In one of my earlier posts, I’ve discussed about Word of Mouth Marketing (WOMM). It is a wonderful, free kind of marketing that works wonders.
And unlike the traditional and commercial marketing strategies, WOMM will help build a fan base. It will not just earn you “visitors” - it will earn you loyal, repeat readers, customers, and fans.
Which is why I see WOMM as an effective marketing strategy and it is free too.
Since my last blog post I’ve got lots of emails asking how to get WOMM for a blog. Here’s a sample question (slightly reworded for conciseness).
Hi Jane,
I read your post about word of mouth marketing and loved it. I came to know about this wonderful WOMM thing. I’ve understood its importance. But I am bit confused about how to get it for my blog.
I would absolutely love to have people talk about me and my business. But how do I make that happen? What are the things I should do to make people talk about my business? How do I create that impact?
In short, how can I get word of mouth marketing to work for my blog?
Well I have already written a post that explains how to make WOMM to work for you. But in this post, I would like to touch even deeper aspects on this topic.
So in a practical sense, how to get WOMM for your blog?
Be worthy of word of mouth marketing
You know what? - Word of mouth marketing just doesn’t work for everyone. It just doesn’t happen.
It happens though, if you are worthy of it. Which is why I said that it doesn’t happen for everyone.
People won’t talk about anyone. Will you talk to your friends and family about someone or something if that thing is not worthy of talking?
People only talk about stuff that deserves to be talked about - either in a good way or a bad way.
You could make a good impression or a bad impression - and both will make people talking about it.
So you have to be very careful here. In fact, to be very honest, the bad impression spreads a lot quickly just like wild fire.
But if you are not at all worthy of talking, how can you expect your readers to talk about your business?
So how can you be “worthy” of WOMM and actually get it for your blog? Let’s see some practical things you could do.
Give and you shall receive
When you “give”, your potential customers/readers are benefited a lot. By giving I mean giving your best and giving it all.
So I now hear you asking, should I just give everything away for free on my blog? Then what is the use of WOMM? Even if people talk about me I am already operating as a charity store and in my business, people get everything for free!
I hear you!
There is a line behind which you should store your precious stuff. Or stuff that is packaged in a convenient way for your customers.
But when it comes to making your customers happy, you have to make sure you do your best to give as much as possible without holding back.
So how can you implement this on your blog right away?
Freebies! Yup, you can give a lot to your customers in the form of freebies.
Free e-books, courses, white papers, whatever! And here’s the most important point about freebies -
Just because it is a freebie, you should not be tempted to create it with less sincerity and in poor quality. Remember, your aim here is to make people talk about you.
Put yourselves in the shoes of a reader who is eagerly downloading your freebie. If he/she comes across a crappy pdf, created without sincerity and created for the sake of putting up a freebie, do you think he/she will spread the word?
In my own blog, I offer 3 freebies at the blog which you can see in the home page or in the image below.
Instead of providing a simple e-book, I have 2 courses and access to The PBS Library too. The Library has several e-books in it that my subscribers can make use of.
Even if you don’t offer 3 freebies (or more) immediately, start with one and work your way up.
OK a freebie is just one example for “giving”. What else could you give?
Give your time and knowledge away free in the form of an insightful blog comment! Here’s an example comment by Adrienne.
This comment was made on this post > http://www.besthostinganddesign.com/editorial-calendar/. If you carefully read the comment, you will she shares a strategy that works for her.
She doesn’t have to tell that in a blog comment. She could rather teach such stuff in a consulting session and charge you for that. But she does share it without holding back.
Here’s another example comment by yours truly.
This comment is made on this post > http://www.shadeofinfo.com/guest-posting-campaign/ where I’ve shared a guest blogging tactic on what kind of blogs to choose for guest blogging.
Not just with freebies and blog comments, you can prove yourself useful and give generously via guest blog posts, discussions in social media, helping out people in blogging communities (like DoSplash, Klinkk and the like), and also in email.
Yes, instead of only broadcasting your new blog post to your subscribers, you should also send them high value newsletter pieces in the mix.
And if a new blogger approaches you for help, share what you can to help them.
When people get an experience, they talk about it
I usually remember places based on the experience I get there. Be it vacation, or a casual road trip, or a visit to a coffee shop, the experience I get there helps me remember the bits and pieces.
After years, if I get to talk about those places, I talk about what I experienced there. I am sure you are no different.
