Spreading the word isn’t that difficult…if you have something interesting to spread. Telling the story about a great experience isn’t that hard because you don’t have to make things up to make it sound good. The part that’s remarkable stands on its own, strikes a chord with your audience which in turn compels them to give it a try. Ancillary hype is confusing, risks making the story boring and is pretty much meaningless.
The best products and services sell themselves because they are in and of themselves remarkable, and therefore make an emotional connection with a particular audience. We usually start the “spin” cycle and add ”fluff” when A.) we’re not good enough, and/or B.) we’re trying to get more customers without adding more experience, i.e., reach a bigger audience.
Here’s my point….
A.) Pick what you can be the best at, and put as many resources into that as possible.
B.) Make sure the story you tell (website, press releases, brochure, signage, etc.) is concise, interesting and targeted to your prospective guest.
Knowing what to say and how to say it is important. Knowing when to shut up is sometimes more important.
Here’s a non-hospitality angle on the subject (thanks to Seth Godin for the pointer):