Author - Sarah Gemmell Category - Customer service, Marketing Posted - 04/04/2011 0 Comments | Add Comment
Empowering employees to market your business
If you're a small business who's publishing ads in local newspapers, engaging in social media and still struggling to get customers through the door, you may be a overlooking an important marketing resource: your employees.
Being a business owner (let's say you own a restaurant), you have a strong passion and dedication to the traditional Italian cuisine you serve. You can sell anyone on it, even pasta-haters. You dream about your restaurant at night, and want it to be the greatest Italian eatery out there. But do your employees share this passion?
If you rely on your employees to simply do their jobs and go home at night, they most likely don't. The key to empowering your customers to market your business for you is to make them as passionate about your business as you are. You want your employees to be telling their friends how amazing your cannelloni is, how tender your chicken parmesan is, and how romantic the outdoor patio is. So how can you get your employees excited about your business? Here are a few ways:
Let your employees experience the greatness of your business a a customer. Example: Draegers Markets, a chain of gourmet grocery stores in the Bay Area, offer incredibly popular cooking classes multiple times a week. How do they sell out on each class? They let all of their employees take the classes too, who in turn tell their friends & family how fun the classes are. No advertising required!
Reward your employees with your business itself.Example: When employees work overtime or have to stay late to take care of something at the Wynn hotel in Las Vegas, Mr. Wynn lets them stay the night in one of the hotel's luxurious rooms. No doubt, when employees are asked for hotel recommendations, the Wynn is at the very top of the list. Another benefit of rewarding employees in this way: it doesn't cost a thing!
Give your employees a voice with which to rave about your business. Example: The majority of employees at Zappos have Twitter accounts (which all note that they work at Zappos in the Bio). Constantly tweeting about office events, raving about their jobs at Zappos and taking care of customer service issues on the spot, Zappos employees provide the best marketing a company could ask for.
Are your employees marketing your business? What are some techniques you use to share your passion for what you do with employees?