The explosion in Consumer Generated Media over the last couple of years means consumers' reliance on word of mouth in the decision making process has increased significantly, from both people they know and online consumers they don't.

1. 10 Ways to
Drive Word of
Mouth.

2. The explosion in Consumer Generated
Media over the last couple of years means
consumers’ reliance on word of mouth in
the decision-making process, either from
people they know or online consumers
they don’t, has increased significantly.
Jonathan Carson,
President of Online, International, The Nielsen Company

3. 90% of consumers say they PAGE
trust recommendations from 03
people they know.
Nielsen Survey
70% of
consumers
trust other
consumer
opinions
posted online.

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5. What does this mean for
your small business?
Your current customers, as well as potential customers
who haven’t met you yet, are talking.
They are talking to... their next door neighbor.
their PTA friends at dinner.
an audience of MILLIONS online via
Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, and other
online communities.
They are talking about... their favorite places to eat.
the worst customer service they had.
their most memorable experiences.
and they could be talking about you!
So let’s make sure more and more
people are positively talking about your
small business.

6. 10 Ways to
Drive Word of
Mouth

7. Word of mouth, in the real world.
People act differently in person
than they do online. Shocking! PAGE
In digital settings, consumers are more aware they are 07
being watched by peers and, therefore, are motivated
to post about things that are aspirational or will be well
received by others. But in face-to-face interactions, they
are more more motivated to talk about what is top of
mind.
[Source: AdAge & Wharton School of Business Study]
# 10 Don’t get hung up on
being newsworthy,
# 09 Stay on the top of
your customers’
just be yourself. minds.
Customers are more likely to To stay top of mind
share what is at the top of and mentioned in
their mind at any given point conversations, you need to
of time. So a product that is be where the people are
cool, or interesting doesn’t keep talking. Do this by printing
conversation going too far. your business name and
Common products or services logo on your napkins,
are talked about just as often if cups, bags, etc. so when
not more, so focus on delivering your customers leave, your
the best service and products business can still be on the
you have. top of their mind.

8. # 07
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# 08 Give customers a test
drive, and make it an
# 07 Provide conversation
starters through
experience to remember. wearable or usable
promotional items.
You can’t say much about
something you’ve never tried. Offering t-shirts, reusable
People talk more often and bags, sunglasses, koozies,
more easily about things that or pens, etc. allow your
they have experienced first business name or logo to
hand. But, this isn’t just handing be in places that people
out a sample of ice cream. are talking face to face.
Provide a fun experience, If you are clever, funny
display complementary food or catchy text or images
or beverages, or show how the can become conversation
customer could use your product starters for people.
or service in their everyday lives.

9. Online and mobile word of mouth.
Due to the widespread and continually
growing use of social media,
conversations about food, services, and
products are no longer just face-to-face.
You now have access to larger amounts of potential new customers
through your current customers’ online friend network.
Use it to your advantage.
# 06 Provide your customers
incentives to mention
# 05 Encourage the Yelp
review community and
you via their social give feedback to any non
networks. positive experiences.
Free dessert by mentioning us Customers will spread the word
on Twitter! Log into our wifi about bad experiences more
network by checking into our frequently and quickly than good
Facebook page! Receive a 15% ones. So you may have to put in
off your book purchase with some extra effort here. For instance,
a Foursquare check in! These
make it easy to give reviews on the
are all great ways to encourage
spot by setting up a small laptop
customers to share you to their
online friends. right in your store.

10. The best of both worlds:
Word of
mouth, online
and off.

11. # 04 Help customers get
together and learn
# 03 Implement a customer
rewards program.
something new. There is nothing like watching PAGE
The more people know about your points get closer and
your stuff and have good closer, and then finally earning 011
experiences, the more they something free or a big
will talk about it. Teach your discount. Your customers will
customers how to style an feel the same and share their
outfit, cook a 30 min dinner, excitement to their friends
grow a herb garden, or online and off.
whatever is relevant to your FiveStars can allow your customers to
automatically post to their Facebook
small business. Have in-store when they’ve earned their reward.
events or post video how-to’s
on YouTube and Facebook.

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13. # 02 Get your best customers to be your cheerleaders.
You know those customers that are always mentioning you on Twitter? Or checking into
your Facebook page? Engage, recognize, and reward your most frequent visitors (and
most talkative online) for being loyal to you. These Facebook fans and Twitter followers
immediately become part of your marketing team.
# Give your customers not just
great, but over the fence out
of the ballpark, grand slam
customer service.
People get good, or even just decent, customer service everyday.
It is only the experiences that go beyond what they expected
that drive these customers to joyfully it shout it to all their
friends and families.

14. Two examples of above and
beyond customer service that
payed off in ways no one could
have expected.
Morton’s Steakhouse Panera Bread
Peter Shankman, author and business Brandon Cook, a young man from New
consultant, was getting ready to board a flight Hampshire, was visiting his grandmother, who
back home and decided to jokingly tweet out was hospitalized with terminal cancer. She was
his craving. “Hey, @Mortons – can you meet me complaining about the food in the hospital and
at newark airport with a porterhouse when I mentioned how she would love some of Panera
land in two hours? K, thanks. :)” Bread’s clam chowder. However, Panera only
offers clam chowder on a specific day of the
Morton’s Steakhouse saw his tweet and saw an
week, which was not that day.
opportunity to make a customer for life. They
made his steak, found his flight, and drove the Cook called their local Panera and explained
25 miles to meet him just in time for his flight the situation to Suzanne Fortier, the manager
to land. Shankman was shocked and on staff. “I wasn’t looking for anything
sang their praises online, which special just a bowl of clam chowder. Without
eventually went viral. It caused hesitation she said absolutely she would make
hundreds of thousands of her some clam chowder. When I went to pick
social media mentions about up it up they wound up giving me a box of
Morton’s, as well as actual news cookies as well. Its not that big of a deal to
stories. most, but to my grandma it meant a lot.”
Source: Huffington Post Cook’s mother posted the story on her
Facebook page, and since then has received
over 800,000 likes and 35,000 comments. One
small act of amazing customer service reaped
huge rewards.
Source: Ad Week

15. To learn how FiveStars can help increase word of mouth for
your business, go to