How to Encourage Word of Mouth [news]

What's the first thing we do when we want to find a good doctor, accountant, a hotel, a restaurant, or a movie? We ask others for a recommendation - friends, relatives, business associates. If we trust the person making the recommendation, we often act upon the referral. And the business we were referred to gets one more customer without having to spend a cent on advertising or promotion.

Keeping in touch with satisfied customers and encouraging them to talk up your business is the most cost effective form of promotion you will ever get. Here are six word-of-mouth marketing tips that can help you build a network of referral sources.