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5 Urgent Reasons to Spend More Time on WOM Marketing
There’s no denying the power of word-of-mouth marketing. After all, what could be more convincing than a personal recommendation from a friend or family member? When done right, word-of-mouth marketing can be an incredibly effective way to reach new customers and grow your business.
Of course, this doesn’t mean that word-of-mouth marketing is always easy. In order to get people talking about your product or service, you need to give them something worth talking about. Fortunately, there are a few simple strategies you can use to get started.
What is Word-of-Mouth Marketing?
If you’ve ever been told about a great new restaurant by a friend or recommended a book to someone based on your enjoyment of it, then you’ve already participated in word-of-mouth marketing!
Word-of-mouth (WOM) marketing is, quite simply, when people talk to each other about products or services that they like or don’t like. It’s the oldest form of marketing there is, and it can be incredibly powerful. After all, we’re more likely to trust the recommendations of people we know and respect than anything we see in an advertisement.
For businesses, word-of-mouth marketing can be both free and extremely powerful, making it an important tool for any company looking to build its brand.
5 Reasons to Spend More Time on WOM Marketing
Word-of-mouth marketing is one of the most reliable and cost-effective ways to promote a business. Here are five reasons why businesses should give extra time to word-of-mouth marketing:
- It’s trustworthy. Unlike advertisements, friends and family members tend to give more credence to personal recommendations.
- It’s personal. Word-of-mouth marketing allows businesses to connect with consumers on a personal level, which can foster loyalty and build long-term relationships.
- It’s targeted. Businesses can use word-of-mouth marketing to target specific demographics increasing conversion rates.
- It’s cost-effective. Word-of-mouth is one of the most cost-effective forms of marketing since it doesn’t require any paid advertising costs.
- It’s viral. A positive word-of-mouth review can quickly spread online, reaching a large audience at little to no cost.
Let’s change the topic for a second and talk more about handwritten notes.
Features of Handwritten Notes That Are Saved
Word-of-mouth marketing is effectively promoted with handwritten notes, however, for them to be successful, the notes need to be the ideal representation of a human-crafted message and then some. Check out these features you want to look for in a handwritten note that people will save and display.
- Quality that is second to none.
To explain the kind of quality you’re looking for here’s a short story. A mom reads online that if you send a request to the White House they will send you a card congratulating you on the birth of a child. She sent a letter to the address provided and weeks later a note arrived.
The cardstock and envelope were thick and looked expensive. While the message itself was clearly printed with an ink jet or laser printer, the signature looked 100% authentic. So authentic that the mother kept that note for the next 18 years before handing it off to the child it was written for.
A quality handwritten note leaves the recipient feeling like they need to keep the note because throwing away something so special isn’t an option.
- High-resolution graphics.
Now, no one’s going to keep just any old note, it needs to be something that looks amazing when displayed. That’s where the note graphics come into play. The handwritten notes service you choose should give you the option of creating a 100% unique, one-of-a-kind graphic that captures the eye and immediately says, “Keep Me! Display Me! Show Everyone!”
- Genuine ink pens.
Handwritten notes that are kept are written with genuine ink pens. Remember that note from the White House? The signature smeared when rubbed. That’s a clear indication that an ink pen was used not a printer and ink.
From experience, people who receive handwritten notes will attempt to smudge the words. That smudge says, “This is a real handwritten note created specifically for me.”
- Individual stamp.
The stamp used to send a handwritten note may seem like a minuscule aspect, but it’s more important than you think. Printed, digital postage screams junk mail. But, a USPS Forever stamp says someone took the time to personally affix the postage by hand.
- Handwritten envelope.
Another seemingly tiny detail that’s really a huge factor in successful handwritten marketing is the envelope. It doesn’t matter a bit if your note is handwritten if the envelope is never opened. Many handwritten notes services will print the envelope instead of handwriting it.
This saves time and maybe a little money, but it’s not the right choice. Printed envelopes are treated like junk mail and thrown in the trash. Handwritten envelopes (with that Forever stamp) get opened and read!
- Engaging, thought-provoking message.
There are a ton of tiny details that make handwritten notes effective, but the second most important (behind handwritten envelopes) may just be the message inside. The message needs to address the recipient by their first name.
It needs to show interest, appreciation, and gratitude. Because you’re limited to 400-600 characters per handwritten note, you need to get your point across in a couple of sentences and spend the rest of the characters personalizing the message so the reader feels seen and valued.
