Author: Tracy McCoy
One of the things James and I talk about often is how powerful a great reputation can be for a business. There is nothing better than having a happy customer tell someone else, “You need to call these people.” We love referrals at Get Fish Slapped, and I don’t see that changing anytime soon.
But in Episode 12 of The Fish Slap Effect Podcast, James and I talked about the other side of that conversation. Word of mouth is incredibly valuable, but word of mouth alone is not a marketing strategy you can consistently scale.
Think about what happens when someone recommends a business to you. Chances are, you don’t immediately pick up the phone. You Google them. You look at their website. You check their reviews. You may look at their social media. You want to make sure what you find online matches what you just heard from someone you trust. That’s why I think of word of mouth as the beginning of the conversation, not the end of it. Your marketing needs to be there to back up the recommendation.
Your Reputation Needs Somewhere to Go
Referrals work because trust has already been established. Someone has essentially vouched for your business before the potential customer ever interacts with you.
The challenge is that referrals can be unpredictable. If you depend entirely on your regular customers telling their friends about you, you don't have much control over when that happens or how often. When referrals are coming in, business can feel great. When they slow down, your pipeline can get quiet very quickly.
We see that in our own community. New people are moving into the area every year. They don't necessarily know which businesses have been around for decades or who the locals recommend. Today's stranger could become tomorrow's regular customer, but first they need a way to discover you. That's where your online presence becomes so important.
Start With the Basics People Are Already Searching
One of the easiest places to start is your Google Business Profile. If you haven't claimed it, claim it. If you have claimed it, make sure you've actually completed it.
I like to compare these profiles to fill-in-the-blank homework. Google gives you all these spaces to tell people about your business, so fill them in.
Make sure your categories are correct, your hours are current, your services accurately reflect what you offer, and your contact information is right. Add real photos of your business, team, products, projects, or whatever makes sense for what you do.
Categories are especially important. If you provide several types of services, you may be able to list multiple categories, but you still need to be intentional about which one represents the primary focus of your business.
And don't stop at Google. Apple Business Connect and Bing are important too. If customers are using Apple Maps for directions and your information is wrong, that's a problem. At the very least, claim your listings and make sure the basics are accurate.
It may not feel like exciting marketing, but sometimes the simplest things make the biggest difference.
Reviews Are Digital Word of Mouth
If someone recommends your business and I Google you afterward, one of the first things I'm probably going to look at is your reviews.
That's why I think reviews are really the digital extension of word of mouth. They take those individual customer experiences and make them visible to people who don't already know you.
James shared a great real-world example in this episode. He asked a prospective client how she had found Get Fish Slapped and why she chose us. She told him she looked at our website, checked our reviews, and knew we were the company she wanted to work with.
That's exactly how people make decisions today.
And getting the review is only part of the job. Respond to it.
If someone takes the time to say something wonderful about your business, acknowledge them. Thank them. Show people who are reading those reviews later that you're engaged and paying attention.
The same goes for negative reviews. No business makes every person happy all the time. I don't think fear of one bad review should keep you from asking your happy customers to share their experiences. What matters is how you handle the feedback and how you respond.
Make Asking for Reviews Easier
I'll admit that asking for reviews doesn't always come naturally to me. It can feel a little awkward, even when you know a customer is happy. One of the easiest ways around that is to make the request part of the customer experience instead of treating it like a big ask.
If someone tells you how happy they are with your work, that's your opportunity. Thank them and ask if they'd be willing to leave a review. Give them a direct link. If your employees are working in the field, consider creating a QR code customers can scan right there.
You can also start small. Think of five customers you know are happy with your business and send them a quick text or email with a direct link to leave a review. The easier you make it, the more likely people are to actually do it.
And once those reviews start coming in, don't let them sit there. A great review can become social media content, a testimonial on your website, and another trust signal for someone researching your business. One happy customer can help introduce you to a lot more people than the person standing next to them.
Don't Ignore Your Local Community Online
I'm going to admit something else. Community groups can sometimes drive me a little crazy.
There can be plenty of drama in those online groups, and personally, I try to stay out of that part of the conversation. As a business owner, anything I say online can reflect back on the business, so I tend to err on the side of professionalism. But that doesn't mean I think businesses should ignore these groups. They can be incredibly useful.
People are constantly asking for recommendations. Who's the best landscaper? Does anyone know a good doctor? Who can build this? Who can fix that? Instead of searching Google first, they're asking their neighbors.
Pay attention to those conversations. If your business is recommended, thank the person who mentioned you. If someone is looking for a service you provide and the group's rules allow it, join the conversation. Even if you aren't actively promoting your business, these groups can tell you a lot about what people in your community need and the questions they're asking.
Sometimes marketing isn't about jumping into every conversation. It's about knowing which conversations are worth joining.
Word of Mouth Should Be Your Best Lever, Not Your Only Lever
I don't want anyone to walk away from this thinking James and I are diminishing the value of referrals. We're saying the opposite. Word of mouth may be one of the most powerful ways to grow a business because trust is already built into the introduction. But you need something supporting it.
Your Google Business Profile, online listings, reviews, website, community presence, social media, and advertising all work together to keep your business visible beyond the circle of people who already know you.
That matters because referrals aren't predictable. You can't control when someone will recommend you or how many people they'll tell. You can control whether your business is easy to find when someone goes looking. A strong marketing strategy doesn't replace word of mouth. It gives word of mouth somewhere to land.
The Real Competitive Advantage
For me, this comes back to trust.
A recommendation creates trust between two people. Your marketing has to carry that trust the rest of the way.
When someone hears your name from a friend and then finds an accurate business listing, a professional website, real photos, positive reviews, thoughtful responses, and a consistent presence in the community, everything lines up. The recommendation they received feels validated.
That's what we're trying to build.
You don't need to abandon the relationships that helped grow your business. You need to make sure you're building a marketing presence strong enough to extend those relationships beyond the people who already know your name.
Watch the Full Episode & Join the Conversation
If your business has grown primarily through referrals, I invite you to watch the full episode of The Fish Slap Effect Podcast. James and I talk about why word of mouth is still incredibly valuable, where relying on it alone can create gaps, and some practical things you can do to strengthen the marketing around the reputation you've already built.
You'll hear the complete conversation and practical insights on Google Business Profiles, reviews, local listings, community groups, and simple ways to make your business easier for new customers to discover and trust.
Follow The Fish Slap Effect Podcast on your favorite podcast platform or subscribe on YouTube. We release new conversations every week covering marketing, leadership, business growth, and the unexpected lessons that help businesses move forward.
If you enjoy the show, subscribe, leave a review, and share this episode with a fellow business owner, entrepreneur, marketer, or leader who says, “Most of our business comes from word of mouth.”
Because a great referral may put your name in someone's head, but what they find next can determine whether your name ends up on their calendar.