Google Places Page; “Whoa, Who Wrote That About My Business?!?”

Hard to believe those are REAL reviews left for a REAL dental office.

But they are.  You see, it’s all about the evolution of Social Media.  In times past, most businesses were worried about getting some bad press from a new article in a local newspaper.  Now, local newspaper columns are the least of a business owner’s worry as the readership of print media has declined in massive trend.

It’s their typical, everyday customer that has the power to crush a business and lead to a door closing ceremony.  Or in like manner, when public opinion is positive and so loudly proclaimed online by the majority, it can lead to a business owner’s dream:

• More business than he/she can handle
• Reduction of wasteful ad spend.  e.g. Yellow Pages ads, Newspaper ads, etc
• Record breaking profit with a celebrity status around the town.

Critical Problem

Most business owners I speak to simply have no idea these reviews even exist.  The reason might shock you, but here’s primarily why.  With the massive decline in traditional print advertising such as Yellow Pages directories, Google realized that a whopping 97% (talk about critical mass!) of consumers search for local businesses online.  Dear reader, if you’re a business owner that has yet to swallow that news thinking that your business will continue to survive on repeat clients and Yellow Pages directories, let me pause to share a word of counsel.

Google does not guess.  They have very tangible analytics that track Google searches, browser trails to web pages, and even have aggregated data from Twitter, Facebook and other Social Media platforms to understand exactly how users have adopted in their use of the Internet.  If you were brand new to town and your car broke down, where would you look and what process would you take to find an auto mechanic?  Chances are, you’re looking online, and you’re reading reviews.

Right, so back to why business owners often never even know those types of reviews are sitting there so very visible to the 97% of the population looking for a reputable business online.  Not very long ago, Google decided to capitalize on this massive trend by scouring the Internet and print directories to find local businesses in towns/cities all over the nation.  Then they created a brief web page for that business, without any consent from the business owner and provided key information such as street address linked to a map, phone numbers, when possible, a link back to the business’ website. They liked to think of this web page they built as more of the new digital directory, if you will.

Sounds great for business owners though, right?

Well I suppose it would be if Google had received permission from each of the business owners, so the owners themselves wouldn’t one day be confronted with a website on Google (so visible) about their own business, having never known it even existed!  Oh yeah, and I left out a crucial component of these “Google Places” websites.   The primary functionality of these Google “Places” pages is that Google built an application that allows any person to leave a review about your business.  That’s right, when people search for a local business such as “Dentist Fairfield”, as so many people do each month when looking for a Dentist, they will be shown on page 1 result a list of local Dentist practices and their brand new Google Places Page.

Don’t get me wrong here.  Having your business listed on Google Places and receiving positive, high-quality reviews could be one of the best things to happen in your online marketing strategies.  Dream result actually, if you know how to manage the review process internally with your staff, and externally with your customers.

The Good News

The good news is obvious.  If you’ve read this carefully, you now understand that you can claim your Google Places page and customize it to your liking.  If you’re not on the front page of Google search results, a little strategic effort, solid review getting process and some patience will likely yield you more business than your Yellow Page ad did in the height of their usage.  There is so much more to write about these pages (by the way, Yahoo has their version as well of Yahoo Local Pages) and the importance of a 5 star rating, I will need to address them in subsequent posts.

Online Reputation Management is an area that I’ve studied over the past 4 years now and I’ve perfected a strategy that virtually creates a 5 star review creating machine out of your customers (as long as the service is really tops – I can’t control that output) so I’ll do my best to share some of my strategy in the coming days.  If you are looking for actual counsel on how to deploy a system to blow your competition out of the water, just send me and email and I’ll set up a free consultation with you to see if my services would be the right fit for your business.

Cheers!

Will

Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 11 ratings

However, some businesses are still left scratching their heads trying to figure out HOW they can take advantage of the internet to produce more leads, customers, and sales.

One effortless way that businesses can do this is by signing up with Online Review Sites such as Yahoo Local Listings and Yelp!  When local consumers search for a local business online, sites such as these usually come up as well as independent business websites.  However, these review sites pack more power because they contain reviews from the company’s customers right there for everyone to see.

Now, imagine your business listing (with no reviews) sitting right above one of your competitor’s listings which happens to have 38 glowing customer reviews.  Who do you think consumers will go with?

As you can see, building online customer reviews is no longer an option – it’s a necessity.

Reel Them In With Yahoo Local Listings…

This is an awesome site that can help boost your business.  At Yahoo Local Listings business owners can advertise their business information for free.  As a complimentary service to this free Online Review Site, you may list your business in up to five different categories, making your business viewable to a larger amount of searchers.  This is a very high trafficked site and is sure to bring more money and customers to your door!

