Pirela Creative Solutions

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Your employees can develope a powerful and influential word-of-mouth marketing force if you prepare them with the tools, training and incentive to do it right.  Storytelling is the oldest form of word-of-mouth communication where one person tells others of something, whether a real event or something made up. And has long been recognize as one of the best ways to get new business for many people or companies. Nothing will replace the conversation that happens between employees and customers. High praise from a trusted customer will go long way to influence a potencial client that any type of radio, newspaper, television or internet advertising can do. But how employees can develop a word-of-mouth marketing? Word-of-mouth can also diffuse quickly through social media.

The Benefits of Social Networking for Your Company

• Marketing/PR: Build Brand Awareness and Manage Company Image
• New Business: Find Business Opportunities and Expand Into New Markets
• Innovation: Inspire and Drive Innovation
• Customer Retention: Increase Customer Loyalty

Here are some great ways in How Employees Can Develop a Word Of Mouth Marketing Force:

1. Create an Employee Social Media Policy

Take into consideration developing an easy-to-understand social media policy for employees summarizing the DOs and DON’Ts of their communications on behalf of the brand. It’s more than just telling employees what they can or can’t do during working hours on company computers. Create straightforward rules and guidelines manual for your employees on how to engage with customers and fans. This is not to control their interactions, but simple and easy education on how they can participate in conversations about your business genuinely and truthfully, both on and offline. Intel, for example, has published their social media guidelines publicly for anyone to read.

Writing a Social Media Policy can be a company’s first line of defense to mitigate risk for both employer and employee. But it is advised to create a separate social media policy to have something specific on file and accessible to employees and that they are aware of the policies existence.

Your employees are already out there: posting, creating fan pages, tweeting, commenting and talking about your brand. But from now on, they’ll be doing it with your guidance and solicitous care.

2. Provide the tools

You need to put tools in their hands. Offer employees special discounts, coupons, or product samples for themselves, their family and friends. If you find something employees are sharing, it might indicate a potentially popular item or service outside your employee network. And when you find something that really gets your employees sharing, there’s a good chance it’ll work for your external fans too.

3. Include them on your website

This may not work for a big company, but small businesses with a small number of workers should set up employee profiles in the company website. It’s a simple way to display how hands-on your employees are when it comes to the company. Not only they are dedicated workers, but they also care enough to show their faces and share personal stories.

4. Proclaim them Ambassadors

You should treat your employees with generosity . When employees are happy everything else moves evenly and they will become advocates for your business in the marketplace. Begin by finding those passionate brand lovers among your employees and give them an opportunity to lead the industry in their role. Involved them in online forums or industry groups? Proclaim them your company’s experts on the topics they know best and assist them in getting involved in the company blog, online communities, events, and local groups. Or leveraging employees as brand ambassadors, give employees the product expertise to go out and engage customers on behalf of your brand. Employees can have persuasive conversations with your customers.

5. Your employees need to be digital citizens, too

Becoming a social business means recognizing the need for your employees to become “digital citizens,” provide the training for them to manage their digital reputations. Accordingly, IBM not only trains its experts extensively, it is now building out “personal dashboards” to help them see the impact of their various interactions. “Good conversation creates good outcomes and that brings value to the organization and to the individual,” – Ethan McCarty, Senior Manager of Digital and Social Strategy at IBM said.

When I read a negative review followed up by an apologetic response trying to resolve or address the problem, I am impressed by the business. As a result, even a negative review provides an opportunity for positive word-of-mouth. So share with your employees positive and negative comments about the brand and they will be he first to find the most approachable way to solve because of their direct interaction with your customers they will be the first to know the core of the problem. Consumer experiences driven by basic business fundamentals such as quality, service and experience is the real fuel of word-of mouth.

How do you involved your employees in your word-of-mouth efforts? Do you have a social media policy for your employees?

Alirio Pirela is Founder of Pirela Creative Solutions, Creative, Love Analytics, Blogger, Designer, Art Director and Content Marketing Strategist working as a Community Manager for several small businesses, providing tools and advice for social pros and business owners. @aliriop

Post filed under Business, customer loyalty, Marketing, marketing strategy, Privacy, social media, WOM, word of mouth and tagged marketing strategy, Social Media Policy, word of mouth.