11 Word of Mouth Marketing Hacks for Small Retail Business

Word of mouth (WOM) marketing is the ability to get referrals via viral human communication. Whether this is online or offline, people share good deals and quality customer experiences. For small business retail and indie stores, this is especially important. 

When Small to Medium Retail Businesses (SMRBs) have smart data on customers, the creation of customer lifecycle management loyalty is much easier and to empower brands to relate more actively with brand advocates who in turn become high-value customers not just for their buys, but for their WOM activities and friend referrals. 

So WOM is intimately enmeshed in how small business retail handles loyalty, Email personalization offers and customer-centricity loyalty programs that leverage a brand's customer experience, location and top consumer advocates. WOMM, word of mouth marketing is therefore one of the keystones for small retail business (as viral marketing would be for a bigger brand). 

Getting a recommendation about your business from consumers is a question of trust, and building your small business through valuing the relationship you create. While WOM has always been an important business tool, in the online & mobile era, it takes on new forms, and new ways of exponentially multiplying. 

How can a Small Retail Business increase their WOM opportunities?

1- Create partnerships with other brands in your local area. 

2- Create partnerships with seasonal events in the area of your independent local small retail business or store(s). 

3- Provide top-notch customer experience and customer service. Have an IM chat on your mobile optimized website and respond to queries on social media fast and in an enthusiastic & helpful manner. Employ people who get the values and can build relationships with customers easily. 

4- Create a brand that stands for specific values, has a community advocacy position and is involved in the neighborhood and bettering the town in general. This is the kind of authentic branding that appeals to Millennials, who will gain economic power as they mature in the coming 5-10 years. Being authentic is the best way to drive WOM referrals. 

5- Be pro-social, go out of your way to engage and interact with customers and identify top customers and high value customers. Being friendly and getting to know your customers on a more personal level is the key for small retail business to make a lasting connection with consumers that allows them to bond more with your brand. People like to shop at stores where the customer service is friendly and where they like the staff. 

6- Thank your Customers for their business. I cannot emphasize this point enough. Create a Birthday loyalty campaign, with significant one-time  shopping discounts for a 3 day period around their birthday. This gives the customer confirmation that they are recognized as a valued consumer and are offer perks when it matters most. We all like to be made to feel special. Customers like to treat themselves around their birthdays, it's only natural. Send your customers a hand-written thank you card, for example, to a new, returning or loyal customer to add a personal touch. 

7- Give customers a call, if they haven't visited your store for 3-6 months and offer them a special discount or some kind of promotion that makes sense re their buying history. Having the analytics and detailed profiles of each customer help in this regard. Get the phone numbers of your customers when they make their first purchase by offering them a discount on their first purchase or in another creative way. Many customers will prefer a text message to an Email for future correspondence of personalized offers. 

8- For online WOM referrals, target influencers in your field, journalists and others who might want to write about your store or share some of your content marketing. This way, you will gain more exposure and may get digital WOM traffic. Just as you would share your business card at a real-life event, take some time to socialize online via Twitter, LinkedIn and other channels that make sense for you as a Small Business Retail owner. 

9- Always apologize and smooth the complaints of angry or disgruntled customers. If you are composed in their time of "rage", they may feel indebted for you later and bond with your brand in an unexpected way. Perhaps they were having a bad day and simply lashed out, and realize their mistake. Perhaps they genuinely like your brand and had a poor experience. Turning a negative into a positive is the stuff WOM wins come from. 

10- Be a though leader in your niche industry via video content. People are hardwired to identify with faces that seem friendly and competent in their area of expertise. Create a YouTube channel and tell your customers and acquaintances about it. WOM in the future, will happen mainly through video content, so don't wait, start sharing your vision of how your brand and products can be of assistance to people and how your business is involved in improving the immediate community. Video content with passionate Business owners, can lead to increased WOM opportunities without a doubt. 

11- As Small Retail business owner, be a visionary and not a salesman, go to events and network but be real and talk to people in a casual uplifting manner. This will win you real-life WOM. Be a giver in your interactions, volunteer to give talks in your local small biz development community, at startup events, and industry conferences relevant to your field. The more involved you are in your community as a social agent, the more WOM traffic you will get online and offline. Remember, your business has to solve problems and contribute to the lives of consumers and community, and not just sell. 

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