In order for word of mouth marketing to work, you’ve got to be top of mind. It won’t matter at all that you’ve met with hundreds of people in the last year, if they don’t remember you, you might as well have stayed home. So, what can we do to keep ourselves fresh in their memories?
Here’s a short list, but notice that most of these are meant to provide value to the other person. Remember, money is the echo of value.
- Connect on your favorite social media site. Make sure your communications (whether they be updates, posts, tweets, or whatever) contain useful or insightful information. No one cares what you had for lunch or that you found a sad cow in Farmville.
- Write a blog. While I do recommend that everyone should have a blog in order to establish themselves as an expert in their field, the challenge is that most of the time you are counting on them to seek out your words of wisdom (not likely to happen). Check out auto-posting tools such as dlvr.it or twitterfeed which can take your blog posts and copy them to one or more of the social media sites.
- Write an e-newsletter or e-zine. Of course you’ll get the permission of your contacts before you add their name to the list, but even if they don’t read every one you send out, they will see your name on a regular basis. Just remember that this is an informative, educational, or humorous newsletter. No advertising!
- Call them. It’s not a sales call, nor does it have to be a long conversation. Just check in with them now and again to see how things are going in their lives.
- Email them. Same thing as the call in #4. You are just making contact. You are never, ever selling.
- Write them. Thank them. Congratulate them. Inform, amuse, or educate them. Send them a note or a card. Send them an article. Anything that comes through the mail (with the exception of — need I say it? — advertising), they will open.
- Remember them. Remember who they are and what they do and, especially, who or what they are seeking. If you keep them in mind, you can bet they will be likely to reciprocate.
Come up with your own unique way to stay in contact. Remember that they can only recommend you if they recollect you. Keep the gentle light touches going out on a regular basis and they won’t be able to help keeping you in mind.
Photo credit: Charlotte Na
