By Katherine Andes
Everyone knows that the best form of marketing is free. It’s known as word-of-mouth advertising.
When someone speaks highly of you to a friend, and that friend calls you up or comes into your store, you know your chances of making a sale are very, very good.
In the past, word-of-mouth referrals came from one-on-one conversations. They could have been in-person, over the phone, by letter, or telegram. Today, the modes of communication have exploded exponentially with the Internet.
You can get a word-of-mouth referral from Facebook, Twitter, text messages, chat rooms, emails, instant messages, etc.
So you need to always be looking for opportunities to capitalize on social media referrals.
For example, if a person hears about you in a chat room and then does a Google search, will she find your website? Will the site page answer her pressing needs? Will she easily find how to contact you … i.e. is your contact information in more than one spot on your web page?
Or here’s another scenario.
A satisfied customer raves about your store on Facebook to all her friends. She wants to share your Facebook page link. Do you have one? You should.
If one of those friends follows the link to your Facebook page, do you have content that’s interesting and compelling? You should.
If you are part of a franchise, do you have your own local Facebook page with unique local offerings? You should.
Easy Furniture Web Tip #108: When a satisfied customer tells a friend in person about your store, that one person is a potential customer. When she tells her friends on Facebook about your store, hundreds are your potential customers.
Katherine Andes specializes in custom content for websites, which includes search engine optimization (SEO) — especially in the home improvement market. You can phone her at 559.589.0379 or email at Kathy@AndesAndAssociates.com.