This is Part 5 of our series: Building Buzz Through Word-of-Mouth Marketing
In this series, we’ll guide you through unlocking the power of word-of-mouth marketing for your local service business (inspired from the books Contagious by Jonah Berger and Talk Triggers by Jay Baer and Daniel Lemin).
In this post, we’ll dive into Public for better word-of-mouth marketing: How to create a service that’s built to be shown and shared, encouraging customers to visibly showcase their experience.
- Public: How can customers visibly showcase your service?
- Reviews: Streamline the Process for Reviews and Testimonials
- Visuals: Give Customers Something to Share
- Referrals: Reward Word-of-Mouth Advocates
- Word of Caution: Risk of Over-Rewarding or Underwhelming
- Get Creative with Public Visibility
Public
To generate word-of-mouth marketing that works, you need to make it as effortless as possible for customers to share their experiences. This means streamlining every step of the process—from leaving a review to sharing their story on social media. By making it easy for customers to share their experience, you encourage them to spread the word. Here’s how to leverage visibility and encourage customers to promote your business publicly:
- Reviews: Streamline the Process for Reviews and Testimonials
- Visuals: Give Customers Something to Share
- Referrals: Reward Word-of-Mouth Advocates
Reviews: Streamline the Process for Reviews and Testimonials (public)
Ensure it’s easy for your customers to share their positive feedback.
Example to Streamline Reviews: After completing a service, follow up with an email or text message containing direct links to review sites such as Google, Yelp, or Facebook. This ensures that customers can easily leave a review, no search required. You can also include simple prompts like:
- “What did you love about working with us?”
- “What would you tell others about our service?”
By giving them a clear path and a few easy-to-answer questions, you make it simple for them to share their feedback.
Visuals: Give Customers Something to Share (public)
People love to share transformations —whether it’s a home renovation, a personal achievement, or a remarkable service experience. If you can offer your customers something visually compelling, they’re more likely to spread the word. This doesn’t just help you get noticed; it turns your customers into advocates for your business (free word-of-mouth marketing).
Example – Progress (as a visual):
A roofing company might take progress photos throughout the job and share them on social media with captions describing the project. At the end, share a final, dramatic image with a story about the homeowner’s need and how your service met it. These visual stories are both memorable and highly shareable.
Example – Before and After (as a visual):
Think back to the roofing company using drone footage to capture stunning before-and-after shots of their new roofs. That kind of unique content makes for perfect social media material. After completing a project, you can provide your customer with high-quality photos or videos of the work, along with a message like “Check out this incredible transformation by [Your Company Name]!” Ask your customers to share their experience with a branded hashtag. This makes it easy for customers to share, while boosting your social media presence and visibility.
Note About “Before-and-After” Photos
These are widely considered to be one of the most shared types of content online, particularly on social media, due to their powerful visual storytelling ability that demonstrates transformation and progress, making them highly engaging and shareable across various platforms.
While many companies make the mistake of showcasing only the “after” images, they miss a critical opportunity to highlight the transformation that takes place. Presenting both images side by side not only showcases the full extent of your quality workmanship but also communicates the impact of your services in a way that mere words cannot. A compelling before-and-after photo offers a real-life example of your capabilities, instilling trust and confidence in prospective clients.
When you provide homeowners with before-and-after photos of their projects, you’re not just giving them a nice keepsake; you’re offering a thoughtful gift they can proudly share with family, friends, and their wider network. This strategy not only enhances your relationship with clients but also serves as a form of free advertising for your business.
For more tips on how to maximize the impact of these photos, check out my Ultimate Guide to Using Before-and-After Photos for Your Home Service Company.
Visuals: Why It Works
- Visual content is highly shareable. People love to share pictures and videos that show a transformation or something unique. A stunning before-and-after video from a roofing project or a detailed photo of a remodeled space is not only satisfying to look at, but it’s also easy to share.
- It builds brand awareness. Every time a customer shares your service on their social media, they’re giving you exposure to their network. This organically increases brand recognition and credibility.
- It fosters customer engagement. When customers share something about your business, they become part of the narrative, making them feel more connected to your brand and more likely to continue recommending your services.
Visuals: A Note to Remember
Many companies post photos and videos without a logo or website URL. So when shared, this vital information isn’t passed along, and the visual content could end up being attributed to anyone—including a competitor. Always add your brand to the visual content you provide to ensure your business stays front and center, even when your work gets shared.
Visuals: The Takeaway
To make the most of social media sharing, give customers something they can’t wait to post. Provide high-quality visuals, like before-and-after photos or videos, and make it easy for them to share with personalized hashtags or captions. By turning your service into something they’re excited to share, you increase your visibility and encourage word-of-mouth marketing.
