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KEEP THEM TALKING: THE SECRETS OF WORD-OF-MOUTH MARKETING

By Marti Nelson

For years the beauty industry claimed that word of mouth is the best advertising. Although we seem to instinctively know it's true, we've still tried a lot of other kinds of marketing, most of which did little except dwindle our resources.

Andy Sernovitz, author of the newly revised "Word of Mouth Marketing: How Smart Companies Get People Talking," lends a fresh look at a too-often ignored intentional approach to word of mouth marketing.

As salons increasingly need more salon guests, I'm continually asked for ideas to make this happen. Sernovitz's book is about harnessing a powerful resource and making something that naturally happens, happen for our benefit.

Sernovitz reminds us that people love to talk. He says word of mouth marketing is, "... about great customer service that makes people want to tell their friends about you. It's about fantastic products (services) that people can’t resist talking about to everyone."

His Word of Mouth Marketing Manifesto is a great summary:

  • Happy customers are your best advertising. Make people happy.
  • Marketing is easy: Earn the respect and recommendation of your customers. They will do your marketing for you, for free.
  • Ethics and good service come first.
  • Marketing is what you do, not what you say.
  • Negative word of mouth is an opportunity. Listen and learn.
  • People are already talking. Your only option is to join the conversation.
  • Be interesting or be invisible.
  • If it's not worth talking about, it's not worth doing.
  • Make the story of your company a good one.
  • It is more fun to work at a company that people want to talk about.
  • Use the power of word of mouth to make businesses treat people better.
  • Honest marketing makes more money.

Sernovitz's book is chock full of practical ideas that lend themselves to the salon and spa. The following four rules of word of mouth marketing are helpful tools to start us thinking along those lines.

Rule #1: Be interesting

Nobody talks about boring companies! We need to ask ourselves the magic question: Would anyone tell a friend about our salon? Give people a reason to talk about you. Remember we are not selling cuts, colors or spa services. We are selling an experience. One owner I know would always walk her guests to their cars, with an umbrella, when it rained. Another gave a brief shoulder massage after every haircut service. Small things, but those are the things people talk about.

Rule #2: Make it Easy

Word of mouth is lazy, so we need to help it along. We need to find a really simple message and help people share it. In today's market if we are not utilizing the Internet to pass our message along, we are missing our greatest and least expensive resource. Many of us never buy a book, eat at a restaurant, and much less find a new salon without reading reviews on line. Google your salon and see what people are saying about you. Ask your guests to write reviews about you. Make it easy by showing them how to do it. Give your guests the tools to pass the word on quickly and easily. Using an easy- to- forward email or tell-a-friend button on your website are two powerful but simple online examples. Give a packet with a service menu, samples and dollar off coupons for guests to pass on to friends. Train your front desk to end each visit with a friendly thank-you and, "Don't forget to tell a friend!"

Here are some easy approaches to "spreading the word":

  • Ask for testimonials. Post them on your website. Have a board or book in the reception area with quotes from your happy guests. Video short testimonies and play them in the salon. Have guests utilize on-line networking sites like Facebook, to pass the word along.
  • Email newsletters. Create a sign-up form on your home page. Pass on news and ask the guests to pass it on.
  • Referral programs. Create a formal program to get people to spread the word to new guests.
  • Salon events. Host special events for groups of friends to get together at your salon and experience services together. Or try educational events teaching styling tips or skin care information. Most people, especially women, like doing things with friends.

Rule # 3: Make People Happy

Happy guests are your greatest advertisers. People are happy when they don't have wait, when people remember their names, when we fix their problems, when we treat them as though they are the most important person in the world. People are happy when we thank them for coming, reward their loyalty, educate them and surprise them with random acts of kindness! Make people happy and they will talk.

Remember:

  • An unhappy guest tells five people.
  • A formerly unhappy guest who is made happy tells ten people.

Rule # 4: Earn Trust and Respect

People talk about companies they can trust. It's important to always be an honorable company. We need to be good to our guests, talk to them, fulfill their needs and treat them with respect. Word of mouth marketing is about being good to people.

It's so easy to get caught up in the daily grind and forget why we do what we do. Positive word of mouth is simply a by-product of creating an exceptional experience for every guest, every visit.