Promoting Your Business with People Power

The most powerful marketing technique available may cost you nothing. Getting other people to promote your business is not only the least expensive marketing you can find, but it’s often the most effective. When people begin telling their friends about you, a stream of clients arrives at your door ready to buy. In a world overloaded with marketing messages, personal endorsements can be the key to marketing success.

But how can you create word of mouth? Doesn’t it just have to happen? The truth is creating word of mouth may be simpler than you think. One trick is to find people who are centers of influence—those individuals whose recommendations carry weight with many others.

There’s also power in numbers. The sheer volume of people who know about your business can make a significant difference. By reaching out into an existing network of people in a specific niche, you can build name recognition and referrals just by meeting and staying in touch with a large number of people who are all connected to one another. When people hear about you from more than one source, your reputation multiplies.

Where to Look

How do you find these centers of influence and niche networks? Start by asking around. People in your target market or vendors serving it can often suggest specific people and groups or helpful sources for finding them. Two good questions to ask clients, colleagues, and vendors are “where can I connect with X?” and “who do you know that knows a lot of X?” filling in a brief description of your niche.