Yelp! And They Will Come…

Here, you can view feedback about your business as well as post a response. Yelp.com is growing at a ridiculous rate so now is a perfect time to act.  At the rate this Review Site is going, you’ll be sure to bring in more business if you use the site to your advantage.

In fact, your profile may even be listed there already.  If so, all you need to do is make a quick phone call to claim what is rightfully yours. Now you can take control of your own profile and bring in more dough.

TRADITIONAL EMAIL MARKETING

Due to the evolution of social media connections, computer-based email usage is on a rapid decline.  Trends reveal that people are using mobile phones to read their emails, or simply replacing that medium with social network messaging.  Which means the marketing campaigns to traditional email must be adjusted to effectively be consumed.

Mobile email readers surfing their inbox are now either killing time, or glancing at their phone.  Your message should be succinct and strategically direct them back to future laptop or tablet computing for full impact.  In fact, studies revealed that 91% of email users have unsubscribed from a company email they had opted in for.  Clutter on their mobile device as they scroll through their inbox seems to encourage users to make deep cuts and prioritize the email consumption they are willing to receive in their email inbox.

Additionally, if you’re directing someone to a website through email marketing, and understand that reading email on mobile devices is the trend, it’s critical to have a mobile website optimized for mobile consumption.  Less features, big buttons (Touch interface), clear call to action without a lot of decisions to be made.

At the same time, Social networking direct messaging carries an entirely new set of etiquette.  Once a company is allowed to enter this space with an individual, it cannot be utilized as a replacement to the email inbox.  It’s an extremely personal engagement to send a message to say a facebook inbox.  Messages are invading their own profile and you will quickly be released if it’s not personalized, infrequent and user centric (read: no promoting).

You’re allowed much more latitude in the public arena of the networks in terms of frequency, but the message should still primarily remain engaging rather than self promotion.

SOCIAL MEDIA

67% of B2C companies have acquired a customer through Facebook.
57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog.
42% of companies have acquired a customer through Twitter.

70% of Google search results that are clicked on are organic results – only 30% to paid search links.  SEO should always be considered due to the transfer of credibility from Google and the massive marketshare even as it evolves into a social search platform. i.e. Likes and +1 driving user experience.

MOBILE MARKETING

• 40% of smartphone users compare prices on their mobile device while IN STORE shopping for an item.
• 1 in 5 adult mobile phone users have used their device to make a purchase in the past month.

So are you following the new rules of email marketing?  If so, take a step back and review the above evolution of how we consume email messages and the technology we employ to connect.  In this age of information overload, the new genesis is that we are starting to control, and filter our devices to reveal only those content topics that we want, need or are passionate about.

I completely realize there is a strong sect of statistics which can be warped and bent to prove that email consumption is not declining.  I get that, I really do.  However it’s the way in which email is being consumed that has changed, and if your emails are optimized to the world of smartphones, pointing to mobile websites, you will undoubtedly see considerable traction on your campaigns.

Want more proof?   Chances are you only have to review your mobile habits.

Rating: 5 out of 5 based on 5 ratings

One of the most logical questions I’m asked by small business owners goes something like the following.  “We see the masses moving towards Social Media Marketing, but can you ‘really’ see any measurable ROI?”

Fair question, but also quite revealing of how desperately business owners need valuable insight to unwrap traditional marketing concepts and offer a paradigm shift to see how Social Media Marketing really works.

I should say, I have a long, very customized and detailed answer when speaking with prospects and clients about that topic.  Needless to say I would refer to their primary purpose behind using social media, such as, brand exposure, money making, or more traffic.

But it all comes down to one thing.  When done correctly, Social Media Marketing should be about engaging, and uniting your market with your products or services.  It’s not your company shouting from a hilltop “BUY ME” as traditional marketing models have operated, but rather it’s finding a way to let your market enjoy your products and services with others in your market.  Huge difference.

I have to tell you, I was very impressed at Coca-Cola’s most recent Social Media experiment where they wheeled in a giant Coke machine, dubbed “The Friendship Machine”, and you’ll see why in this video that absolutely rocketed into cyberspace in true viral nature.

The really cool thing is not only did they do it right, they actually provided some measurement of ROI on the end of the video.  It’s fun.  It was creative, and not once did I feel I was being advertised to.

Check it out:

Let me explain by way of an example.

