One of the newest and fastest moving opportunities in the online marketing arena is LOCAL. In the beginning it was just about getting your business up on the map section of the search engines, however that has evolved into, not only showing up on the map as a ‘letter designated pin point’, but having your business be at the top of the alphabet which now shows up in a list above the actual organic listings a majority of the time.
Since local customers get more elusive and savvy online, local businesses need to stay in step, if not one step ahead, of their customers’ online behavior in an effort to remain significant and top of mind in their local markets. Intelligent business owners have already made Digital marketing a way of attracting new clients. Innovative local websites as well as LBS (Location Based Service) applications are popping up at the speed of light in an effort to capture a slice of this marketing opportunity. And these new players are after customer opinions along with general business information and local deals, coupons and other discount offers.
With this new piece of the online marketing pie, the business owners can control two out of the three components – business information and discount and coupon offerings. However, when it comes to customer’s opinions the control is a little trickier. The only way to assure that positive things are being put out there for the masses to read is to make absolutely sure that your service is exceptional and that you communicate with your customers more than ever before. And with this type of social networking open to the entire online world what people say about you becomes more important than ever as this type of “word of mouth” can make or break you.
The other thing these reviews can affect is where your business listing falls in the local results. A majority of the search engines, especially the big three – Google, Yahoo and Bing, leverage the number of online reviews with what is being said to determine how visible those business are on the local results. It is estimated that about 70% of local consumers use the Internet to research good, local businesses so having a great number of positive reviews can translate into reaching more potential customers each month.
But where do these reviews come from and how do we get more? Well, we all know that if someone isn’t happy they will find the highest roof to scream their dissatisfaction from. However, people who have a good experience will share this information with someone if asked directly, but aren’t really thinking about telling the world, usually. So - you need to ask them. Whether through a follow up letter after the sale expressing your gratitude for their business and then directing them to post an online review about their experience, or any of the other many review sites out there or sending out an email blast to current customers requesting they post an their feedback online – asking is the only way.
If you need help claiming your online listings and ramping up your Local visibility, Sales & Marketing Technologies can help! Contact us today to schedule a FREE consultation!