Digital Marketing: Conference Recap

After a great veterinary conference in Orlando (not to mention a nice break from Wisconsin's winter weather), I'm sitting in the airport waiting to head for home and mulling over some of the great conversations that were had.

Digital marketing is tough for vets as it is for many small business owners since time is in short supply and feelings of stress over figuring out and using the technology necessary for solid marketing run high.

Some of the common stresses I heard at the conference:

• I don't have time to learn and use the technology
• My clients are finding me by my reviews, so I know I need to do something but am not sure what
• We have a website, but are not happy with it
• I have a staff member doing our Facebook marketing, but I don't think they know how to market us well
• We have a website, but are not being found on Google
• Google is confusing me and I'm not sure what to do

Of course it was also very nice to meet up with some of the clients I've worked with and to hear their satisfaction with our services, but even more so, it was impressive to hear them speak strategically about their marketing plan, their success with reviews, their data and how they are making adjustments because they know where they stand. 

Much of digital marketing hinges on understanding and I thoroughly enjoy empowering businesses to make data-driven decisions that improve their marketing and take back the power over their reputations online. 

It's back to snow today and hard to say good-bye to Florida, but I'm happy to share a spot of tea and discuss your marketing health anytime! 

Beyond Social Media: Your Business' Online Marketing Resolution

Social Media: One Piece of the Puzzle

While it is important for you to choose 1-3 of the social media sites on which to be active, (e.g. Facebook, Google+, Youtube, Twitter, Pinterest, etc.) for local online advertising, all the social media in the world won't make up for a weak website or poor SEO (search engine optimization). 

Online Marketing New Year's Resolutions

There is no need to completely recreate your online marketing plan for the new year, but you will want to check to make sure that all of your efforts meet the new Google guidelines and that you are utilizing best practices for web marketing:

• Check and make adjustments to your website - Your website should be able to adjust to the size of the user's screen (responsive design) and every page should be written to attract the attention of the three major search engines, Google, Yahoo, and Bing. You should have links to your Google business listing and any social media websites on which you are active.

• Data-driven decisions - Know where you rank in the search engines compared to your competitors, where your website visitors are spending the most time on your website, and take steps to get them to your most important information. Also be aware of and respond to the feedback your customers are leaving on your online review websites (Google My Business, Yelp, Foursquare, and many others).

• Consider writing a blog - Blogging helps others to see that you are an expert in your field and it creates new content for your website which helps to attract the attention of the search engines and broaden your marketing reach. Of course it also gives you a place to share information that can be of great benefit to your current and potential clients!  

Don't neglect your social media presence, but remember that it is just one piece of your marketing on the web and it should not be your only online presence. 

Remember, Impressions Review Managing is here to help with all of your internet marketing needs - contact our friendly team  or visit our website for more information.

Responding to Negative Reviews: Be Nice, Not Naughty

Handling Negative Reviews

Negative reviews hurt - no doubt about it. They impact your online marketing, your SEO (Search Engine Optimization), and the reputation of your brand, products, and services. Beyond that, they feel like a personal attack. But, what can you do?

How to Respond

• Promptly - Just like any good customer service response, you want to take action on a negative review as soon as possible and preferably within the first 24 to 48 hours following the review posting. 
• Sincerely - If your company blew it, take ownership of the mistake, apologize, and work to mend bridges. If it was a misunderstanding, gently clarify and offer to speak with the consumer in person or by phone to make things right.
• Generously - Assume some of the responsibility if you can, go out of your way to cut the consumer some slack, and assume the best in the client.
• Personally - The best place to hold the conversation is offline, so request the person call or visit you to work the issue through.
• Circumspectly - Remember that others considering your business are reading along, so you are posting for the general public. Be kind and calm in your response.

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After the Storm - Generating New Reviews

Hopefully, your efforts to mend bridges will result in the customer amending or removing his or her review, but if not, be sure you step up your efforts to generate new reviews from your happy clients.

Remember, Impressions Review Managing is here to help - contact our friendly team for more assistance.

Local Online Advertising Study: Reviews Can Tell the Future

Using Reviews for Local Online Advertising

Online reviews. You either love them or hate them, but there is no denying that they impact decisions on what products and services people purchase. Think about how many times you have looked at the star rating for a product or a business and chosen one over another because of the ratings and reviews others have written. I know I avoid hotels with low star ratings and I pick local restaurants based on what others have to say about the quality of service and food.

Research = Telling the Future

The University of Maryland's business researchers went further with using online reviews and have developed an algorithm that allowed them to use linguistic data from restaurant reviews to successfully predict which would go out of business. The Maryland study emphasizes what we already know - that businesses need to be paying attention to what their customers are saying.

Another study done by American Express, found that half of consumers who posted about a negative customer service experience, gave the business one week to respond before they gave up and went to a competitor instead.

Gaining New Reviews and Overcoming Negative Reviews

Websites that specialize in displaying online reviews like Google+, Yelp, Foursquare, Insiderpages, Angie's List, and many others, serve as a vast network of opinions and experiences that help consumers find the best fit for their service and product needs. Many of these websites allow the business owner to interact with client posts allowing businesses to solidify loyalty and to show their personality to prospective clients.

Paying attention to online reviews and responding to customer feedback is becoming more and more important to a business' local online advertising plan.