To lay a primary foundation, it’s important that we all realize and admit that smart-phone and mobile use is absolutely blazing trails at lightning speed.  In fact, if you were to look around and observe any day of the week you would find more people staring at, and typing on their mobile phones than actually talking!  (What irony when you think about  it)

So what exactly are they doing?  What are you doing when you’re staring at your blackberry, or interacting with your iPhone rather than speaking on it?

Texting, yes, maybe.  However while texting is a major form of communication that status updates and apps like Twitter have made more acceptable by training us to communicate in 140 characters or less, that’s probably not occupying the great majority of your time.

In fact people are using their iPhones and Blackberry Smart phones to surf the internet, check their Facebook feeds, Check in on Foursquare, and interact via various social media channels.

The question any offline, brick and mortar business, or brand might ask is how can we move our offline customers to our online world, where you are able to track, personalize, and communicate in a very specific manner?

Huge question to consider.  It has been since the internet really evolved.  How can you integrate offline and online promotion?

Let’s say you own a local used book store in the center of town. Let’s also assume you’ve  done a magnificent job of building an online presence and sales funnel for brand awareness and interaction.

Now picture this likely common occurrence.  So one Sunday afternoon, a consumer is walking down main street to find that when they reach your used book store, they see the all too  familiar orange and black sign boldly pronouncing; “We’re Closed”,  hanging on the door.

The result is clear, they find a competitor, or distraction of this world never reminds them to stop back in.  Read: lost customer, lost repeat revenue.

Until now, there had been no way to really link that person back to your online communities and marketing efforts, other than hoping they remember to look you up online at some point.

Enter 2D codes, also commonly referred to as QR codes (quick response).  What if your orange and black “We’re Closed” sign on the door had a sort of “hyperlink” to your online presence?

Yes, I hear you asking, “but what would make a potential consumer remember that text hyperlink?”

Ah dear reader, a great question to ask, and that’s where 2D codes are helping to bridge that offline gap to your online presence.

A 2D code is a square, almost “bar-code/fingerprint” that you make for your business.  Almost every smart-phone has a camera functionality on it, which a free application scanner can interpret and bring you directly to your online presence page of choice.

If you own a Smart-phone, point your mobile browser to scan.mobi and you will be prompted to download a 2d scanner application and within 60 seconds you will have the ability to take a picture with that application.  When a picture of that 2d code, or qr code is taken via that free application, it directly brings the viewer to where ever you’ve decided best for that person to land online, in their mobile browser.

For this example, if someone “scanned” (took a picture) of your 2d code on your used bookstore “We’re Closed” sign, you could have that 2d code take your potential customer to your online store to search inventory of your used books.  They would be able to even purchase the book and have in store pick up or shipping, but the sale is now possible in an automated way.

Maybe you choose to have your 2d code land them on a page where they input their email address so you can send them a 10% discount coupon on any book in your store.  Now you have the ability to communicate over and over again at almost no cost, and almost guarantee that due to this discount, your passer-by visitor will not run to a competitor to find the book of choice but rather take advantage of this discount coupon.

2D codes.  QR codes.  Learn them.  Know them.  Understand how to integrate them into your online sales channels.

If you have a Smart-phone and have downloaded the scanner, scan an example of my QR code and watch how it brings you to my Facebook page for my company, Precision Online Marketing LLC to get a feel for it.

If you’d like to make your own QR code, try http://qrcode.kaywa.com/  It will take you about 30 seconds to complete.

Hope you found this helpful.  Love to hear of any ideas that you can think of to employ these codes for the use of Offline Businesses to help drive Online traction.

Some Statistics to Consider:

“In the last twelve months, customers around the world have ordered more than US $1 billion of products from Amazon using a mobile device,” – Jeff Bezos, founder and CEO of Amazon.com (July 2010).

“Half a billion people accessed mobile Internet worldwide in 2009. Usage is expected to double within five years as mobile overtakes the PC as the most popular way to get on the Web.”

“By 2011, over 85 percent of new handsets will be able to access the mobile Web. Today in US and W. Europe, 90 percent of mobile subscribers have an Internet-ready phone.”

“There are more than 200 million active users [40 percent] currently accessing Facebook through their mobile devices. People that use Facebook on their mobile devices are twice as active on Facebook as non-mobile users.” – Facebook official statistics (January, 2011).

A great example of how a local business can use Twitter, for example, to find and help potential new customers is by “tuning in” to what is being said.  I call it; “Social Chatter”.

I created a quick video to give you a slick little Twitter code that allows a local business to tune into the social chatter.  Allowing an opportunity to build relationships, and hopefully resulting in more business.

