The 5 most effective BtoB word of mouth techniques

[Welcome back to our Word of Mouth Marketing Lessons newsletter. This is text from the great issue all of our email subscribers just received. Sign yourself up using this handy form.]

The most common question we get is, “Great, but does any of this word of mouth stuff work for BtoB marketers?” Yes, it does. In fact, most of the tactics are exactly the same.

Sure, your talkers are different, the topics change, and you may use different tools — but it still comes down to the same basic process.

Here are five of the most effective BtoB word of mouth techniques. As you work through and start implementing them, always remember: It’s not about the product, it’s about the people.

1. White papers and research
2. Testimonials
3. Email newsletters
4. Customer referral programs
5. Live meetings

1. White papers and research

People love to share articles, research, and data. They get quoted, copied, and forwarded to everyone in the office. When you publish this content, make sure it’s easy to share. For inspiration, check out how the folks at eMarketer put out tons of data that can be instantly slapped into a presentation.

2. Testimonials

Testimonials are powerful in the BtoB world, and you should be asking for them everywhere. When you do, politely ask for permission to use them in your marketing materials. Also, keep a current list of customers who are willing to serve as references for you. Because nobody buys $100,000 software without asking around, you might as well make it easy on new prospects by supplying them with references the first time you meet them.

3. Email newsletters

Email newsletters (like the one you’re reading now) are special marketing tools because they’re the only form of advertising people ask for. If you earn an audience’s permission and keep it by sending useful content, you can email them for a long, long time. Put a simple sign-up form on your website and start sending out weekly or monthly tips and advice your customers and prospects could actually use. If your content is genuinely useful, you’ll create some fantastic conversations and stay top-of-mind to your prospects.

4. Customer referral programs

Start a formal program to get existing customers talking to new prospects. Create video interviews, write case studies, and feature them in your blogs and newsletters. The secret? Make your customers feel important. The more they look like stars, the more they’ll talk about you.

5. Live meetings

Get fans together any way you can. Every time they meet each other and your team, it increases enthusiasm and gets people talking. Formal user conferences and big annual meetings work great, but so do quarterly barbecues at your office. And when you travel, try to bring clients together over dinner — or, even better, encourage employees to do this when they travel. You could meet 1,000 customers and create 1,000 happy talkers a year doing this.

Tags: B2B, BtoB, btob best practices, BtoB marketing, customer referral, email newsletter, eMarketer, testimonials, white papers, word of mouth marketing