MyBUSINESS Magazine

MyBUSINESS Magazine: Word of mouth has enabled Z-CoiL, an Albuquerque, N.M., manufacturer of specialized shoes for people with back pain, to sell its products.

“It started on its own. People wrote us letters about how our product enabled them to come out of their wheelchairs and have life-changing experiences,” says Andres Gallegos, Z-CoiL’s president. Z-CoiL turned that informal word of mouth into a strategy. The business published hundreds of customer testimonials on its Web site and invites its “customer enthusiasts” to Spring into Action, an annual event. “Word of mouth carries our message more powerfully than advertising,” says Gallegos.