If you visit a resort or a restaurant and if you get to talk about it years later you will remember the experiences you got there, right? And talk about it!
The same is the case with your blog. If you make people experience great things, they will be excited to talk about you even if it is years later.
So how can you make your visitors experience great things in your blog?
First of all, the look and feel of your blog should be welcoming enough. Because even before reading your content, your visitors will first encounter your site’s design - the look and feel. They will be greeted by those colors; the clean layout if you have one, and so on.
Here’s a handy Slideshare presentation that talks more about this in detail:
And I don’t have to say that you should take clutter off your site totally. Given that there is too much distraction online already, and given that there are loads of websites on any given topic under the sun, if your website is cluttered, it is so unwelcoming to your readers.
The next thing they will be doing is exit your website. Case closed.
If you want to know what kind of clutter you should remove, this post will help you get started > 5 Things you should remove from your website right now!
Moving on, the look and feel alone don’t contribute to creating and experience. Your content matters a lot! And I am sure you know about it.
I will direct you to the following blog posts for more information on this topic:
How to write a blog post that is useful to your readers?
Your expertise counts in word of mouth marketing
Now, if you are a newbie blogger you should not be taken aback by the word expertise. And it doesn’t mean people won’t talk about newbie bloggers.
If you are rocking in the blogging business, people will surely talk about you. But expertise is something different and it does relate to how long you have been in the business.
You cannot be an expert in something that you have just started yourself. Or chances are you ARE an expert in this field and are starting this business just now.
For people to talk about you, you have to be an expert in the field. You don’t have to get discouraged if you are totally new. Just understand the importance of being an expert and quickly develop your expertise.
Keep up with the industry news. Devote time to read other blogs in your niche and also subscribe to news/updates in your field. If it is a skill that you need to become an expert at, practice, practice, practice and keep learning new things.
For instance, with writing (if you are a freelance writing), coding (if you are a web designer or developer), and with being a technical expert if you are helping clients with WordPress or other CMS systems, you need a lot of practice and a lot of learning and keeping up.
These are just a few examples and the same applies in any field.
OK, so now you are an expert but how do people know that? Well, your expertise should reflect in whatever you do with your business.
Your blog’s content and any content you put out should reflect your expertise. This includes newsletter content, the content on your freebies, social media updates, blog comments and much more. Anything you write in public should show people that you are an expert in the field.
Go get word of mouth marketing to work for your blog
Blogging is already a tedious thing and on top of it, if you have to do the other time consuming stuff, it gets overwhelming. But things like marketing are totally necessary for your blog’s growth. So you cannot avoid doing them.
Here’s where word of mouth marketing comes into picture. Instead of doing it all by by yourself, you could get the others do it for you, for free. You just have to set some basics right and do some stuff right. That’s it.
In this post I’ve given you some practical tips to help you achieve the same. Re-read the post, if you have to. And implement the tips in this post. I hope you get ample word of mouth marketing for your blog!
Hey Jane,
I am regularly reading your blog, your tips are very helpful.
Word of moth marketing is really best way to drive traffic to your blog but for that most important is proper communication.
Thanks For Sharing
Cheers
Namee
Hi Namee,
I’m glad you liked the post and that you are regularly reading my blog. I appreciate that very much. Thanks for stopping by and sharing your thoughts
Cheers,
Jane.
Hey Jane,
Great tips here but the one tip that stuck out to me was creating freebies. Your audience want valuable information and the more valuable it is the bigger chance the word about your value will spread. This is key! That’s why using freebies like ebooks, webinars, video training etc. work so well.
I have one ebook and in the process of creating another one. But the first one really helped me as well as my audience!
Thanks for sharing Jane! Have a great rest of the week!
Hi Sherman,
I like freebies too, for the fact that they help us make that initial bond with the readers. When they are looking for information and value and if we can offer it as a free gift to them, it creates a relationship (provided the freebie is a rocking piece).
Sort of making that first impression and making that count
I’m glad your freebie is doing well. Good luck with creating the second one 
Thanks for stopping by. Have a great week pal.
Cheers,
Jane.
Freebies are great. One of my mentors says “What you give away you get to keep” So when you are giving useful information or something tangible you are not just giving away a resource, you will get people who remember you and that is what we all want right?
Hi Jane,
You’ve got great points here, but one that really stood out for me is “Be sure you are worthy of word of mouth marketing”.
