Content Marketing is all the rage, and for good reason. Google is continuously tweaking their algorithms to reward content that is useful for people, rather than over-optimized thin content.
Marketers are catching on, and as a result there are a ton of articles talking about the value of content marketing for attracting new customers.
But you don't hear as much talk about great customer service as a way of getting new customers.
Where do new customers come from?
Ask any business owner what their best source of new customers is, and they will tell you it is word-of-mouth referrals from their existing customers.
Yet - amazingly - 80% of businesses have no process in place for asking their customers for referrals!
Customer service as an inbound marketing technique
Providing top-notch customer service is the best way to get your customers to refer you to their friends or colleagues.
But you have to take it one step further. In addition to providing a fantastic customer experience, you need to ask your customers to refer you!
How to ask for referrals
According to John Jantsch, author of The Referral Engine (an excellent book, btw) one of the best times to ask your customer for a referral is after a support request where you resolved their question or issue. This was counter-intuitive for me at first.
In the book, he suggests you think about all of the customer touch-points in your business. Write down every time you interact with your customer, and look for opportunities to ask for referrals.
Here's an example of how we mapped out all of our customer touch-points for one of our products.
I’m guilty of not asking enough for referrals and testimonials.When ever I do I get great responses and people are more than happy to do it. I really need to get in the habit of reaching out to people more.
Me too Kyle. Just like you I found that most customers are perfectly willing to provide referrals. Its out of my comfort zone to ask, but almost always is a positive interaction.
@Don The way to ask can be difficult. I feel uncomfortable when I get what clearly is an automated email written in a “Hey, how are you doing?!” jovial tone. And Amazon’s emails are very pushy; stop asking already!
Hi Don
A great point here. I dont so much ask for referrals but I do ask for online reviews.
All new enquiries are directed to a third party web design review site on which I rank 3rd in the UK.
Its a great way to back up my sales message and has really helped my business to grow.
Mark,
Yes, I think online reviews are a form of referrals, and certainly help with rankings and conversions on the web.
Hello Don,
It is very true that Customer service is the best marketing strategy. As you said, It is very very important to engage ourselves with our valuable customers to obtain their feedback. When it comes to me I would go for more reviews than referrals. And thanks for you
Dreamdesigns,
Yes, I think the important thing is that you are talking to your customers, understanding how they experienced your product or service and addressing any issues should they come up. That leads to great online reviews and referrals naturally.