Online Marketing - Social Media Blow Ups

Small incidents can become online marketing boons or busts with the relatively new power consumers have through social media and review websites. Take the example below.

A friend who is passionate about breast-feeding shared this story on her Facebook page as did many others and no doubt this particular Starbucks is enjoying an increase in business and the online word-of-mouth advertising is priceless!

Photo Credit: Julia Wykes

Starbucks customer complains about breastfeeding, gets owned by teen barista

We've all seen examples of poor customer service situations that get posted on social media or review sites and then it goes viral and severely damages the business. 

Paying attention to what your customers have to say can not only keep your business safe from one of these negative blasts, it can also give you the feedback you need to meet the needs of your clients and promote your business to new consumers!

#onlinemarketing #impressionsreviewmanaging

www.impressionsrm.com 

Promoting Your Business Online - Play Nice!

Part of promoting your business online is understanding how to respond to negative reviews. Today's consumer uses review websites not only to see what others are saying about you, but also to see how you respond to and interact with your clients.

• Are your responses friendly?
• Can the reader sense your connection with your clients?
• Do you make changes to your business based on client posts?
• Are negative posts handled with excellent customer service?
• Can the reader see that you are trying to work with difficult situations?
• Do you come across as enjoying your work and concerned about the quality of your products and services?

If there is one rule in responding to reviews, whether they are positive or negative, it's BE NICE. This is easy when your client raves about how amazing you are, that you walk on water and glow in the dark, but the challenge comes when Cranky Cruella hits the web.

You work hard and pour your life into your business, so your likely first reaction to a negative review is one of hurt and anger. Don't reply to a post when you are feeling this way! Even if you try to be nice, that anger is likely to come through in your response. Here are some tips on bringing yourself into the right frame of mind and composing a reply that is professional and holds the best chance of mending bridges and showing off your excellent customer service:

• Shake it off. Go for a walk, play with the dog, get away from work and ignore the computer for a little while. Know that negative reviews happen to everyone and it is just your turn.
• Cut the reviewer some slack. When people are under stress, they can react emotionally and you don't know what else is going on in his/her life that added to the situation. 
• Look at the situation critically. Is there something that needs fixing in your business? Is there a way you could avoid similar situations in the future? Can you make some changes?
• Talk to a trusted friend. Choose someone who will help you determine if you need to make changes or if it was a misunderstanding or just a perfect storm of mishaps. 
• Plan out your response and give it to someone else to evaluate it before you post it publicly. Ask the person to let you know if it sounds at all defensive or angry and rewrite until you get it right.

It's not easy and it does hurt, but when you address negative posts by being nice, you can address difficult issues, make quality business decisions, and improve your services while retaining and attracting customers. Your quality customer service and passion for excellence will greatly serve to promote your business.

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#promoteyourbusiness #onlinemarketing

Promote Your Business - Listen Up!

#promoteyourbusiness #internetmarketing #onlinereviews

You used to be able to promote your business with billboards and fliers and ads of all kinds. Now, if you want to promote your business in the digital realm, you need to be listening and responding to your clients.

Step One: Listen up! Your clients are giving you feedback on websites like Yelp, Yahoo Local, and Google+ among many others. Take the time to read the reviews they have left and use their feedback to make business improvements.

Step Two: Join the conversation! Nothing speaks to business-client relationship better than seeing that a business is responding to a client review. If it's a positive review, say "thank you" and let them know how much you appreciate their kind words. If it's a negative review, ask the person to contact you so you can work towards mending bridges. You will solidify your client loyalty and others researching you will see that you really seek to serve your customers.

Step Three: Ask for more! Approach your regular clients and ask them to leave review on the major review websites. You will get more information you can use to make your business even stronger and the reviews will serve to strengthen your ratings and promote your business through online word-of-mouth advertising.

Your clients have come to you looking for a quality experience. Show them that you are listening to their needs, concerns, and to what they value, so that you can provide the best possible services and products for them. Online reviews are powerful. Promote your business with them today!

Ann Pearson, CEO
Impressions Review Managing, LLC

Promoting Your Business with Online Conversations

#onlinemarketing #onlinereviews

The nature of online marketing makes it possible for you to be promoting your business by participating in online conversations with your current and prospective customers. Doing just a little digging you will find great examples of relationship building and customer service on all of the review websites. Take a look at these examples of business replies:

You can see that these businesses know how to interact with their clients online whether the feedback is positive or negative. Prospective clients researching these places are sure to gain a sense of the commitment to excellence and determination of these owners!

