We’re all familiar with the power of “word of mouth” marketing. Simply put, people often trust the opinion of their friends and loved ones most when making buying decisions. As a small business owner in Milwaukee, it’s your job to ensure customers are well taken care of and want to bring in referrals. Here are a few tips from our marketing experts you can try to help boost your referrals.
Understand your customers’ needs
You can’t earn new referrals unless you take proper care of your existing customers. In order to do so, it’s important to take time to understand what your customers need and serve those needs. That goes for all aspects of the business. A customer may love your product, but if something goes wrong and they have a terrible experience when dealing with customer service, they won’t want to recommend it to people. It may seem obvious, but make sure everyone on the team is committed to providing customers with a great experience.
Give them a reason to refer
The word “reward” resonates quite well with today’s consumer. Setting up a referral program to provide a benefit to the customer, whether monetary or otherwise, is a great start. The key with this strategy, however, is to make sure you’re providing them with enough value. If a consumer doesn’t think the “reward” is worth enough to refer someone, they won’t do it. Find the happy medium of providing value to the referee without breaking the bank.
Sing their praises
Making a customer feel great about their actions is a fantastic way to trigger a chain reaction. Posting a message or note about the person who referred the most customers on your social media pages or around the office/store is a good start. Sending them a personal letter with a gift will only help, and increase their chances of encouraging others to bring in referrals.
Don’t be afraid to ask for referrals!
Your most important job is to make sure your customers know you’re there. If you’ve had a positive interaction with a customer, a gentle reminder about sending referrals your way won’t hurt! If you’re dealing with a new customer, try offering an incentive if they provide the names of a few friends they think may also be interested – and another if one of those people becomes a customer.
Referrals are an incredible way to grow your business. To do so, you need to provide existing customers with positive experiences and earn a great reputation. If you’d like to learn more about opportunities to grow your small business in Milwaukee, get in touch with us today!