Referrals: Reward Word-of-Mouth Advocates (public)
Referral rewards are a great strategy for encouraging loyal customers to refer new clients. When your customers are rewarded for spreading the word about your business, they have a personal stake in helping you grow. And in the age of social sharing and easy recommendations, giving them a little extra motivation can lead to a significant boost in your customer base.
Example – For a Service Business:
After completing a service, send a thank-you email or text message that includes a referral link or code for a special offer. You can offer something like, ‘We appreciate you choosing us for your recent [service]! Refer a friend or family member and both of you will get 10% off your next service!’ This type of incentive benefits everyone involved. It’s easy for customers to pass along the referral, especially when they feel appreciated and rewarded for their support.
Referral programs can range from simple discounts to bonus services or even gifts. Whatever you choose, the key is to make it easy for customers to refer others and to feel genuinely valued when they do.
Referral Rewards: Why It Works
- It builds on existing enthusiasm: Referral incentives amplify the excitement and positive energy already generated by your contagious elements. You’re simply providing an easy way for your customers to spread the word.
- It creates loyalty. Even without an incentive, customers feel appreciated when you acknowledge their referrals. A quick thank-you or small gesture can go a long way.
- It’s easy and cost-effective. Referral programs don’t need to be complex or costly. Keep it simple and easy to share. (Referral programs can be automated through software, making it simple to track and reward referrals.)
Referral Programs: A Note to Remember
To make your referral program even more effective, ensure that the process is as frictionless as possible. The easier it is for your customers to refer someone, the more likely they are to do it. That means providing them with clear instructions, easy-to-use referral links, and reminders to share the love.
Talk Trigger / Referral Programs: A Note to Remember
If a business already has a strong talk trigger or other contagious elements in place, the need for a formal referral program may diminish. Customers will naturally share their positive experiences because they’re excited about what the business offers. However, that doesn’t mean referral incentives can’t still play a valuable role—they just may be more effective when combined with the right viral elements. Just remember, a contagious experience is your best referral tool.
Referral Programs: The Takeaway
Referral programs motivate your customers to spread the word and champion your brand. By offering them rewards for spreading the word about your services, you encourage more referrals, strengthen customer loyalty, and boost your business growth. Make it easy and rewarding, and your loyal customers will become your most effective marketers.
WORD OF CAUTION: The Risk of Over-Rewarding or Underwhelming Incentives
It’s important to note that referral incentives can backfire if they’re perceived as disingenuous or if the reward doesn’t align with the value of the service. While referral programs can be a powerful tool for driving word-of-mouth marketing, it’s crucial to strike the right balance. If the reward or incentive feels disconnected from the value of the service or is perceived as cheap, it can create negative feelings rather than foster loyalty.
Example – Reward Disconnect:
A charity used to thank its donors with handwritten thank-you notes, which led to an increase in repeat donations. However, when they started offering small lapel pins as a reward for donations, donors began to feel that the pin—worth just a few cents—cheapened their generous contribution. They began to feel that their $500, $1,000, or $5,000 donation wasn’t truly appreciated, but rather that they had “paid” for the cheap gift. The perception of the reward overshadowed the positive gesture, reducing the impact of the donor’s actions.
The same can happen in referral programs. Offering too small or overly generic rewards might make your customers feel undervalued, which could backfire by damaging their connection to your brand.
Referral Incentives: The Takeaway
When designing your referral incentives, consider the perceived value of the reward. Ensure the reward aligns with the value or experience your customers are sharing. A personalized thank-you note, small but meaningful gifts, or a discount that feels significant will always have more impact than something that feels cheap or impersonal. The goal is to make your customers feel appreciated, not like they’re just a number in a rewards program.
Thinking Outside the Box for Visibility
While reviews, social media, and referrals are common tactics, it’s important to think beyond the usual channels to increase your visibility. A good brainstorming session with your team or marketer can help uncover unique, unconventional ways to get your service in front of more people. Look for creative opportunities that align with your brand and resonate with your audience, even if they’re not immediately obvious. By stepping outside the box, you can engage potential customers in new and unexpected ways, encouraging them to share their experiences and amplify your reach.
Get Creative with Public Visibility
Now that you understand how visibility drives sharing, it’s time to brainstorm ways to make your service something your customers want to show off. What can you do to make your service a visible part of their lives that they’ll be eager to share with others?
Take a moment to ask yourself: How can you make your service something customers will want to display or talk about in public? Whether it’s a unique product, a branded giveaway, or a standout result that’s worth showing off, make sure your service is something people are excited to share. The more visible and shareable your service is, the more likely it is to spread through word-of-mouth.
Take action now—gather your team and marketer, and start brainstorming ways to make your service public and visible in ways that will get people talking!
See Part 6 of our series on Building Buzz Through Word-of-Mouth Marketing
In that post, Practical Value for better word of mouth marketing, we’ll focus on how providing useful tips and insights can make your customers’ lives easier and inspire them to share your service with others.