- QR code links to content they’d pay for.
A QR code is an image that, when captured by a cell phone camera, takes the scanner to something typically online. The code moves the reader to a place where they’ll likely interact with a call-to-action of some sort. Maybe it takes the recipient to a newsletter signup page, an infographic, an article, or a blog post, among many other options.
The idea here is for the reader to land on a page that’s packed with content so valuable that they’d be willing to pay for it, even though you’re giving it away for free. It’s this kind of content that convinces people to take action and spread the word about your brand.
- Easy-to-read contact information.
Finally, the contact information you share in the handwritten note needs to be easy to read and understand. If the handwriting style choice looks too cluttered, it may be difficult to make out the details. If the characters aren’t spaced out enough, any numbers will be jumbled together. To put it plainly, if you share contact information and you want the reader to use it, they have to be able to read it.
3 Tips for Preparing Your Site for Handwritten Traffic
If your handwritten notes are aimed at moving the reader from the note to your website, there are a few things you need to take care of first. How your website reacts to traffic can make or break your word-of-mouth marketing campaign.
1. Maximize page speed.
The last thing you want is for someone to scan a QR code or visit your website and get stuck in the loading process. Not only does Google judge your website by how fast it loads, but so do the people you bring in. After a few seconds, if the page isn’t loaded, each additional second brings the visitor closer to clicking away. According to Hubspot:
“As page load time goes from:
1s to 3s the probability of bounce increases 32%
1s to 5s the probability of bounce increases 90%
1s to 6s the probability of bounce increases 106%
1s to 10s the probability of bounce increases 123%”
How do you maximize page speed? First off, check your hosting provider. The cheaper the hosting, the slower the page speed, in many cases. You want a host that’s focused on client performance.
Second, compress every image on your website. Large images can take a long time to load. A simple plug-in (for WordPress sites) is all it takes to compress every image and speed up the entire website.
Finally, get rid of any old plugins you don’t need and keep all plugins you actively use updated to the latest version.
2. Offer exceptional content.
As mentioned earlier, the content you share on your website needs to be exceptional. The reader needs to be willing to pay for such in-depth information, though you’re choosing to give it away for nothing. This includes content on a newsletter signup page, home page, blog post, and everything that content touches.
Not only does the content’s meaning need to be excellent, but the spelling and grammar need to be perfect as well.
3. Build out your BIO.
A well-crafted biography is one of the most important elements of a strong website. Why? Because your bio is an opportunity to tell your story and let your visitors know who you are, what you do, and why they should care.
A good bio will help build trust and credibility, and it can be the difference between a website that just sits there gathering dust and one that generates leads and drives sales.
So if you’re not sure where to start, or you’ve been putting off building out your bio page, now is the time to get moving. With a little effort, you can create a powerful tool that will help you achieve your business goals.
WOM Marketing: How Do All These Elements Fit Together?
Ready for another short story? Let’s look at an example of how handwritten notes and word-of-mouth marketing work together.
A real estate agent sends a handwritten note to a couple who just closed on a house. The landscaping and curb appeal really sealed the deal, so the note has an amazing image of the home showing just that.
The couple is so excited about the beautiful note that they display it on the coffee table. They have a dinner party a few nights later and a friend notices the gorgeous image of the house. They grab the note and ask the couple about it. The couple explains what an amazing experience they had with the real estate agent, so the friend writes down the agent’s contact information.
The couple also chooses to take a picture of the note and share it on social media with friends and family. Several people get in touch with them to learn more about the agent.
All of this action occurred because of a single handwritten note that was displayed. A note that authentically looks like a handwritten message can be a powerful tool that’s incomparable to any other type of marketing.
Summing Up Word-of-Mouth Marketing With Handwritten Notes
There’s nothing like a personal recommendation to get people interested in a product or service. And that’s what word-of-mouth marketing is all about: leveraging personal relationships to generate interest and excitement. After all, we’re much more likely to trust the opinion of someone we know and respect than a complete stranger.
And when it comes to making decisions about spending money, we often rely on the advice of our friends and family. That’s why word-of-mouth marketing can be so powerful. It’s the most authentic form of advertising there is, and it can be incredibly effective at driving sales.
So if you’re looking to boost your business, don’t underestimate the power of word of mouth!