I’ll be sharing more as time permits, but for now, give this a shot.

What is Facebook Places?

Facebook Places is essentially a platform that will be designed to connect users everywhere.  It will be a powerful way to advertise who you are, connect with your current friends, and make new ones.  It gets your business name out there for people who are searching in a particular area that may not otherwise know you exist.  It also provides a way for you to interact with your customers as they are checking your page out.

What are the Features and Benefits of Facebook Places?

Facebook Places will feature a “check-in” and a place to add places.  It will show you places that may be relevant to you and help you discover new places in your area.  The benefits are great for customers and businesses alike since it helps the two connect and meet a need.  Your business gets a fighting chance to gain some local business that could have otherwise gone to an online store front!  You’ll even have control of your privacy settings just as you would on other Facebook pages and all mobile devices that currently support the Facebook application will be able to run Facebook pages as well.

How do You Use Facebook Places?

Well, you don’t…just yet.  But when the platform launches you will use it in much the same way as you use the rest of the Facebook site with many of the same features.  The difference is that you will receive recommendations for places based on your interests.

How Will Facebook Places Affect Foursquare?

There is much discussion that the launch of Facebook Places will eliminate Foursquare.  Facebook is already the largest social network online today, and the additional features over Foursquare will make it all the more attractive.  Indeed, there has been quite the uproar and it will probably increase as the launch of Facebook Places draws nearer.  However, we shouldn’t write Foursquare off just yet; they have their loyal followers as well and a business can never have its name on the web too many times!

Facebook Places will definitely be a social media marketing device worth keeping an eye on.  As with any new platform, there are sure to be bugs to be worked out, and with the vast amount of excitement and anticipation surrounding the launch it is sure to receive extremely heavy traffic that could slow it down.  But given some time to resolve those standard issues, Facebook Places is likely to become the most powerful form of social media marketing out there.

Social media ROI

There have been plenty of discussions about social media and it’s benefits. It’s a hot topic with many differing opinions about its effectiveness. However, as social media evolves, it is managing to meet the increasing needs of those who use it properly.

Social media is still relatively new, and often considered to be an experimental type of marketing. Here are some tips to help you effectively track your Social Media ROI:

• Listen to your clients, and use existing data to determine where it will be easiest to find new customers. The effective use of this information gives you the unique opportunity to determine how effective your presence is in the locations you have chosen, as well as the limits you have, and areas in which you can improve.

• Create a clear goal that you intend to accomplish, and plan for future expansion of that goal.

• Evaluate the applicable information, such as leads and keyword ranking.

• Complete the necessary work to achieve that goal.

• Look back at what you have accomplished and re-evaluate your goals, using all of the information available to you.

• Repeat the process as necessary, and after re-evaluating all of the pertinent information

Social media return on investment can be validated in many different ways. Specifically, these would include:

• Brand awareness and loyalty

• Passion

• Trust and faith

• Loyalty

• Interaction

• Feedback

• Sales

• New Leads

• Qualified subscribers

However, it is easy to see that some of those aspects will be difficult to prove with traditional marketing tools, and would not by themselves, be sufficient to warrant additional investments. Therefore, it is important to remember that in this type of marketing, those rules cannot be applied. It is not simply about attracting followers, it is also about determining what is considered to be successful for this product. Most of the time, success is proven in revenue.

Whether you wish to attract a new client base, increase sales, improve on the existing relationship with current customers, or in some other way quantify your success, social media marketing tools can help you get there.

Each venue that you choose as a new marketing tool (Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook), will  be effective in its own, unique way, and you cannot expect identical responses. It is always a good idea to periodically reevaluate your business plan, and to always allow for improvement. As social media continues to expand, there will always be new ways to improve upon your process.

Can You Promote Your Business through Social Media

Absolutely! Social media marketing involves subtle promotion in a very non-offensive way. It aims to gently encourage the need for your products and services, often by becoming a peer of the very groups that are being marketed to.

How Important Is Social Media Marketing?

It would be ideal for a company to have a full understanding of the goals that social media marketing meets, in order to be able to quantify its success. In general, successful social media marketing will be able to track the following information:

• Leads
• Lead intelligence
• Keyword Rankings
• Competitor’s web marketing Presence
• Amount of time spent on your website
• How often your website is visited by individual users.

How To Know If It’s Working?