Join the conversation and start showing your prospective customers that you are hearing their voices and care about their input. It's a great way to be promoting your business online!

Web Marketing - Getting Great Reviews

#onlinemarketing #webmarketing #onlinereviews #onlinereputation

Yesterday's blog was about how your web marketing and business improvement can benefit from negative reviews, so it seemed right to touch on getting great reviews too.

Everyone wants positive reviews - what better way to promote your business than to let your happiest customers share their experiences?! The problem is that most of your customers do not understand the huge value online reviews are to your web marketing.

While I'm sure you could take the time to explain to your customers at great length (and no doubt to the point of boring your clients) the impact of your star-ratings and reviews to attract new customers, give you a higher ranking in Google, and solidify your online presence, that might not be the best way to gather new reviews.

Here are some tips to get your customers talking online:

• ASK! As you are finishing up with your customer, ask him or her to write you a review. They may have never thought to do so, but if you let them know you need and value their feedback, they will be much more likely to head over to Yelp, Foursquare, Yahoo, Google or any other site and leave you a note.
• Put something in the customers hands. Whether it's a business card that says on the back, "Leave us your feedback on our Google page" or a message on the printed receipt, you want the client to leave your business with something that reminds him or her when they put their keys and paperwork on their kitchen counter, that they were going to leave you some feedback.
• Consider offering a small incentive. You never want to give people the impression that you are paying them for their feedback, so keep it small and indirect - a drawing instead of something they will for sure be given.

Your most impressed and your least happy customers are going to write you reviews. By using the above tips, you should be able to get a nice share of your average customers to leave feedback too. This will give prospective consumers a well-rounded view of your business and it will provide you with the kind of feedback you need to serve your clients even better - the best in web marketing and business improvement!

IRM works with you to provide the level of support you need.
It's all about saving you time while promoting your business online.
www.impressionsrm.com

Web Marketing - Aren't Negative Reviews Great?!

Web marketing wouldn't be complete without addressing negative reviews...

Fortunately, most people are too polite to say what they think directly to your face, but if they are unhappy with your business, you can rest assured that they ARE saying it...somewhere. 

The best part about having negative reviews is that you will be completely aware that there is a problem that needs to be addressed. You can't fix something if you don't know it's broken!

Of course sometimes what happened to cause the upset was nothing more than a series of misunderstandings or unusual mishaps. Do your best to smooth things over with the client and assure him or her that such things do not typically happen and you will work hard to make sure their experience is a positive one. After all, it's much less expensive to keep an existing customer than it is to attract a new one. 

Sometimes the reviewer is not clear in his or her review and you won't know if what they are saying is accurate or what events caused them to feel the way they do, but most of the review websites will allow you to interact with reviewers, so take the time to find out!

Replying to a negative review can be as simple as saying, "I am so sorry that you had a negative experience with us! I'd like the chance to make this right with you - would you be willing to give me a call at (555)-555-1212?" The most important thing to keep in mind is that what you write will be seen by any and everyone researching your business - BE NICE in what you post. 

Let your customers know that you paying attention to and really care about the feedback they are giving. Negative reviews can give you the power to make wise business improvement decisions - give reviews a significant portion of your web marketing attention.

#webmarketing #onlinemarketing #negativereview

www.impressionsrm.com 

Online Marketing - The Road to Great Reviews

Web marketing is critical for your business, so you created an excellent website with all the bells and whistles. You made sure it has the information your clients need, and that it is aesthetically pleasing, has web-friendly content, and it works on mobile devices. However, if your business doesn't have solid reviews and a great star-rating, consumers will choose a competitor who does and they will never see the great website you created. You really need to have a strong online reputation, high star-ratings, and solid reviews.

Thankfully, there are many strategies for having great reviews to encourage people to check out your website and ultimately, walk through the doors of your business. The infographic below will get you started - check out our website for more help and support!

Impressions Review Managing empowers businesses to manage their online reputations through supportive services, staff development training, and customized programming. Visit www.impressionsrm.com for more information or contact our team at impressionsrm@gmail.com to enhance your web marketing today!

#onlinemarketing #webmarketing #onlinereputation