3 word of mouth lessons from the grocery store

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As a supermarket, it’s hard to stand out when your competitors are on every other corner. But with a little creativity, these companies are using word of mouth marketing to make their groceries remarkable.

Here are three examples:

1. Wow your customers
2. Get out there
3. Find the right talkers

1. Wow your customers

Whole Foods Market lets their employees hand out “Wows” every day. It might be something as small as giving away the last veggie patty at the deli, or adding a bouquet of flowers to someone’s groceries. These little gestures trigger word of mouth about Whole Foods Market and their customer service. Surprise and delight can be this easy. How are you giving employees the chance to do it?

2. Get out there

When in doubt, take your word of mouth message on the road. When Sabra discovered that 80 million Americans had never tasted hummus, they toured cities across the country in a hummus truck and handed out samples to everyone they met. That spectacle not only raised more awareness for Sabra, but also encouraged more than 70 percent of the people who tasted a sample to buy some hummus in the next 60 days.

3. Find the right talkers

When you do something nice for a niche group, they’re much more likely to tell other people in that group about you. How does a grocery store for everyone do something special for a specific group? At Hy-Vee stores, they have nutritionists on site to help customers with dietary restrictions or other health goals shop for groceries. That’s something people with special health needs would tell their peers about.

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