Further verification of the success of your social media marketing can be achieved by:

• Checking the number of  followers you have, as a visual and initial evidence of your achievement.
• Determining the quality and usability of your inbound links, which are crucial to any form of online advertising. You are able to monitor the links that have formed as the result of your work, and to make positive changes in the event of your links veering in an unpleasant direction.
• Watching your subscribers, the basis of this type of marketing will allow for easy tracking.
• Monitoring your mentions that refer to the number of times that your good, service, product or company is mentioned online. This will permit you to change your advertising gradually, as needed.
• The ability to use your own brand equity, which is just as important in online marketing as it is in any other type of marketing. Analyzing your own brand equity allows you to estimate both public opinion and the effectiveness of your keywords.
• Being able to evaluate the sentiment that is associated with your keywords or marketing approach. The anonymity of the information you see here, is an impersonal evaluation of your concepts thus far.
• The knowledge of the comments, either positive, negative, or neutral, on your media pages gives you the unique ability to evaluate that information. It also permits you to use those comments, as necessary, to include that feedback in further product development and marketing information.
• The connections that are formed through social media marketing are invaluable, and can lead to many exciting developments, like business or sales opportunities, as well as important  introductions.

Achieving success takes both time and effort. Although marketing is now simpler and less expensive than it has ever been before, the nuances are quite different for online marketing than any other form of marketing. Using social media platforms is a very simple way of introducing yourself, and what you represent, to a large number of people in a brief period of time. When done properly, with attention to detail, it’s very successful in meeting its goals. Stay tuned for more posts targeting Social Media Marketing Basics.

Although kicking it old school is perfect for certain situations, it’s not the best decision when it comes to marketing efforts. Let’s take a minute to look at some of the ways we brand “just because that’s the way we’ve always done it.” We’ll also look at three myths out there that need to be dispelled.

What Do You Think of When You Hear the Word ‘Branding’

When you consider branding, do you picture a great company logo or see yourself whipping out your business card at the local Business After Hours?  Maybe you go to the opposite extreme, such as the branding effectiveness of Apple or Coke, and you assume you’ll never have the budget to “brand effectively.”

Developing a powerful brand presence is attainable to everyone. It’s not reserved for only the million dollar campaigner.

How Can I Learn to Brand Effectively?

First you’ll need to look at branding from the right marketing perspective. I’ve targeted a few myths and shed some much needed light on each one. If you take a look at each one and decide how you have been looking at the issue, you’ll be able to start the process of transforming your business.

Myth: Branding Your Business Is Difficult

Branding yourself and your business image is not rocket science. Branding requires focused thought and clear decisions about what you want your business to stand for and to whom. That’s sort of your mini-mission statement and you should re-evaluate it often. Whatever works, keep it…Whatever drags you down, cut it loose.

Once you have your mini-mission statement, make a conscious effort to communicate your message through everything you do, visually and experientially. Whether you are online, at your office, or out to lunch with a client, live out what you believe. By doing so, you’ll brand yourself and your business simultaneously.

Myth: Branding Takes a Huge Financial Investment

Effective branding can be accomplished on any budget. The key to branding is not throwing money at it and hoping that some of the efforts make it to your target market. The real key to branding your business effectively is to determine who your ideal audience is and then direct your business messages and marketing efforts to fit the needs and benefits they value.

Once you have determined your target market, you can work on getting your logo created, your business blog up, brochures created, etc. Without a clear plan and a target market in mind, your materials won’t come together as effectively as they should.

The clarity and consistency of your message is what promotes your brand. This can and should be done on social media platforms.  By having a consistent and focused message, you will ensure that the advertising you ARE able to afford is laser focused.

Myth: Branding Isn’t Absolutely Necessary

Don’t kid yourself on this one. Brand equity can catapult you to the heights of success or absolutely break your company. And if you think branding has no financial impact, just consider how many businesses are purchased just because of their loyal customer base.

That’s the reason people will pay three times as much for a coffee from Starbucks than they will from McDonalds. Brand identity translates into perceived value when done properly.

Don’t Give Up: Branding Takes Time

People need to experience your brand multiple times before it sticks. Social media platforms not only allow live interaction, but they allow you to be visible daily as a constant representative of your brand and your company. That brings brand awareness, which is vital if you really want to grow your business. People will begin to associate YOU with YOUR brand, your product, or your service. The more you make yourself available to the consumer, the more brand awareness you will build.

Have a strategy, be willing to tweak your strategy as necessary, and most of all…have fun. Social media marketing does take some time out of your day, but it is a pretty interesting and fun way to connect with potential customers.

If we’ve left anything out or you’ve got any myth-busters or ideas, leave us a comment. We love your feedback!