Word-of-mouth marketing is an effective and inexpensive way to ensure new business and build trust with current customers.

Getting a recommendation about your business from a friend or acquaintance can give a potential customer the confidence boost they need [to buy from you].

Small business owners can think of word-of-mouth marketing as free advertising. Large enterprises pour millions into advertising campaigns to influence consumers. Small businesses that often don’t have big budgets to spend on marketing can nonetheless generate buzz through word of mouth.

How can you get customers to not only appreciate you but promote you as well?

Here are 21 low-cost tactics you can adopt to drive word-of-mouth marketing for any business.

4 Useful Sales Advice for Business Growth  

Not everyone is a born deal-maker, but there are strategies that all entrepreneurs can use to maximise sales. Here are 4 useful sales advice that can help you grow your business:

1. Get your feet into the door When you meet your would-be client, offer them a free hour of your expertise to brainstorm their current business situation.

2. Get to know a prospective client and start generating leads Target a specific audience, know who your potential customers are, and do thorough research. This will help when you start curating some leads as you will be able to identify your customer base.

3. Go beyond the sale Once you have made a first sale, it is a productive practice to provide useful tips for using your product or service.

4. Build long-lasting B2B relationships Consider your business client interactions as long-term commitments. Oftentimes transactions with an individual can be one-off, but with a business, they can be long-term repeat business. A long-term mentality might steer you towards co-creating business terms that result in win-win situations, instead of a win-lose set-up – which is not sustainable in the long term. For more sales advice, read our article below.  

New This Week (19 September 2022)  

• How to Start a Trucking Business in South Africa

• How to Start an Agribusiness in South Africa

• SETA Funding for Small Businesses

Social Media for Small Businesses 

The benefits of social media for small businesses are numerous, whether it’s helping to raise brand awareness or generate leads. However, to fully enjoy the benefits that social media platforms have to offer, your accounts must be up-to-date and active. To do this you have to regularly and consistently post content.

But how do you create compelling content that will encourage your followers to engage with your brand? Here are some articles that can help you with your business's social media accounts:

• 10 Powerful Ways Entrepreneurs Can Maximise Their LinkedIn Profiles

• What To Post On Your Business’ Social Media Platforms – Ideas for Twitter, Instagram, LinkedIn and Facebook

• A Guide to Running a Facebook Campaign

• 5 Ways Your Small Business Can Use Twitter to Develop Sales Leads

• Everything You Need to Launch an Instagram Profile For Your Business

Need Working Capital? For a Free Quote for Business Funding, visit SME South Africa. 

Do you want to convert social media leads into sales? Of course, you do

SME South Africa has partnered with Version. Eight Media to bring you the digital marketing Ebook ‘Cost-Effective Digital Strategies for Growing Your Small Business’, with easy-to-follow and cost-effective digital marketing strategies and tactics JUST FOR YOU.

We are letting you IN on the strategies you can use to – Build brand loyalty, increase your brand awareness and GET THAT SALE!

Download the E-book to Learn:

1. How educating your customers on your products can lead to sales

2.  What social media platforms you should be using for your business

3. Tactics for lead generation

4. PLUS 4 ways to grow your email list