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Why Word-of-Mouth Marketing Isn’t Enough (Hot Take!)
115 Plays11 days ago
Episode Summary:
Word of mouth is often hyped as the “best” kind of marketing, but in this episode, I’m flipping the script. After 14 years in business, I’m here to share why I believe word-of-mouth marketing is not the most reliable way to grow your photography business. I’ll explain what to focus on instead, where to put your energy for long-term success, and how to take control of your marketing strategy without depending on referrals.
What You’ll Learn in This Episode:
- Why word-of-mouth marketing isn’t as effective as it’s made out to be
- The importance of client experience over referral codes
- Where to focus your energy for long-term, sustainable growth
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Transcript
The Myth of Word of Mouth Marketing
00:00:01
Speaker
Hey there and welcome back to Empowered. Today I want to talk about one marketing tactic that a lot of people believe is the holy grail and I'm going to take a hot take on that and go the opposite because I don't think that it's true.
00:00:17
Speaker
So my my opinion is that word of mouth marketing is actually the least effective marketing strategy that there is and here is why i think that that is true.
Challenges of Client Network Expansion
00:00:29
Speaker
I have been in business 14 years. This is my 14th year of business. And I have many clients who have who I have worked with every single year for almost that entire time.
00:00:40
Speaker
And yet I have never photographed any of their family or friends. Just because a client loves working with you does not mean that their family and friends will also value the work that you do.
Ineffectiveness of Referral Codes
00:00:55
Speaker
And if you're relying on word of mouth marketing, you're putting the work of marketing your business into the hands of your clients and you really don't have any control any control over your clients and what they do and how they share about your business.
00:01:10
Speaker
Now, I know a lot of people will recommend, a lot of educators will recommend having like a code that your clients can share, you know, so that they get like an affiliate or you give a discount if they share about your business, et cetera. But I have not ever had success with that.
00:01:24
Speaker
This is why I don't do it. I don't offer the referral code. I just really think it's a waste of my time.
Effective Marketing Strategies
00:01:30
Speaker
So instead, i focus my marketing efforts on areas that I know I have control over, like the content on my website, my search engine optimization, so my ability to bring traffic to my website, which I'm really good at,
00:01:45
Speaker
Email. Email is the most effective direct marketing strategy that there is. i focus a lot on that. And then, of course of course, social media and making connections with my potential audience on social media.
Local Community Engagement
00:01:59
Speaker
And then the other one that I think a lot of people forget about is community marketing, which is creating relationships with brands and businesses in your community. that will share about your business for an exchange in marketing materials, having your work up in their business or shop, et cetera, et cetera. Community connections are super high value for marketing.
Service Quality and Client Retention
00:02:20
Speaker
I also focus on serving my clients really, really well. so that even if they never tell a friend or family member about me at least they themselves come back year after year and that one client has a long-term life with me and becomes reality reliable income so i open up my calendar the year prior and i book out the months june july august september and october which is my busy family months, completely a year in advance.
00:02:49
Speaker
It's pretty amazing, and it's mostly with repeat clients. So instead of getting out there and worrying about massive amounts of new clients, I focus on giving my current clients an incredible experience so they come back year after year.
00:03:03
Speaker
I don't expect my clients to do the legwork of my marketing for me, and I don't ask them to do it. If they do share about my business, I want it to be because they genuinely love my work and the experience of having me take their photo, not because I gave them a discount.
Mastering Controllable Marketing
00:03:20
Speaker
So that's my hot take. I do not think that focusing on word of mouth marketing is the best and most effective strategy. I think that you have to learn how to market your business. I think you need to focus on areas that you can control.
00:03:32
Speaker
And I really genuinely know that when you start doing this, it will work long term.