Welcome to Part 3 of How To Get Word Of Mouth Exposure, a 5 part series that details how you can create a buzz-worthy business.
To start the series we introduced a company that utilizes word of mouth advertising. Last week, we discussed why it is important to find your business’s niche to offer your customers something no one else has.
Today, we’ll talk about reaching out to your community to make an impression worth talking about.
Reach Out To The Community
The best way to get people to recommend your business is to make them remember you! Smart branding, clever ads, and big sales help but nothing beats the one-on-one approach with a local customer.
This is one way to make sure you stick fast in the minds of your customers is draw them into your shop for an enjoyable reason. Offer your community a moment of beauty, art or leisure. This in turn becomes an opportunity to let your customers get to know you, the business owner, as well as your key employees.
You are the face of your business and customers will remember meeting you way more than your shop logo.
What Works?
Take a look at our example company, Arclight Theater. They partner with the vibrant film community in Los Angeles and have constantly changing art galleries that feature movie props and artwork from current films. These are open to the public and encourage movie-goers as well as the causal passerby to take a look and ask questions.
Reach out to your community in a way that makes sense for your business.
How To Start
Do you have room to offer a gallery wall for local artists? Can you give a one-day workshop demonstration?
Consider hosting a one-day open house event. Play some music, offer some simple refreshments like lemon water and cookies or nuts and walk around talking to people. Seasonal events can bring you even more foot traffic so think about what holiday coming up would lend itself to a cool reason for your store to get friendly.
Don’t be tempted to act purely as a salesman in this situation just because new customers are in your shop. Answer any questions, sure, but this event is about meeting people face to face as a member of the community.
Just a short “Hello. Thanks for coming to visit us!” makes customers comfortable and can make an impression they will remember.
Next week, we’ll discuss how to increase your online word of mouth exposure by taking advantage of social media!
Read How To Get Word Of Mouth Exposure – Part 1: What’s The Buzz?
Read How To Get Word Of Mouth Exposure – Part 2: Find Your Niche!
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