Description

I can’t tell you how many times someone has told me that ALL of their business comes from word-of-mouth leads. My response is usually to agree, but with an important caveat. In this video, I explain this caveat and show you how to triple the response you receive by understanding how word-of-mouth marketing has changed. If your business thrives on referrals, you must watch this video!

Transcript

Note from Eric: Below, you will find a word-for-word transcript of this video. I provide this as an aid for the hearing-impaired and for those who might just want to read it rather than watch the video. This conversational style is not reflective of how I write. Be nice!

Now I know a lot of you say you get leads because of people referring you, because of Word-of-Mouth marketing. Well let’s talk a little about that because it has changed. And if you follow some of the rules I’m about to give, you’re going to be able to increase the number of leads you get from Word-of-Mouth marketing. So let’s jump right into it.

First of all, understand how Word-of-Mouth marketing has evolved. It has changed. Basically the way it has worked in the past is someone refers you. Someone says Oh you are to go to Eric’s place, Oh you are to eat a burger at this place, Oh you are to do that etc. Well heres a question.

Once you receive that kind of referral, do you automatically just go in there or call them? No. That’s where the change has occurred. Everything has changed because of the internet, and let me explain how. Today, Word-of-Mouth marketing works this way. Someone says you are to go check out Eric Spellmann’s website or you are to go eat at this burger place. What happens next?

The person who received the referral, they Google it. They just pull out their phone and they go who are these people? And based on what comes up next, they will decide whether to actually call or visit. Now I’m being very serious here.

You need to understand how Word-of-Mouth now works. Think about it in your own life. If someone says you are to go here, you are to go there, you are to use them etc, people because they have access anonymously to a lot of information out there, they can do a tiny bit of evaluation before they ever stepped foot in a location. So all you people out there who say “Oh I don’t need a website. I have all the business I need. It’s all based on Word-of-Mouth.” Understand that how Word-of-Mouth marketing is now working. So what do you do? So based on this, how do you make sure that the Word-of-Mouth marketing is actually working and how do you triple those leads? Well keep in mind why people don’t call you even if they have been referred.

More than half the traffic on the internet is mobile now, either on a tablet or on a smartphone. A lot of times people Google you and your website will come up on their phone. Now if your website is not Mobile-friendly, then they’re gonna have to zoom in to see it and they’ll surely be turned off!

Your website must be Mobile-friendly. In fact Google has even said your ranking in Google will be hurt if your website is not Mobile-friendly. I have a whole video titled “Google’s New Requirement – Mobile Friendly” and you can actually search for Mobile-friendly test on Google and it will tell you whether you’re Mobile-friendly or not. Sorry for going into all that.

Number 1, whatever comes up when people Google you, should better be something they don’t have to zoom! Number 2, you’ve got to have a national quality website. When they click on that to figure out who you are, you’ve got to realize that that website is the first impression MOST people will have of your company. Did you hear me? I’m serious as a heart attack here!

Your website is the first impression people have of who you are. And that’s why your website, I mean I keep on talking about all the ingredients that must be in a good website. Well in this case I’m just talking about the look. The look of your website, whether it’s on a small screen or a big screen has got to be national quality.

People have got to go WOW! In other words, your website must make you look bigger than you are. So think about your website right now. When people go to it, does it truly represent the scope of your company?

Testimonials – you know it’s one thing for someone to say you are to visit Eric, you are to visit that burger place etc. It’s another if when they get to your website, they see other testimonials from other people saying “Wow this place rocks, I love it!” So if you have a list of what I call testimonials, you know little 3rd party objective opinions that what people have given you of your business, one of the best places to sprinkle them is your homepage.

Make sure it’s one of the first things people see, because everyone knows you’re gonna blow your own horn on your website. But when someone else praises you, that makes a lot of difference in getting them to pick up the phone and call you. Remember, the number 1 barrier on the internet is the trust barrier. We’ve got to lower that in order to convince people to call you, or walk through your door.

Online Reviews – Yes you’ve got to check in on your online reviews, you’ve got to check on your online reputation, what are people saying about you. And if the only reviews people see over there are negative reviews or 1 really bad one, then you need to bury them in good reviews. Which means encouraging your clients, encouraging any customers who like you to actually go in and review you so it pushes any bad reviews down.

Like I said, when you go in and Google the name of your company, what comes up? Heck if you don’t have a website, then the only thing that comes up is what other people are saying about you! That’s one of the reasons you need to have a website. Even if you think you don’t need one is simply so that you’re controlling what’s being said about your company online. Which also means checking out the online reviews on what people are saying. I have a whole video titled “How to Manage Your Online Reputation for Free”. So be sure and watch that.

Showing up for this kind of thing is critical. In other words, people who tell me “Eric I get all of my business through Word-of-Mouth. I don’t need to be online; I don’t need an online presence.” I’m telling you, you must have one!

If Word-of-Mouth is truly how you are getting business, you must have a website. Because it’s just too easy for people to go and check out who you are and see what you do. And based on that evaluation, based on what comes up online, that is when they decide whether to give you a call or even give you a shot at their business. I’m Eric Spellmann; I’ll see you in cyberspace.