Local Online Advertising - Be Happy!

Local Online Advertising with Positive Reviews

I love TED Talks. As I laughed my way through this one, I realized that the information Shawn Achor shares is the perfect starting place for growing local online advertising through positive customer reviews:

• Happy business owners are productive business owners who lead by example and set the tone for their employees. 
• Happy, productive employees result in satisfied customers.
• Satisfied customers leads to positive reviews.

Enjoy Achor's humor and consider how you can incorporate his research into your business to improve your reviews and strengthen your local online advertising.

Local Online Advertising - Reviews and ROI

If you've read much of my blogging, you know I advocate for local online advertising through online reviews. But does it give you a return on your investment?

Reviews and Return on Investment (ROI)

In this Business to Community article, Martin Misiowiec explains that it's important to remain diversified in your internet marketing and he expounds on the very positive impact reviews have on your ROI - according to a recent study, they have the potential to increase your revenue by 40%!!

Yes, you definitely need a quality website, but to get prospective customers to your website, you need to have:

• strong star-ratings on the search engines and review websites
• quality reviews providing information about your services, products, and customer relations
• a presence on social media sites
• optional email advertising campaigns

In addition to a strong impact on your revenue, monitoring what is being said about your business online, responding to reviews, and generating new reviews keeps the online conversation about your business alive and gives you the feedback you need to make data-driven decisions for your business.

Get started on those review websites today!

www.impressionsrm.com

Internet Marketing - Are You Missing Something?

Internet marketing is still relatively new and many businesses are only partially taking advantage of the full power of the internet. There are four main pieces of online marketing that you want to make sure you have in place for your business: your website, search engine optimization (SEO), social media, and online reputation management (ORM).

All four components overlap and affect whether people are finding you when they run a search for your products or services.

Your Website:

• Web-friendly content - Your content should be written at about an 8th grade reading level, should be pertinent to what your clients are looking for, and should contain key search words as well as links to related outside websites. 
• Photos - Any photos should be your own or should be free from copyright issues.
• Navigation - Your site should be easy to locate information and it should be of a responsive design meaning it will re-size depending on the viewer's device and viewing screen size. 

Search Engine Optimization (SEO):

• The coveted spot in search engine results is at or near the top of the list of businesses. 
• Your business website should come up when people search for the type of product or service you provide.
• Your business website should come up at the top of the list when a person conducts a search for your brand name.

Social Media Marketing:

• Your business should have a page on the social media sites common for your customers to use.
• You should be posting news and public interest posts regularly.
• You should be monitoring your social media sites for interaction and/or reviews from your clients.

Online Reputation Management (ORM):

• Your business should have reviews on all of the major review websites including Google+, Yahoo, Yelp, Foursquare, Citysearch, Merchant Circle, Super Pages, Insider Pages, and Angie's List as well as any industry specific review sites such as Wellness or Trip Advisor. 
• You should claim and update each of your pages on the review websites.
• You should monitor for new review postings and respond to each review.
• Your business should implement strategies to generate new customer reviews - keep that word-of-mouth advertising going strong!

Online marketing obviously has a huge impact on generating new business - use the power of the internet, marketing your products and services so everyone will know your business is awesome!

www.impressionsrm.com

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.

http://www.impresionsrm.com
#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!