It’s kind of sad that one of the most powerful forms of  marketing is also the most unreliable.
         

Few things can beat word of mouth marketing in how it can  promote something. I’ve seen movies released with massive marketing budgets for  them, maybe twenty million poured into making the movie huge, and then it only  garners mediocre sales. Then you take another movie with hardly any marketing,  but people spread the word about it so much it slowly and steadily builds up  huge attendance numbers.
         

This is going to be true for any business. Word of mouth works wonders because whenever a person hears from a friend that someplace is good,  they’ll be far more willing to listen. Don’t you put more stock in something  when someone you trust tells it to you?
         

This is what word of mouth marketing creates, but how do you  get people to talk about your store? That’s just the thing, you really can’t  make people say anything.
         

Many companies start up loyalty  programs, or referral programs to encourage their customers to  tell others, but you’re still dependant on them to follow through.
         

This is why the companies who try to rely on word of mouth end up  falling behind in the end. Never plan your marketing around getting word of  mouth marketing and instead focus on the marketing you can control.
         

Get flyer printing done or send out batches of postcards. If  you hand people a flyer on the street you can at least know that they’re going  to get a look at who your company is.
       

I’m quite sure that the reason why smaller companies try to  rely on word of mouth is because for the most part it’s free. You don’t have to  spend a single cent when a person tells a friend about you.
         

Sorry, but marketing does cost money, and strong marketing  combines something like word of mouth with flyer printing or color brochures.  If you don’t have very much money than you focus on the cheaper forms of  marketing while also encouraging people to tell their friends about you.
         

Maybe hand happy customers a flyer to take home with them  and tell them to mention to all of your friends. Be sure that everyone you come  across has a business card handed to them so if they need to mention you to  someone else they’ll know exactly who you are.
         

Yes, word of mouth is a powerful tool, but it’s still  partially a luck based marketing technique, and you should never leave your  marketing up to something like chance. Find the best ways to market while also  pushing for word of mouth. In the end the best marketing will always be a  combination of multiple avenues no matter what.