Word of Mouth: Let your customers do the talking

[Note: if your customer service and overall customer experience aren't perfect, please disregard this post.]

We all know that word of mouth is the best form of advertising, yet few of us consciously do anything to spread word of mouth. It's like we take it for granted - if customers enjoyed my restaurant, they'll tell their friends.

Maybe, but why not encourage it? Below are some tips to help increase positive word of mouth, instead of simply waiting for it to happen:

1. Ask for it. At one restaurant I know the owners and managers walk the tables with the standard conversation of "How was everything?" - with one major difference. If the answer is "great" then the follow up question is "Good enough for you to tell your friends?"

2. Complementary audiences. PR works so well because we target thought leaders, usually media people such as DJ's and food critics, who have credibility. At the local store level, why not target ministers, principals, event chairs, and charity heads?

3. Make it special. Few people offer their thoughts on merely adequate experiences. If the dinner was 'fine' and not 'great', don't expect much play. Go out of your way to make an experience special for someone. That might mean anticipating the need for a high chair for a frazzled mom, providing dessert for a group of kids, or soliciting the opinions of a group of lunching business women. Make a personal contact, look for ways to exceed expectations.

4. Small groups work best. Word of mouth spreads faster within small groups than the world at large. Target your audiences, identify the key influencers, and solicit their goodwill. Don't leave an audience until you've won them over, then go after the next audience.

One estimate I heard recently is that half of your business can come from word of mouth within 3 years, all of it within 5 years. WOM is slower than some media because of its personal nature, but its effectiveness and the loyalty it generates can't be denied.