Promote Your Business: Online Review Snapshots

Candid Camera: Online Reviews

I was leading an online meeting yesterday to help a business owner improve their internet marketing through online reviews when I was hit with a horrible coughing attack. You know, the kind where you can't stop and tears are running down your face while you gasp and sputter and sound like you are dying?

I managed to squeak out that I had to grab a cough drop before I muted my microphone and darn near coughed up a lung. After a minute of desperately chewing up a cough drop and slamming glasses of water, I still had virtually no voice. Thankfully, the business owner was understanding and we made it through the remainder of the meeting, albeit I had to follow up with a lengthy email to clarify what I couldn't push through my vocal cords.

All of this got me to thinking. This was one snapshot of my life. If he had chosen to judge me on that instance, he would have had an incomplete picture at best and a rather unimpressive and downright embarrassing image of me and my abilities. Isn't that just like online reviews?

A review is written by someone who has only the smallest of pictures of your business. Most of those pictures show the quality and strengths of your business, but every once in awhile someone glimpses your coughing-attack moment. Thankfully, I will get another opportunity to show my client the quality services I provide, but you can bet I will be pushing hard to make his experience that much better and more impressive because of our first encounter!

Managing your online reviews gives you the second opportunity with clients who have seen you at less than your best. Internet marketing by paying attention and responding to your reviews will help you get past your coughing attack and promote your business as the quality enterprise you know it really is.

www.impressionsrm.com

Promote Your Business: Healthy Internet Marketing

Internet marketing doesn't have to be a mystery and it can serve to promote your business on many levels. On the review websites, it is all about taking control, responding to reviewers, and keeping the conversation alive.

Check out this infographic defining the difference between a healthy online reputation that is able to promote your business through online reviews compared to a business that does not manage its reputation and the web marketing and business health suffers as a result.

Take control of your online reputation today so that you are the one setting the tone of the conversation. Your internet marketing will improve and your clients will benefit as you grow your business!

www.impressionsrm.com 

Internet Marketing: Promote Your Small Business

As a consumer in the Chippewa Valley of Wisconsin, I regularly see the high quality products and services offered by our small businesses - they work hard and it shows! That's why I continue to push for businesses to promote their businesses by managing their internet marketing. This allows them to retain customers and attract new clients and everyone leaves happy.

Online Reviews as Internet Marketing

Taking control of your online reputation really is more than just internet marketing - it's reclaiming your say in how your business, products, services, and staff are portrayed online. It doesn't have to cost you anything and the benefits are manifold!

Managing your online reviews will allow you to direct the flow of conversation so your business attracts new clients and maintains a positive relationship with existing customers. Let free internet marketing promote your business!

www.impressionsrm.com

Promote Your Business: Online Marketing Infographic

Summer is starting to wind down, but as families look at sending kids back to school and the weather turns cooler, don't slow down on promoting your business through your online marketing!

Follow the Path to Excellent Online Marketing

Promote Your Business: Reply to Reviews

You can promote your business by knowing what people are looking for when they write and read online reviews about your products and services. After all, sites like Yelp, Foursquare, Google+, Trip Advisor, and the multitudes of other review websites wouldn't be popular if they weren't meeting the needs of consumers!

Why Online Review Sites?

When consumers visit online review websites, they are typically looking for information on a business' products and services to help them decide who to trust and what to buy. As a consumer, they look for:

• High star ratings - Better than 3 stars on a 5 star rating system and preferably 4 stars or higher is the goal. After all, why would anyone go to a 2 star business if the same services are offered by one with a 4 star rating?
• Current reviews - Businesses and products change over time with new owners, new employees, and different service offerings as well as product upgrades, so people look for recent reviews for the most current information about a business. 
• Quantity of reviews - When there are only 2-3 opinions on a business, that doesn't tell the consumer much about quality. Having upwards of 20 reviews is necessary to give a good picture of your business.
• Obvious quality - Reading reviews that talk about the quality product or customer service will go a long way to impressing the consumer, but even more so if that customer service is apparent because the business is interacting with the reviewers!

Replying to Reviews

Replying to reviews is not a difficult thing, but it requires you to be monitoring your reviews so you can respond promptly - preferably within 24-48 hours. 

• Replying to positive reviews shows that you have connection with your clients. Consumers are looking for businesses that care about their customers and studies have shown that 89% of people are willing to pay more for better customer service. 
• Replying to negative reviews may seem a bit more daunting, but this too can greatly improve your reputation on online review sites. Consumers want to see that you are willing to address issues of customer service and what better way to advertise your quality service than to directly respond where customers are researching you?

Online marketing is critical in today's market and you want the best information on the websites where your customers are researching. Promote your business by interacting with your client reviews and watch your ratings soar!

www.impressionsrm.com 

Online Reviews: Letting Customers Promote Your Business

The biggest reason business owners don't generate a lot of online reviews is that they don't ask. Your happy customers can be actively promoting your business through their online reviews, but you have to get comfortable approaching them and asking for the favor.

Ask for Online Reviews

If you have done your business with excellent customer service in mind, your clients will feel like they have been waited on by you and that you did them a favor by going above and beyond the call of duty. Most of them will be very happy to return the favor, so let's look at how to ask:

1. Think about how you usually wrap a sale or a visit from your customers. As you begin closing out your conversation, you likely ask something like, "Is there anything else I can do for you?" This can be the starting place for your request. Once your client says he or she has everything they needed, you can move into your lead in question...
2. Lead in question - Let your clients know you are gathering feedback from clients and would really like them to review your business. Ask something like, "Do you spend any time online?" This means, of course, that they could answer one of two ways...
3. If your clients respond that they do spend time online, you can easily respond with something like, "GREAT! Would you be willing to go to Yelp (or Google, or Trip Advisor, or wherever you are working to build your online reputation) and give us your feedback?" At this point, it would be a good idea to give the customer a business card or paper that has a link directly to your Yelp (or Google, or other review website) business page so that he or she has something to remind them when they go home.
4. Of course he or she could say "No." This is where some business owners get squeamish. No-one wants to feel awkward, so plan your route of escape ahead of time keeping in mind you also want to allow your customer to end the conversation gracefully. Something like, "I can completely understand that! I don't have a lot of time to be online either, but if you do find you are online in the future, it would be great to have your feedback on Yelp or Google - we want to make sure we always meet your needs."
5. No matter how the conversation ends, always end by thanking the customer for his/her visit and reminding them that you appreciate their honest feedback. 

Better than 75% of the online reviews that are posted are positive in nature and since you are speaking with a happy client, more often than not they will be happy to write you that review. Don't wait any longer - ask for those reviews and build your online presence so your customers can begin promoting your business!  

www.impressionsrm.com