By now, most companies understand the power of social media. And, they are warming up to the idea of mobile as a viable marketing channel. It leaves us marketers in a stage where social and mobile are accepted marketing channels. However, I still know of a number of small businesses who question how these channels can mean real business and real revenue.
Try this analogy: Social, local and mobile are the new word of mouth marketing.
Study upon study identify word of mouth marketing near the top of the list of most effective tactics. Plus, we all understand that consumers trust other consumers. And, guess what? Online, social, mobile and search are all channels to encourage these referrals and spread the word far and wide.
As a consumer, I’ve long embraced word of mouth as my primary method to trust—and therefore transact—with a business. It wasn’t long ago when my friend Krista joked that I only went to restaurants, salons or stores that were referred to me by someone I knew. (In my defense, I was new to Denver and working for pennies so one bad experience left me broke and mad.) So, when we had an internal discussion at Local Matters about SoLoMo (social, local, mobile) being the new word of mouth marketing, I thought “it’s about time!”
I know Denver pretty well and I most often find myself looking for new businesses on lazy sunny afternoons. You know, the kind perfect to enjoy some drinks on a patio. It’s those days I feel like going somewhere “new” instead of our regular hangout. How do I find this “new” spot? I would probably see what’s trending on Foursquare or look up what’s hot on Yelp. Given my work in the local media and marketing space, I realize I’m not the average consumer. So, I polled my family and friends.
Sidenote, they qualify as a nice random sampling of the average consumer. About half live in a rural area with the other half in a metro area. Only half of them have smart phones. There are both men and women included. And, when I asked if they were on Foursquare most of them responded smartly with something like “Not since 5th grade.”
Here were their answers:
• Husband- OpenTable or CitySearch
• Sister- Search online forums, ask co-workers/friends in the area and almost always check Yelp.
(Note, my brother-in-law is in the Coast Guard so the online forum, www.coastiechicks.com, really helps Coast Guard families explore new cities.) – No, it’s not coastal chicks!
• Sister- Weekly emails from two local newspapers around “what’s new”. Ask co-workers, check online reviews or ask my friends and family.
• Mom- We talk to friends to get recommendations of good places. Also, we watch for newspaper or radio advertisements for new places.
• Friend- CitySearch, Urbanspoon and Yelp. I also ask friends, my parents and I often read the local magazine.
• Friend- Ask friends. Look for new places when walking my dogs. Ask my neighbors. Yelp.
• Friend- Ask co-workers. Sometimes the news or radio. I use OpenTable if its a restaurant. Otherwise, I google a business name to see what bubbles to the top of search results.
Research sticklers—I realize this isn’t really an objective survey. Be glad that I excluded my husband’s original answer, which was “I ask my wife.” My point is that the answers to this poll would have been drastically different a few years ago.
I have no doubt that asking friends and family would have been on the list. However, the explosion of socially focused web sites are now a big part of either finding new places, or gaining enough information to make a decision. In addition, people have identified specific vertical sites that meet their needs. I bet if you ask your friends and family, their answers would be similar.
For what it’s worth, Krista was right. I still choose businesses based on word of mouth. Luckily, technology has made it easier for me. Now I rely on websites, social media or my mobile apps to find reviews or ratings from like-minded consumers instead of my circle of friends and family.
Bottom line, businesses must be where consumers are. That means social, local and mobile are important channels for word of mouth marketing—generating reviews and local content that other consumers value.
The real question for small businesses isn’t “What’s the value of social, local and mobile?”
Instead, it’s “how can you afford NOT to 1) be found on social or mobile sites where local consumers are searching, and 2) influence buying decisions by sharing relevant content or encouraging your customers to write reviews?”
Are you struggling to explain the value of social, local and mobile to your executive team? What worked? What didn’t? Share with me in the comments.
Hey Terry, thanks for stopping by!
It’s impossible to keep up with all the new marketing channels. My suggestion is to do what feels doable and comfortable to you.
If you like writing, blogging a couple times a week is a great way to build your SEO value and provide information to consumers. Generally, the more you post to the blog, the better. But, try it out. Build a backlog, schedule time to blog and post to your Facebook page and see if its something you enjoy. It may take time to see results, but its a great, low-cost way to market.
Here’s a great small business blog that gives good step-by-step ideas to get you started.
http://www.ducttapemarketing.com/blog/
Good luck!
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