Word of mouth marketing certainly gets talked about all the time, but the reality is that very few people understand how to properly apply this powerful tool. Obtaining grapevine referrals actually does require a bit of work and determination, and it isn't somematter that just as if by magic occurs, so if you are expecting it to work that way, you are bound to be disappointed.
Many people erroneously believe that there is dead no way to control any aspect of spreading the word about their business (except for paying marketing expenses, of course). Free grapevine is somematter that most business people, particularly the self-employed, think of as somematter that either happens, or it doesn't, and they don't understand how to try to make it happen for them.
Taking Action
The reality is that there are some positive actions you can go for help spread the word about your business in an effort to generate some activity and peradventure acquire new customers. One of the most important matters you can learn is how to network. Networking is dead essential to building recommendation of mouth referrals, but you have to learn how to have a go at it properly in order for it to work for you.
With the growing popularity of social networking sites, there are endless opportunities for you to advertise your business existence and let people know who you are. For many people, however, social networking is still a somewhat mysterious matter that they are, quite frankly, a bit wary of. How do you know who you are "copulative with? And, more importantly, how do you know whether that somebody is legitimate? Are they trustworthy? Are they dangerous?
These questions tend to keep people (except for those under the age of about 25) from avidly acquiring involved in social networking. People are wary of copulative to strangers online, and they should be. What you have to learn is how to protect yourself and make a point that you are copulative to honorable people. The best way to do this is to only connect to people you actually know, or who are "connected" to somebody else that you know and trust. If you follow this general guideline, you should be able to remain comparatively safe in the world of social networking.
Understanding Your Clients
You should also maintain an active, up up to now contact list of former and current clients. Keep in touch with people even if you haven't done any work for them in a while. This will keep you in their minds, even if only subconsciously, and it power just get you some additive work down the road. You can do this by sending people card game at Christmas or Hanukkah, birthdays, or for milepost events in their businesses. Even if you just send somebody a brief email to touch base, you will keep your name (and that of your business) in the client's mind.
You should also develop a really good understanding of how to cultivate healthy working relationships. People like to work with individuals that they know and can rely on. If you have done good work for somebody in the past, try to maintain that working relationship and build on it. You ne'er know when somebody is going to refer you to a fellow business associate, so learn to get on your toes when it comes to dealing with your clients.
