marketing : word-of-mouth
Word Of Mouth
Unlike an advert, which is 100% controlled by you, (ie. you write it and make it sound as fantastic as possible), word-of-mouth marketing for your holiday property has infinitely more penetration into the mind of the audience. With the proliferation of social networking on the web now as well with blogs and websites like Myspace, everyone can have their own voice online. And;
- Word of mouth carries more weight because it is based on real experiences that are not told by the seller, but by another customer.
- You do not own "Word of mouth", so you can't control the actual message - you are relying on other people.
- Word of mouth is very cheap because people are selling (or harming your business) for you depending on their point of view.
Control What You Can
Word-of-mouth marketing is going to happen whether you like it or not and an unhappy customer is much more likely to spread negative comments about your holiday property than a happy customer is to spread a good comment. That is unless the experience is exceptional - and you do have a certain amount of control over that.
First of all you have be realistic: It is a Customer/Supplier relationship and you are the supplier. Yes, you really have to get into that mindset. Think about the customer service you recieve.
You also have to respect your customers, even if you think they are wrong. Obviously there is a limit to how far you should go to satisfy a customer, but the longer you can stretch that boundary, the more respect you will get and that is the aim - To be a RESPECTED supplier of Rental Holiday Property.
Ammunition
To encourage positive word of mouth from your customers, you need to give them as much ammunition as possible.
- Make sure your holiday property is worth telling people about so that your customers will spread word of mouth. Be proud of it and give it everything that suits your potential customers. By encouraging feedback you can find out what really people think about your holiday property and things that could be added to enhance that experience. Make it exceptional.
- Your personal skills may be tested but treat your customers like customers. How do you like to be treated? Customer service is something we all want to receive, whether it is from our bank, or from the local butcher. We all have an opinion based on our experiences and we will tell our friends. Your Customers will do exactly the same about your holiday property.
If on the other hand you give them every reason to not like the experience, ie. you are dismissive, rude, and your holiday property is just 'ordinary', the puzzle is not complete and a negative message will spread by word of mouth. You need to look at every part of the equation to give an all-round positive experience - the product, the delivery and the customer service.
Evangelists
How many times have you found a shop or website that is great and then proceeded to tell your friends all about it? The chance are you have, and if you told five friend and they had the same experience, they may tell five friends - that's 25 people! That's the power of word of mouth.