The common mantra is that you must be doing something right in your marketing campaign if there are people talking about your business.
Malaysians talk a lot
There is no mistake that Malaysians are talkative people. They talk about things online, at mamak shops, in Kopitiams and at cafes. If there is a business that is good, they will talk about it and everyone will have their own take about anything at all. So, if your business is a good one and you have products that they like, you can be sure that Word-of-Mouth marketing is your greatest ally. After all:
- More than 50% of Malaysian shoppers will read product reviews online before making a decision to buy something
- About 70% of Malaysian shoppers do not believe what they see on ads.
- Almost 95% of Malaysian shoppers said they believe their friend’s recommendations.
- Globally, shoppers are at least 3 times more likely to purchase something from a good word-of-mouth
Strategies for WOM
The numbers should be enough to get you started on WOM if you are running a business in Malaysia. In fact, it should be a critical part of your campaign both directly and indirectly. Here are some pointers:
- Promote referrals – Get your customers to refer their friends and give them incentives to do that. Your customers will surely have some good words to say about you if you have done a good job. When they make referrals, give them some form of incentive like a 30% discount on their next purchase. The more referrals they make, the more they benefit.
- Be current – You have to speak the language of the current generation if you want to reach them. If you want them to talk about you to their friends and in their social circles, you have to come to the table with the right messaging. The better you do this, the more they will talk about it.
- Customer service – Malaysians love businesses with good customer service. If you are known to give good service, they will tell others. As Malaysians love their food, and you have a restaurant, you can be sure that your customer service will be discussed on social media and just about any other platforms available.
- Always be there – If you want your customers to like you, you have to like them. You need to be present online as frequent as possible. While using bots are good, personalizing your communication will make a whole lot of difference for your WOM campaign.
- RESPOND! – Even when you get a negative comment, you need to apologize and respond. NEVER be defensive and be mature about your responses. You might encounter some users who might be unreasonable which might tick you off which is where you need to take the higher ground.
Published date: 2020 June 18
