There\u2019s always lots of talk about print advertising, direct mailing, social media, radio, television, etc. But for some reason, we seem to neglect talking about the most important and free way to market a business: word of mouth.<\/p>\n
With the rise in popularity of business rating sites such as Yelp and customer reviews that pop-up right in Google, word of mouth is more powerful than ever before \u2013 and that can either be really great for your business, or downright terrifying. But even beyond the anonymous (and sometimes fake) reviews online, it\u2019s crucial to understand that your customers are<\/strong> going to talk to their friends about your business.<\/p>\n Keeping that in mind, let\u2019s look at some ways that you can help ensure that what\u2019s being said about your salon brings people in instead of scaring them away.<\/p>\n Provide Excellent Service<\/strong><\/p>\n If a customer has a bad experience in your salon, you better believe they\u2019re going to tell people about it. If the rooms aren\u2019t clean, your staff isn\u2019t friendly or they don\u2019t get the results they\u2019re looking for, they\u2019re going to tell their friends to stay far away from your salon.<\/p>\n On the other hand, if you provide a service experience that is above and beyond their expectations, they\u2019re going to share that with their friends, too. When you have a staff that people like, a facility that is in top-notch shape and people are leaving your salon feeling and looking great, they\u2019re going to recommend you! People love telling about a great experience as much as they like complaining about an awful one.<\/p>\n There\u2019s another trap to avoid, too. While providing the absolute minimum quality of service to keep people tanning might work for a little while, you\u2019re not going to get much exposure out of it. People aren\u2019t running out to tell the world about an okay\/average experience they had.<\/p>\n Create a Brand and a Culture<\/strong><\/p>\n If you\u2019re just doing the same thing everyone else is doing, it\u2019s going to be really easy for potential customers to overlook you. But if you\u2019re creating some excitement within your business and establishing yourself as something unique, people are going to take notice. Whether that means you\u2019re offering a product nobody else in your market has or you\u2019re doing something totally off-the-wall, people will take note of your uniqueness.<\/p>\n People like being part of something that\u2019s different. If you\u2019re doing something that stands out from your competition, let people know about it.<\/p>\n Maintain a Great Reputation<\/strong><\/p>\n Customers like to support businesses with a good reputation. They like to frequent places that are honest and fair. By treating your customers the way you\u2019d want to be treated, you\u2019re creating a reputation of respect that won\u2019t be forgotten when your customers talk to other people about your business.<\/p>\n No one likes to feel cheated, swindled or abused. Doing anything that could give customers a bad taste for your business really can be harmful in the long run.<\/p>\n Be Active<\/strong><\/p>\n In an age of huge and faceless corporations, people really take notice of the businesses that are involved in their community. Some of the best word of mouth marketing can come from people just knowing that you\u2019re investing in the local community outside of just simply running your business.<\/p>\n This really rolls into the idea of culture because people want to be part of something that\u2019s bigger than themselves, and for many that means supporting businesses that invest in the community. So whether you sponsor a local baseball team, volunteer during city cleanup, organize a fundraiser, host a contest, etc., get involved in your local community.<\/p>\n Word of mouth marketing is powerful. It has the power to take your business to the next level or shut you down completely. You have to know that without a doubt, people will talk about your business. So make sure you\u2019re only giving them good things to say!<\/p>\n <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" There\u2019s always lots of talk about print advertising, direct mailing, social media, radio, television, etc. But for some reason, we seem to neglect talking about the most important and free way to market a business: word of mouth. With the rise in popularity of business rating sites such as Yelp and customer reviews that pop-up […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":19729,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-26283","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-news"],"yoast_head":"\n