The Marketing You Don't Control Might Be Your Most Powerful

There is a part of your marketing you can't completely control. What people say about you when you're not in the room. A customer recommends you to a friend. A client mentions your name in a meeting. Someone shares your event with a coworker. A former customer tells someone, "You should call them."

You didn't write that message. You didn't schedule it. You didn't approve the wording. And that's exactly what makes it powerful.

People Trust People

We can spend hours creating the perfect marketing message, but a recommendation from someone you trust often carries more weight than anything an organization can say about itself.

There's a reason we ask friends where they eat, what doctors they see, which contractors they use, and where they take their kids. We're not just looking for information. We're looking for reassurance.

Someone else has already tried it. Someone else thinks it's worth our time, money, or attention. That matters.

You Can't Manufacture Word of Mouth

You can encourage people to share. You can ask for reviews. You can create referral programs. You can make your social content easy to pass along. But you can't really force someone to recommend you.

People talk about experiences that stand out. They talk about organizations that made something easier. They talk about people who were especially helpful. They talk about the thing that surprised them. They talk about the organization that made them feel understood.

If you want people to talk about you, start by giving them something worth talking about.

Your Marketing Doesn't End When Someone Says Yes

This is where marketing and the actual experience become inseparable. Imagine your marketing promises that working with you will be easy. Then the customer has to fill out three forms, wait two weeks for a response, and make four phone calls to get an answer.

The marketing may have gotten them through the door. But the experience is what they'll remember. The opposite is true too.

When the experience is better than someone expected, that's memorable, and memorable experiences create stories.

Make It Easy to Share

Sometimes people are willing to recommend you but don't know how. Give them something useful to share.

• A helpful resource.

• A great event.

• A simple explanation of something confusing.

• A memorable experience.

• A piece of content that makes them think, "This is exactly what my friend needs."

You don't have to make every piece of content "shareable." Just make some things genuinely useful enough that people want someone else to see them.

Pay Attention to What People Say

Your audience isn't just a source of customers. They're also a source of language. Pay attention when someone says:

• "You made this so easy."

• "I had no idea you did that."

• "I wish I'd found you sooner."

• "I've already told my friend about you."

Those statements tell you something about the experience you're creating. They may even reveal your strongest marketing message.

Sometimes the best description of your organization isn't the one you wrote. It's the one your customers naturally use.

The Referral Test

Here's a simple question to ask: If someone recommended us to a friend today, what would we hope they said?

Maybe:

• "They're really easy to work with."

• "They explain things without making you feel stupid."

• "They actually listen."

• "They're great at what they do."

• "They made the whole process simple."

Whatever comes to mind is worth paying attention to. Because that might be the reputation you're building. And if it isn't? That's useful information too.

Marketing Is Bigger Than Your Marketing

Your website matters. Your social media matters. Your emails matter. But so does every interaction someone has with your organization. Every phone call. Every event. Every follow-up. Every problem you solve. Every time you make someone's day a little easier.

Those experiences become the stories people tell about you. And those stories can travel much farther than any post you create.

**You can control your message. You can't completely control the conversation, but you can give people a reason to have a good one.**