It all starts with quality content, nobody wants to share trash or be associated with mediocre stuff,
I believe that if we invest the time to create really awesome content, it’ll be a whole lot easier to get WOMM
Hey Dan,
Yup! That’s the starting point isn’t? If we are not worthy to be talked about, there is no point in expecting people to talk about us. And there is no point in following numerous tactics to make that work. It simply won’t work, unless we prove ourselves to be worthy.
You are right Dan. Investing time and effort to create awesome content is one of the crucial factors to make WOMM work
Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful week.
Cheers,
Jane.
Patricia says
Hi Jane,
This post and the previous WOMM post did take me back to the offline world where concentrated efforts are taken to generate positive brand image so as to build word-of-mouth marketing.
Since there is no real buzz about WOMM it is often neglected online. But you’ve rightly pointed out its benefits on low cost, building authority over a period of time and sharing experience and expertise. I believe every online business should think in this direction.
It may not yield instant results but the efforts will definitely help in growing one’s business and also helping others to grow.
Thanks for shedding light on this topic,
Patricia
Patricia recently posted..5 proven strategies that helped me get more freelancing work
Hey Patricia,
You are right. WOMM works more prominently in the offline world and its importance in the online world is so underrated. I mean, many bloggers don’t even know that such a thing exists and its such a pathetic situation.
And yes, WOMM is not for people who expect instant results. It works over the time. If it reaches a tipping point, there is no turning back! But it does take time to earn that trust from people.
Thanks for stopping by!
Have a great weekend ahead!
Cheers,
Jane.
Siddaiah says
Hi Jane,
Word of mouth marketing is very difficult for regular bloggers as you said, until unless we don’t provide good informative valuable content they don’t remember us.
There are two ways people are using WOMM one is in a positive way and second is negative way, that’s depends on us which platform to choose.
Thanks for sharing the information.
Siddaiah recently posted..How Bloggers Can Use Tumblr For SEO?
Hey Sid,
Yup, one cannot expect word of mouth to work for them if they don’t share anything valuable. So yes, a bad experience can make WOMM work in the negative sense.
Thanks for your comment and you are welcome
Cheers,
Jane.
A very awesome post Jane,
Word of mouth marketing is actually one of the fundamental and earliest form of marketing in the world and even though it has been neglected over the years, i believe that its effectiveness is still the same as before if done very properly.
I think some times, we bloggers and marketers should just look back and check out the basics of marketing.
Thanks for sharing.
Hey Theodore,
Very well said. The old school methods and the basics work very well in marketing and it is important that we do pay attention to them.
Nowadays bloggers are so immersed in the new and advanced marketing techniques and forget about some of the rare gems like WOMM!
Thanks for your comment
Cheers,
Jane.
Nabeel Shamshad says
Hey Sheeba,
Visiting your blog for the first time and I am impressed. Out of all of the awesome tips the one that I loved most is creating freebies. But most people use rehashed old info or straight away PLR products to share as freebies which I think only creates distrust.
Bookmarking your blog for further reading as I am progressing with my own blogging journey. Would love to hear some wise words from you.
Thanks,
Nabeel
Hey Nabeel,
Welcome to my blog. I’m so happy you decided to check out my blog.
Yes freebies might have worked while being of mediocre quality during the earlier days. Now every blogger offers some form of freebie and if your freebie doesn’t stand up to the expectation of the readers, it is not going to work!
Thanks for stopping by. And thanks for deciding to continue reading my blog
Means a lot to me!
Cheers,
Jane.
Raphael says
Hello Jane,
I did a course in Customer Relationship Management, and i got to learn how effective word-of-mouth marketing can be. It helps your product reach people you never imagined, because one person is satisfied and tells another person who tells another… and it goes on and on.
Give your blog visitors a good experience, and you’ll have their loyalty, you’ll also have them tell others about your blog.
Hello Jane,
What a nice post to end the weekend with
Hosting freebies on your blog really do help in spreading your blog (company) name out, but to be sincere, I haven’t done any freebies on my blog… but I do offer something unique, which is my post and my findings… these also do help in spreading the word out there.
When you give the best solution to your readers, and answer to their question and problem to your best knowledge, they will definitely refer their friends to you.
Nice post Jane, i love reading it. have a bless week start
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Elizabeth Cruz says
Hey Jane,
When I started to reading this article, first of all I don’t understand to your niche, but after read all kind of information about this article, it’s terrific and huge reflection for me.
An impressive and interesting information about Mouth Marketing, mouth advertising, differs from naturally occurring WOM, in that it is actively influenced or encouraged by organisations.
