This is Part 3 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 focus on Triggers for better word-of-mouth marketing: How to keep your service top of mind by connecting it to everyday moments that prompt customers to talk about it.
- Triggers: What everyday moments will remind customers of your service?
Triggers
Triggers are everyday cues that naturally remind your customers of your service when they face a related problem or need. These reminders prompt customers to think about your business at just the right time, ensuring your service comes to mind when it’s needed most. The key is consistency—so when customers experience an issue, they immediately recall your service as the solution.
Triggers – Key Points
- Tied to everyday situations or problems.
- Naturally prompt customers to think of your service when they need it.
- More about consistency and presence in a customer’s routine.
Triggers – Product-Based Examples:
For products, triggers can be very specific. Some great examples include:
- Mars Bars: In 1997, Mars Bar sales spiked during NASA’s Pathfinder mission to Mars, thanks to the natural association.
- Kit-Kat: The “coffee break” moment became synonymous with the Kit-Kat bar, creating an automatic link in consumers’ minds whenever they took a pause.
These examples work for products because they are tied to a specific moment or situation. But how can you create similar triggers for your service-based business?
Triggers – Applying to Services:
- Link to Common Problems
- Leverage Time-Sensitive Reminders
- Use Local Events or Trends
- Create Associations with Regular Habits
Link to Common Problems (triggers)
Identify the common issues your service solves and create triggers around them. For example:
- Plumber: A clogged drain or broken garbage disposal naturally reminds customers of your plumbing services.
- Pest Control: A rat or pest sighting can trigger the need for pest control services.
Leverage Time-Sensitive Reminders (triggers)
Identify key moments in the year when your service is most needed and create time-bound reminders:
- HVAC Service: Send seasonal reminders like, “Schedule your heating system check-up before the cold weather sets in.” This ensures your business stays top of mind when customers prepare for seasonal changes.
- Plumber: Think about holiday-related issues, like a broken garbage disposal after Thanksgiving dinner, and create reminders that tie into these moments.
Use Local Events or Trends (triggers)
Tie your service to local events, weather conditions, or seasonal changes:
- Roofing Company: If there’s a heavy rain or storm in the forecast, you can become the go-to service for roof repairs by linking your business to the storm season.
Create Associations with Regular Habits (triggers)
Leverage customers’ regular habits and routines to create triggers:
- Lawn Care: Remind customers of lawn care when they see neighbors mowing their lawns or when they’re out gardening.
Example – Brainstorming for Trigger-Based Reminders
Think about how the “Change Your Clocks, Change Your Batteries” campaign reminds people to change their smoke detector batteries when they adjust their clocks for Daylight Saving Time. This simple reminder ties a necessary action (changing batteries) to a regular event (time change) and helps ensure safety.
Now, let’s brainstorm triggers that could work for your service-based business (based around when people are changing their clocks in either Spring or Fall). Here are a few ideas::
- “Fall Back, Don’t Let Your Furnace Fall Behind!”
(HVAC service reminder to check and service heating systems before the colder months) - “Turn Back the Clocks, Time to Check Your Heater!”
(HVAC service reminder for heating system maintenance before winter arrives) - “Spring Forward, Clean Your Gutters!”
(Gutter cleaning reminder for the spring season, tied to the time change when people are gearing up for spring cleaning) - “Spring Forward, Time to Spruce Up Your Lawn!”
(Lawn care service reminder to start seasonal lawn maintenance with the beginning of Daylight Saving Time)
The key to effective service triggers is to link them to regular, relatable situations. This ensures your business is top-of-mind when customers need it, making them more likely to call on you at the right time.
Triggers Vs. Talk Triggers
Triggers help keep your service top-of-mind during everyday moments, while Talk Triggers go a step further. A talk trigger is an unexpected or remarkable element that prompts customers to talk about your business specifically. It’s a unique feature or story that’s memorable and shareable, often sparking conversations that spread your message.
For example:
- Trigger: HVAC Company – “Turn Back the Clocks, Time to Check Your Heater!” The event of turning the clocks back an hour triggers the thought of annual heater tune-up.
- Talk Trigger: Skip’s Kitchen – pick the joker card and get meal for free. This makes customers talk about their experience and share it with others.
In short, triggers ensure your service is front of mind during regular moments, while talk triggers make your service unforgettable and shareable, creating organic word-of-mouth marketing.
(Talk Triggers are covered extensively in Part 1 of our series: Building Buzz Through Word-of-Mouth Marketing – Uncover Your Talk Trigger for Better Word-of-Mouth Marketing.)
Get Creative with Your Triggers
Now that you understand how Triggers can keep your business top of mind, it’s time to brainstorm your own. Think about the everyday moments or events that could remind customers of your service. What can you integrate into their daily lives to keep your business front and center?
Take a moment to ask yourself: What routine, action, or situation could nudge your customers to think of your business? Whether it’s a seasonal reminder, a recurring need, or a simple connection, find a way to keep your service top of mind. When you create consistent, memorable touchpoints, your customers will be more likely to talk about you at just the right time.
Take action now—gather your team and marketer, and start brainstorming ways to create triggers that will keep your business top of mind and tip of tongue.
See Part 4 of our series on Building Buzz Through Word-of-Mouth Marketing
In that post, Emotion for better word-of-mouth marketing, we’ll focus on how tapping into your customers’ feelings—like joy, relief, or pride—can inspire them to share their experience with others.
