In a previous article "Top 10 Strategies to Marketing Online" ten separate ways were listed to create buzz for a business or product, but what was not detailed were the intricacies of each strategy. These marketing paths entail much more than what one could put into just a few short sentences, and it is of the utmost importance to provide everyone reading with every useful bit of knowledge that can possibly be bestowed. Each marketing tactic in "Top 10 Strategies to Marketing Online" has its own specific blueprint to success, with 'Word of Mouth' appearing the most straight forward. This is not the whole truth. Sure, someone can inform another of something, but they can not be forced to tell people. What can be done is to encourage them to inform others of a mind-blowing business or product they just heard about. The problem then is transforming a person from being an interested loved one into a conduit through which beneficial Word of Mouth can flow.
Far too often even the most intelligent entrepreneur asserts their friends and family will increase the potential profitability of their business venture just by being friends and family. While these folks are essential, they are generally not going to take an interest in a business and assist in making dreams come true if they are approached completely passively. It will take a little work, but these loved ones can become a Word of Mouth Base, or 'WoMB'. It is inside this WoMB that a business will grow and thrive in its infancy. The WoMB will initially be just the creator of the business or the inventor of the product. As this business idea begins to grow and take shape, so must its WoMB. Think of a WoMB like a network. It starts with the focal point, the initiator of the business or the originator of the product, and it spreads outward like a web. This web connects to everyone the owner of the business knows, from any co-workers, to immediate family, to extended family, to friends, to class mates. Each of these connections would then connect to their own personal WoMB, their web of contacts. Take for example, friends. Each friend has a plethora of potential conduits, in that they all have their own co-workers, family, etc. It sounds enticing, but unfortunately it takes a bit of work to change a potential conduit into a spigot of favorable Word of Mouth.
Converting a natural circuitry of acquaints into a valuable WoMB requires much less guile and tact than it appears. It is not necessary or recommended that manipulation be employed to produce a profit market base from friends and loved ones. In most cases a simple network of connections can be revamped into a WoMB easily by communicating the main idea to those in the first tier of connections in a network. It is imperative that those in the WoMB do not feel like they are being sold something, but that an enticing new idea is being presented and that they would be doing a service to anyone they tell by informing them of it. This way a businessperson is not asking for favors, but helping others. It is this minor shift of ideal that allows for Word of Mouth to spread like wildfire. Customarily people like to feel like they have done a good thing. Presenting a business in such a way that it is a great, helpful thing allows a WoMB to expound on that feeling. This creates a central goodness to a business that allows it to succeed in a harsh world.
Unfortunately, Word of Mouth can be a hazard as well as a boon. If the product is incomplete or poor quality then a WoMB will be illegally to form. Without a healthy WoMB full of people backing your product, no other marketing strategy will help you. If the product does not fill a need or if it is unnecessary then it will be impossible to market successfully. There are situations, however; where a great product can be labeled poor by disgruntled customers and / or toxic people. These individuals are a cancer on an otherwise healthy WoMB, and without direct action they can destroy everything they come into contact with. Dealing with these customers is tricky. It is possible, albeit unilaterally; that they can not be reasoned with, and that they are simply curmudgeons and refuse to respond positively to any effort made. More commonly there will have been a mix up or miscommunication somewhere along the line where they felt they were something something they were not given. If this situation can be remedied, it should be done as quickly as possible, turning that person into a benign conduit of healthy Word of Mouth. Remember, if the person feels that they were wronged, they were wronged. There is no arguing with an angry person. Putting someone on the defensive walls them off. Admit fault and they will open up, allowing for them to become a potential customer, rather than a problem.
Without productive Word of Mouth, all business ventures are destined to fail. If there is no way to create the seeds of a WoMB for a business, it is most likely unwisely to pursue it. Taking a risk is tantamount to taking a leap of faith. If there is no faith, DO NOT LEAP. There is little reason to fear a potential success, but it is unwwise to dive headlong into a pursuit that is has automatically zero chance of succeeding. If it does not feel right to present a product as a good thing, it is not one. Such a product will receive counter-productive Word of Mouth. When that is the case, look for a new idea. Everyone describes success, but to achieve it requires a strong foundation. Do not allow it to be torn down before it begins. A businessperson must be sure of their idea before they can spread Word of Mouth. However, once they are sure, they must do all in their power to succeed.
