one of the most valuable forms
of advertising. It’s powerful, effective,
and very inexpensive! Your satisfied customers
can be your best spokespeople and biggest cheerleaders.
However, even happy customers can use reminders
that they ought to “tell a friend.”
How can you encourage customers to do so? Here
are some ideas…
- Create
a formal “tell a friend” program
whereby you reward your customers for spreading
the word.
- Include
a flier about your business and the products
and services you offer with each purchase; encourage
customers to pass this flier on to a friend.
- If
you have a “bricks and mortar” office
or store, place an attractive sign in a visible
place encouraging clients to tell their friends
about your business.
- If
you send out regular emails to your customers,
add a P.S. suggesting that they forward the
email on to others who may be interested.
- Order
a roll of pre-printed “We love referrals”
or “I’m never too busy for your
referrals” stickers, and place these on
your letters, envelopes, brochures, invoices
and other printed materials.
- Ask!
A great time to bring up the subject is just
after your customer has expressed their satisfaction
with your product or service. “I’m
so glad you’re happy,” you could
say. “Do you know of anyone else that
could benefit from our service? I would certainly
appreciate the referral!”
A
positive testimonial about your company –
delivered directly from your satisfied customer
to a potential customer – is one of the
most powerful forms of advertising there is. It
pays to encourage your customers to tell their
friends about your business.
|
| Customer Spotlight:
Home Comfort Care
|
Home
Comfort Care provides home companion care to
the elderly. Caregivers assist with the activities
of daily living, including meal preparation,
laundry, light housekeeping, errands, and more.
As
a start-up company, the owners of Home Comfort
Care are leveraging their extensive contacts
and experience in the local senior care industry
to spread the word about their company. As their
business grows, referrals from satisfied customers
will be a significant source of new customers.
To
see the tagline and tri-fold brochure which
I wrote for Home Comfort Care, click
here.
|
| ©
2007 Linda Marienhoff Coss |
| |
|
|
|
|
About Linda |
|
|
|
Linda Coss is a freelance marketing writer who helps businesses become more profitable by writing persuasive, targeted and effective messages for their brochures, websites, letters, ads, fliers, press releases, newsletters and other written materials.
Whether you need something written "from scratch" or want a professional to edit what you've created, Linda is your on-call marketing writer.
For more information
|
|
|
