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Loyal customers are a powerful ally. As you will learn, they can generate new business with the accolades they share about your product or services. They can be instrumental in getting and keeping a product stocked on shelves.

Want the voice of your satisfied customers to be heard? Read the articles in this Inc.com Guide to Customer-Driven Marketing. They contain ideas on generating referrals, using references to build business, and creating buzz with word-of-mouth marketing.

Generating Referrals

Need Help? Don't Call Us
Online peer forums boost customer satisfaction while cutting costs.
New Business from Old Clients
Before you spend a fortune trying to drum up new business, get in touch with former customers. This entrepreneur and small-business columnist has suggestions for starting a contact program.
Successful Retail Strategies
A trip to a nail salon prompts ideas any small retailer can and should use to increase business.
Street Smarts: Your Good Name
There's nothing more important than having a good business reputation. And the best people to help you get one are your competitors, veteran entrepreneur Norm Brodsky argues.
Get Business to Come to You
Employ these four suggestions for building your business through referrals.

Word-of-Mouth Marketing

Case Study: Taking on Procter
Grassroots-marketing efforts have created passion for this company, and fiercely loyal customers are instrumental in getting and keeping its product stocked on the shelves of large chains.
A Little Help from Your Friends
A satisfied client can be your best sales rep. Here are some pointers for helping customers "sell" for you.
Milking Customer Loyalty
Word of mouth can be a powerful tool for building customer loyalty.
The Word Is Out
For this entrepreneur, one cold call led to a word-of-mouth publicity blitz.
Inspire People to Talk about You
These tips will get your satisfied customers talking about you.

Customer Data

A Do-It-Yourself Customer Panel
Do you want to put some bang into your market research without spending the big bucks? Try conducting your own customer panel.
Will They Bite?
By using Web customers as a focus group, Bite Shoes received feedback that saved the company money.
The New Market Research
Companies are using untraditional market-research methods to find out what customers want.

Friday: Customer's Point of View