Thanks for sharing and great effort or enjoyed to reading this article too much.
Elizabeth Cruz recently posted..What’s New in SHAREit 3.0 app? Latest Version Download
Mouth Marketing .. !! I never done before and till now.. !! i was not aware of its pros and even though it has been neglected over the years, i believe that its effectiveness is still the same as before if done very properly.Merely,But most people use rehashed old info or straight away PLR products to share as freebies which I think only creates distrust.
Thanks for sharing Jane! Have a great rest of the week
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Jasper Oldersom says
Hey Jane,
You wrote an excellent piece on the deeper aspects of WOMM!
It’s true, you first have to be WORTHY 😉 If you publish crappy content, why would people vouch for you? You really need to take action and put in the work when you write content.
Giving a lot of value is definitely necessary, but you don’t have to cover everything in your posts. And like you said, sometimes just packaging the information in a convenient way is enough to sell the information you already created. 31 Days To Build a Better Blog from Darren Rowse was made mostly of free content, for example.
I definitely have to create my own freebie as well, but i’m working on a lot of things right now - so everything at it’s own pace. Whenever I try to do many things at once, I end up failing at all of them so i’d rather just focus on 2 things at most, then go to the next thing. Works for me.
Adrienne is just great and I always love her comments 😉 no wonder she has been valuable on your blog as well.
I agree with the look and feel and that you have to make it an inviting place to read and possibly comment on - and be more willing to share your articles even. I think this goes a little into neuromarketing but its very fascinating how that works.
Keeping up with industry news and always having a learning mindset helps me a lot, I find I even need it to feel like I’m “progressing” - because if i’m not learning or taking action i’m really just slowing down….
I absolutely loved your article Jane and I’m sharing this!
- Jasper
Jasper Oldersom recently posted..Are You Keeping This in Mind When Selling Your Products or Services Online?
Thanks for a useful article. I liked the first piece of advice – “Give and you shall receive”. To start getting a return from your blog and its audience first you need to invest much of your time and effort into the blog.
Gaurav Kumar says
Word of mouth are really influential when we talk about offline world. Offline world is always bigger than the online one. I really appreciate your efforts to write this article for sharing the importance and use of word of mouth for marketing.
Gaurav Kumar recently posted..Support Digital India : Gaurav Kumar and Mark Zukerberg
Richa says
Hi Jane,
i never thought about Word of mouth marketing but after reading your post i come to know what is the power of Word of mouth marketing. I am new blogger and wanted to market my blog but did not know how to do that so thank you a lot to sharing this helpful information with us.
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Gaurav Tripathi says
Hi Jane,
I have no idea about it. “Word of Mouth Marketing” strategy is new for me, I have gone through your recent post where you have shared some useful points about WOMM and i got little bit idea about it.
After reading your post, i found that, there are many things that i am already doing but i also learnt some other great things to do in marketing.
Thankyou very much Jane for explaining in detail.
Hey Jane,
Great post.
WOMM is something I’m going to spend a lot of time focusing on now. I believe that organic traffic is the best kind of traffic and if yo start getting traffic from WOMM, that means people trust you because they trust the initial source.
And those are the best kinds of people you want on your blog — mainly because they’ll follow you anywhere and support the heck out of you.
Excellent post here, Jane.
- Andrew
Awesome! I didn’t know that the time of the posting could be a so critical reaching factor. Thanks for sharing with us.
Esteban says
Hey,
This is a very powerful post. Word of mouth really can be a massive aid to anyones blog.
I always try to establish my blog and myself as a brand so that people can eventually say “hey have you seen this guys website” and others can respond “oh you mean from ‘brand name'” that way it would be easier to remember me and pass on my website.
I really enjoyed this post.
Thanks,
Esteban
Gurpreet says
Today i learnt Something new.
I didn’t know about the term WMMP before but you article made me know about it very clearly.
Thanks for the share Jane.
Gurpreet recently posted..Huge List of Best Free Proxy Servers and Proxy Sites To Surf The Internet
Hi Jane, some excellent tips in here for building (WOMM) Word of Mouth Marketing. You are entirely on-point when you say that if you provide an exceptional experience then people will be much more likely to share it. In a world where socially sharing is easier than ever before over delivering on your product or service is some of the best marketing you can do. BTW - as a first time reader I have to say I appreciate the thought that you have put into the design and layout of your blog posts!