How to Encourage Your Audience to Advertise for You
Are you overlooking your biggest untapped source of free advertising?
We hear a lot about what you could do as a business owner to bring customers to your store. But what if your customers could do that for you?
Over 90% of Australians listen and act on recommendations from their friends and family.
In a world where online and real life are merging and there are countless ways to advertise your business, the classic word-of-mouth is too often overlooked. So, how can you get your customers to advocate for your business?
Let’s start with why they would ever want to, and it’s really simple. They leave satisfied after having had a positive experience. People love to share experiences with one another. This makes fantastic customer service essential in turning your customers into advocates. Once you have advocates, there are several ways you can encourage that they advertise your business for you:
1. Google reviews – You can encourage your customers to write a google review either in person, after service, using signage in-store or posting on your socials.
2. Social media tags – You can encourage your customers to tag your business social media pages or shop location in their photos. You may be surprised by how well advocates shoot your product!
3. Engage on social media with your customers – When you engage with your customers by responding to comments or posting stories which encourage interaction, you encourage your customers to create an online buzz around your business. Customers are also more likely to trust businesses they frequently interact with.
4. Merchandise – Advocates enjoy sharing their love for a business with others – one way to encourage this, is creating personalised merchandise. For example, a tote bag or coffee cup with your business name and logo on it. Customers who purchase such products will happily wear this around and advertise your business.
5. SEO – Even basic SEO on your website can increase traffic from your target audience. The easier your business can be found online, the higher the chances of your business or product being found by your customers. It also increases the chances of being written about online – this could be in product round ups (best of:..) or a food/ travel blog.
Turning your customers into advocates takes care and above all ensuring they leave you having had a positive experience they want to share with others.
This article was written by Laura Craig. Laura is a business owner and marketing specialist with a passion for creative communications, with a strong background in hospitality management and graphic design.