Is word of mouth still the best form of marketing?

Companies, large and small, spend hundreds to millions of pounds annually on marketing. They employ copywriters, web designers, brand consultants and marketing firms to accelerate sales. They may have a huge in-house marketing team, whose job is to increase brand awareness and accelerate sales. It’s a lucrative industry with no guarantees of returns.

If you’re a small or medium enterprise, you will likely look at outsourcing to other freelancers and non-agencies to keep costs down and you’ll know the Bill Gates’ maxim “The customer is king” and work on local social media and digital marketing as well as word of mouth.

It’s argued, often, that word of mouth is in fact the most powerful form of advertising and this can be both a positive and a negative.

Now brands like Coca Cola, Manchester City, Manchester United don’t need word of mouth recommendations as their main marketing appeal – though it helps, we’re sure.

But a small business, like a removals firm, a flooring company, a used car team, rely heavily on word of mouth.

And that’s where we come in.

A lot of our customers who have their vans fully or partially wrapped by us, bring us new business.

You can almost imagine the sorts of conversations?

“Your Sprinter van looks smart, love those graphics, who did those for you?”

“Love that design on your Transit, who designed and fitted those?”

This is where word of mouth can be a double-edged sword and why we, at Manchester Van Signs, treat customers as kings (and queens).

What we don’t want is Jeff or Julia saying “I wouldn’t recommend them as they were too slow to respond to us.”

“They were okay, but the back is peeling already and they blamed us for it.”

No, no, no.

We want Jeff and Julia to tell them how great our van vehicle graphics design and fitting is and share this website, our email address, our social feeds with them.

Word of mouth is so important too, because the person giving the recommendation is staking their reputation and friendship on it.

Example.

You have a shower, WC and sink fitted and a neighbour asks what they were like as they spotted the van on your drive. You’re delighted with the new bathroom suite, the quality of fittings and the excellent installation. You tell them and that corroborates their decision to make contact.

Additionally, by having your company name and contact details on public display, you’re showing that you’re confident in what you do, regularly receive word of mouth referrals and get repeat business without spending much on marketing.  Your neighbour, whose already had it confirmed that they’re excellent, may pop out with their iPhone or iPad to take a photo of the van for future reference. Why wouldn’t they? When they upgrade a bathroom, who will they contact first?

Now, clearly, vehicle graphics alone won’t win you business – but high quality wraps that are distinctive and well-designed will catch eyes and business.

Want to know more about becoming the trusted tradesman in your area for plumbing, electrics, flooring and gardening?

Contact Manchester Van Signs today.