Opening a new location represents a major step forward for your business. At the same time, it can be a little scary because you don’t know if anyone will come to your new location. That’s why it’s so important to build word of mouth about your business so that you can gain momentum and see exciting results. While there are many ways to build word of mouth, here are a few of the ways that work most often.
Sponsor a Local Sports Team
Communities big and small take great pride in their local sports teams. Therefore, a great way to build word of mouth about your new location is to sponsor one of these sports teams so that people know you support the community. The good news is that most sports teams have various levels of support, meaning that you don’t have to blow your entire advertising budget on this one venture.
Distribute Printed Advertisements
Anyone who thinks that print advertising is dead has never received a high-quality print advertisement from an enthusiastic business owner. By giving individuals something to keep with them, you’ll be much more likely to be remembered versus someone who relies solely on digital advertising. Of course, you’ll want the quality of your advertisements to be top-notch. Therefore, it’s important to utilize high-quality printers like those from Eastman Kodak Company and other local businesses.
Appear on the Local News
If you can build some expertise in your field, you may have an opportunity to appear on a local news station. For example, if you operate a restaurant and have a particular recipe that everyone loves, you can work to appear on the local news and teach others how to make this recipe. Since people tend to trust local news stations, you’ll likely find that you quickly build positive word of mouth.
Reward Customer Reviews
Although it’s dishonest to pay people to review your business, rewarding customers who take the time to leave a review is totally acceptable. Since many people won’t patronize a business that doesn’t have positive reviews, this can be a great way to earn trust in your community. Just be sure that you’re willing and able to reward every reviewer, even those who leave negative reviews.
No matter what you’re doing to build word of mouth, the most important thing you can do is to be present and approachable. People want to connect a face with the businesses they patronize so that they can feel as though they’re getting a personalized experience. Therefore, if you’re willing to build relationships with your customers, you can be sure that they’ll reward you with good word of mouth.