John Jantsch, author of “Duct Tape Marketing” and “The Referral Engine,” shared a bunch of his smart, hands-on marketing ideas at our Word of Mouth Supergenius event.

In his discussion, he covered a bunch of his practical strategies behind creating a culture of earning referrals. A few big takeaways:

• Your customers aren’t your only talkers. John says all companies live in a collaboration universe where referrals happen every day — a universe much bigger than just your customers. Look at your strategic partners, your employees, and even your competitors as people you could potentially earn recommendations from.
• Combine high-tech with high-touch. When writing “The Referral Engine,” John interviewed hundreds of companies with great word of mouth. The one link they all seemed to share was the use of technology — not for automation or as a shield from the outside, but as a way to further engage in human, one-on-one interactions with their fans and customers.
• Bring your customers together. Online or off, when you bring your customers together, it helps them network, discuss common problems, offer feedback to you (good and bad) and build loyalty for your brand.

If you like this presentation, check out our upcoming Word of Mouth Supergenius event in New York on July 20.

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