Remember, Impressions Review Managing is here to support you with technology to alert you of new reviews and experience to help you respond to your clients' needs to not only keep their business, but to attract other customers as well. Read our other blog articles or contact our friendly team today!

Social Media and Your Online Reputation

Which Social Media Site Should You Use to Market Your Business Online?

Social media is a great way to locally market your business online. You can interact with your current and potential clients over things of mutual interest, promote upcoming deals, offer special online savings, or even highlight your role in the community. 

There are MANY social media websites to choose from, but you do not have to be on all of them. Plan on choosing one or two that on which you feel you can remain active and focus on those. 

Different businesses will do better on different social media platforms - to help you choose, let's look at the characteristics of some of the major sites:

• Facebook - Using a Facebook page allows you to post comments or pictures, share articles of interest, promotional deals, and to show upcoming events or activities of your business or staff. If you choose to use a Facebook business page, plan on posting an average of twice each week and to read and respond to any comments you get from others viewing your page. You can expand your Facebook marketing by offering deals or having contests to get the most "likes" on a page or post. 
• Google+ - Similar to Facebook, Google+ is a place to connect with current clients, but it is also directly linked to your Google My Business listing which displays in search results anytime a potential client is looking for products or services related to what you offer. Having your Google My Business listing up to date is important whether or not you choose to be active on your Google+ page. People visiting your Google+ page will be able to see your posts and pictures, read reviews of your business, and even write a review of their own. 
• Twitter - Unlike Facebook and Google, Twitter is a faster paced social media site. Posts are required to be short (no more than 140 characters in length) and are meant to convey something currently taking place. People active on Twitter often post multiple times each day. If you decide to have both a Facebook and Twitter page, you can link your Facebook to automatically post on Twitter, but it is not recommended to have your Twitter feed post automatically to Facebook as there are usually too many Tweets which Facebook users tend to find annoying. 
• Pinterest - This social media website operates on a more visual level. Pinners post pictures they have found across the web with a link for more information. Your business can use a Pinterest account to post a picture from your website that may give tips or interesting information for people. The link to your website will drive traffic your direction while promoting your business' offerings. 

Obviously, there are many more social media websites to consider and you will want to find the ones that work best for you.

Remember, Impressions Review Managing is here to help!  Check more of our blog articles, our website, or contact our friendly team today!

SEO - Not Hide and Seek

Search Engine Optimization: "Dressing" Up Your Website

Have you ever dressed your child in a bright or wild color so you could find them on the playground? We do something similar when we develop your website - dress it up just right - so that the major search engines can find and display it to people looking for your business services and products. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) is meant to help the major search engines, (Google, Yahoo, and Bing) to find and display your website when people are searching for the kind of information your site provides. After all, what good is a website if no-one can find it?

Back to our example... Think of the internet as a massive playground with trees, swings, climbing spaces, teeter totters, slides, and kids. Kids of every shape and size running, skipping, jumping, and playing everywhere. How do you go about finding your child?

• Physical appearance - You would likely start by looking for physical characteristics like size, shape, hair color, clothes... all of these are your way of optimizing your search. Search engine optimization looks at the physical appearance of your website too - how long are the pages (not too long, not too short), are there links on the pages, headings, pictures, navigation tools. 
• Searching - To find your child, you may have to crawl through the play equipment looking for your child's characteristics. Search engines crawl through your website looking for keywords and phrases that identify your written content, your business services, and your physical location. 
• Calling out - As you search for your child, you will probably call out and listen for their familiar voice in response knowing that, even if you can't see your child, you will be able to hone in on their location by their voice. The search engines call out and look for information on the backside of your website - page titles, meta tags, meta descriptions - that help them hone in on just the right results to provide to searching customers. 

As parents, we prepare for playground situations by paying attention to the way we dress our children. If you set up your website with SEO in mind, your business will be highly visible online and the search engines will find it easy to match you with prospective clients. 

Remember, Impressions Review Managing is here to help whether you need to build or rework your website or enhance your online reputation. Contact our friendly team today!

Writing Your Website Content: Marketing Tips for SEO

Website Content Written for SEO​

Writing content for websites seems like it should be a simple thing. Focus on local marketing, provide the best information for your clients, make it professional but inviting, and you should be good to go. 

There was a time when that was enough, but then the major search engines were developed. To help the masses of people wanting to use the internet, they had to find a way to sift through the content on websites to provide the best search results. Writing content to fit what the search engines want is part of what is commonly called, SEO or Search Engine Optimization.

Many articles can and have been written on SEO and there are many pieces to the search engine algorithms, but some of the most important to keep in mind as you write your web content include:

• Page Length - Search engines look for average length web pages to rank highest in their results. Typically between 250 to 500 words is the optimum length.
• Headings - Knowing that headings often give a good summary of content, take care to write your headings with common search words included. Don't sacrifice the quality or readability of the page though!
• Links - The quality of a website in the eyes of the search engines also includes where you link to and who is linking to you. Provide both internal and external links on your webpages to increase your search engine standing.
• Readability - With many people using smart phones and tablets to search the Web, content written in short chunks is much easier to navigate than long paragraphs. Break up your work and use bullet points to help people skim your pages. 

Search Engine Optimization takes a lot of attention to detail, but the payoff can be significant. Remember that IRM is here to help!