With all the technology these days, there are almost unlimited ways for a company to market itself and spread the word about what it does.
Marketing tools, such as e-mail marketing, a Web site or being involved in the social media space are very effective ways to reach your target audience.
But don’t let the technology-craze stop your company from using one of the most traditional—and most effective—marketing methods that exist: word-of-mouth marketing.
A “Tell Someone About What You Do” Example
This morning I stopped by Starbucks for a cup of coffee. The barista who was making my drink asked me how my morning was going and where I was headed to. Pretty typical questions.
But then the barista went a step further.
He asked me what I listen to in the mornings. I said I usually listen to CDs. Then he told me that several days a week he works on the morning radio show, Roula and Ryan. He gave me the station numbers and suggested I listen to it on my drive to work.
Simple and straightforward… and I was interested. When I got back in my car, I tuned to the station numbers he gave me.
Word-of-mouth marketing is a simple and extremely effective method of telling people about your business.
Why? Because:
- People like getting recommendations from other people.
- People trust the advice and recommendations from other people.
- People will pass on the information they receive.
That’s why you need to be sure that, wherever you go, you tell people about what you do. And in a concise, but specific way.
The “Elevator” Pitch
I’m sure you’ve heard the term “elevator pitch” before. Simply put, an elevator pitch is a detailed speech about your business that you could give to anyone in the amount of time it takes to ride up an elevator.
Short and sweet, essentially.
A short statement is much easier for people to remember and to, hopefully, pass on.
Do you have an elevator pitch for your business? If not, it’s time to come up with one, pronto.
Here’s an example:
I’m in the process of starting a health counseling business. And one of the questions I get asked all the time is, “What do you do?”
Before I created an elevator pitch, I would respond by saying, “I’m a holistic health coach.”
Wow—how uninspiring is that?!
Now that I’ve created an elevator pitch, though, I have a much more inspiring answer for the question, “What do you do?”
My new response is: “I help people transform their health and happiness using creativity tools, such as writing, journaling, cooking and vision boards.”
See the difference?
“I’m a holistic health coach,” doesn’t sound very exciting. And it probably wouldn’t make someone to want to find out more about what I do.
But when I say, “I help people transform their health and happiness using creativity tools, such as writing, journaling, cooking and vision boards,” there’s a lot more excitement in that response. And there’s a lot more in there for people to potentially ask me about, which then gives me free reign to tell them more about my business.
Boiling down what your company does into an elevator ride-length pitch isn’t easy. But the time you put into it will be well worth it when someone asks you, “What do you do?” and you can give them a response that elicits further questioning.