Fill Your Sales Funnel With No Advertising

Many service professionals will remind you that “a referral is the highest compliment you can give me.” The reason this statement has become clichéd is that it heads the nail on the head. A business truly reaches success when its customers convert into advocates. Word-of-mouth is not only the least expensive form of advertising, it is also the most powerful.

In fact, the end goal to any marketing initiative should always be to get people talking about your product or service. There is no finish line to marketing; it’s a dynamic entity that continuously evolves. A marketer must test and learn to keep abreast of the changes and keep the product or service top-of-mind.

However, there is a finish line to advertising. The aim of advertising is to reach the point at which a business no longer needs to invest in advertising. At this point, customers become the marketers. No more expensive ads, campaigns or initiatives. Assuming the business can sustain the level of service that its customers promote, word-of-mouth now takes the driver’s seat and the road is wide open.

Here are five ways to ensure that word-of-mouth takes over your marketing:

1) Exceed Customer Expectations: you’ve probably heard this before. I certainly hope so. Customer service is by far the most effective and efficient marketing there is. Clients that are truly wowed will talk about it and others will want to share their experience.

2) Brand Yourself Consistently: the more people hear and see your consistent message, the more it will stick. If you’re message resonates well, and you back up your message with consistent service, word will spread.

3) Engage Your Customers: think long term for your customers, not just a quick sale. Engage them in your product or service. At a personal level, host special events for customers. Get customer input as to what type of customer appreciation they would enjoy. Imagine a customer appreciation event that the customers plan themselves! This same principle applies to non-personal interactions. Use your website or a blog to converse and share with customers on-line. Even your brochure should engage the customers. The longer a customer stays with you, the more they will buy.

4) Become an Expert: if you are the expert in a certain area, word will spread and your sales funnel will fill automatically.

5) Incent Your Customers: this is a short cut to word-of-mouth that many businesses pursue successfully. Consider referral programs or affiliate programs. This will require some investment because cash—either via refunds or direct payments—is the strongest motivator. However, there are programs or other ways to get your customers to refer business to you. Get creative, but find an easily implemented program that does not require significant maintenance. The simpler, the better.

The end goal of your advertising should be to create positive word-of-mouth. Your marketing efforts, no doubt, will continue to reinforce this. While marketing has no end, advertising certainly does. Imagine a world where word-of-mouth drives your marketing, and you sit along for the ride as customer after customer effortlessly fill into your sales funnel.