According to a recent article, businesses say they don’t consider social media important to their business. But in the same breath they claim that word of mouth is very important. That makes absolutely no sense to me considering social media marketing is word of mouth!
As we all know word of mouth marketing is the very best type of marketing there is. It’s because everyone always wants to know what real people think about services or products they might want to purchase. Material handling is no different.
And for material handling marketing word of mouth marketing is no different.
Remember people do business with people they like and if you like someone you are more likely to recommend them to others who might need their services. And the new company would be more likely to work with you, because heck, their friend likes you so why would they not?
Now let’s get back to our premise that social media is word of mouth amplified and the most powerful of word of mouth. Here’s why.
Unlimited: Word of mouth happens online at the speed of the keyboard. And the audience isn’t limited. this isn’t some guy you talk to on the train or your friend. The potential audience is so much larger. Word of mouth has always had more weight, but now in the context of social media it has reach, too.
Expanding: In the same way what you say via social media can build. If one person says something negative and another agrees, the audience has grown exponentially. These comment go to different channels and are amplified . However, if one of your customers says something great and no one else agrees or pushes the conversation it can die.
Unending: What is online is there forever, what happens on the Internet stays on the Internet. That means that mistake from years ago, can still sabotage a sale today.
The positive side of word of mouth is easy to see, but what about the negative?
Because you can see these conversations and respond to them. In a traditional word of mouth scenario, people share something negative and you never hear about it. All you hear is that new customer never calling.
But with conversations happening in social media not only can you hear the conversation, you can shape it. You can respond to complaints and turn a horrible comment inot something positive for your brand.
Social media has been described as a cocktail party where everyone is invited. You should go. Find out what people are talking about. Be available and start a dialogue.
Want to talk more about how you can shape the conversation oneline? Talk to Material Handling Marketing.