Word of Mouth Marketing

WOMM is still the number one influencer for acquiring new customers. The digital age has changed the model from one to one to one to many. Customers now have a megaphone by which they can communicate exactly how they feel about a business. The good news for a retailer or restaurant is that social media allows them to see what people are saying. That’s a good thing in the sense that you can respond. In the past when a customer was speaking negatively about your business it could take weeks before you knew and sometimes you might never find out. So what are the common sense rules that should apply for you to mange these digital conversations? The first and probably more important rule is to be transparent. That means if you screwed up admit it and communicate back to customer that you would like them to call to discuss the problem and come to some satisfactory resolution. Respond back to them via the same Social media vehicle they used, Facebook, Yelp, Twitter etc. By keeping the conversation viral you are gaining back control of the conversation by admitting you made a mistake and want to resolve the problem. If politicians adopted the same philosophy they have more credibility and issues would have a shorter shelf life. I have a few other rules that for dealing with digital communication but honestly if you embrace this one rule you can turn the proverbial lemon into lemonade. Always respond to any negative feedback.