While social networking has the potential to greatly accelerate the incidence of word-of-mouth marketing, its explosive growth makes it harder and harder to stand out.
My top tip is: act quirky.
If you think of your favourite reality TV show – spooky that I know you have one – I’ll wager there are one or two people you can really remember. And I’ll bet they are the ones you talk about with others. Often it’s not that they are the outright best – the top chef, finest singer or most proficient dancer – but more that they have a memorable characteristic. Something endearing. Something quirky.
Necessarily (and thankfully), quirks come in many different forms. It may be the product or service you offer. It might be the way you deliver what you do. It could be the name of your business or the way you or your business fronts up to the world. Perhaps it’s the way you write or the way you speak. Maybe it’s a cocktail of many of these things.
A good friend of mine has built a very successful corporate consulting business and part of his marketing and attraction strategy is to present at lots of conferences.
These are big conferences with a heap of speakers and they are all alarmingly good. What’s more, they are all competing for the same attention and largely the same business leads.
David, however, is quirky. His slides are gorgeous and largely devoid of words. He uses lots of storytelling to get his points across and he wears very loud shirts. Each of these characteristics serves to imprint him on the memories of attendees, and make for fantastic conversation starters: “What about that guy, David, with the shirt – weren’t his ideas impressive?”
‘Quirky’ is an excellent trigger for word-of-mouth marketing.
Are you making it easy for others to remember and talk about you? Let us know what works or share some examples of individuals that stick in your mind and get you spreading the word.
Author: Robert Gerrish
“ If you think of your favourite reality TV show – spooky that I know you have one – I’ll wager there are one or two people you can really remember. ”
Robert Gerrish is one of the Flying Solo crew and supports soloists as a coach and consultant. He presents at conferences and networking events and bangs on to the media or anyone who listens, about all things micro. Along with Sam Leader and Peter Crocker, he's the co-author of Flying Solo – How to go it alone in business.
