YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION – FRIEND OR FOE? | GCI Advertising Agency Blog GCI Advertising Agency Blog

Posts Tagged: marketing

YOUR ONLINE REPUTATION – FRIEND OR FOE?

Positive, Negative, or Non-Existent…
Your Online Reputation Matters!

1) DO YOU HAVE A REPUTATION?

If you aren’t showing up, it’s like you don’t exist.

Traditionally, you should assume that people online won’t go past the first couple of pages of search results, and now we are hearing that unless someone is highly engaged, they aren’t likely to go past the first 3-5 results.

With this in mind, where do you stand? Do you find results about your company with simple searches like your name, company, brand, products, and industry + area.

If not, think of your online reputation as Non-Existent. It’s time to start building one!

2) DO YOU OWN YOUR LISTINGS?

If you don’t control your brand online, someone else will.

Another issue with search results. Going back to the last topic, if you did the simple searches and results about you appear, but you don’t have control of the pages that show up, this is another issue. If you don’t claim ownership of listings from sites like Google Places and Yelp, then other people can update your information as they please. Not only will you be able to ensure more accuracy about your company by owning your listings, you will also be able to gain insights into how people find your online listings and be more aware of reviews people write about you.

This also applies to social media sites. Claim your name on Facebook, Linkedin, Twitter, etc. Someone else could have already or may soon take the name you would want to use and it can cause discrepancies in your branding strategies. In a worst case scenario, someone who is upset with you could register your name or be squatting on your name hoping to make you buy it from them.

Each of the sites mentioned above, and many others that may be appropriate places to list your business have guides on how to take control of your listings or profiles. Use their Help or FAQ sections.

If you don’t offer a positive opportunity for people to communicate with you, they can become discouraged and try to interact through less desirable channels.

3) DO YOU RESPOND TO ONLINE FEEDBACK?

People expect accessibility online.

Now, assuming that you have taken control of your online presence, how do you manage it?

Positive Feedback:

Do you have positive reviews out there? Note the good things people are saying about you and keep them in mind as important aspects of your efforts moving forward. If people’s reviews say they appreciate your cheerful customer service, then taking on a snobby demeanor in your ads or other copywriting could estrange some of your most loyal customers.

Negative Feedback:

Are there negative reviews out there?

Own up to the reviews: If someone has a valid complaint, or if a group has similar or “me too!” complaints, do what you can to address the issue and make things right. People want to know that you care about their perception of you and that you take their concerns to heart.

Inaccurate reviews? Did someone say something like- you rescinded on an offer or your service didn’t work as promised, but the issue they are calling out doesn’t match your promotions or service descriptions? Politely let them know the facts. Perhaps they are mistaking you for someone else or didn’t review the terms of your service thoroughly.

Hateful but empty: Is someone saying something mean or angry with no real substance? If there is no real issue to address either let it go, or in the case of places like your Facebook wall, delete it. If you plan to do this, you should have a terms of use tab on your page outlining types of content that are not allowed, such as profane or hateful comments. Never delete a comment about a real issue! This will feel like you just hung up on a customer who called you with a concern. We’re sure you can imagine the negative word of mouth that follows this sort of action.

4) DO YOU HAVE A STRATEGY?

Be cognizant of the impact of anything you post online. Keep your marketing goals in mind and never say anything that conflicts with your brand image. This means you must do things like: avoid petty reactions to others, fact check your information, and include end dates on promotions that you don’t want to offer FOREVER. Mistakes in these areas can cost you dearly.

5) ARE YOU BEING DILIGENT?

It’s not enough to set things up, you need to monitor them. Make a routine effort to check on your listings, engage through social media, and read your reviews. There are tools to help with this: Google Alerts, Yahoo Alerts, Facebook Alerts and Insights, etc.

ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:

Want to read more on this topic? Here are some articles:

http://mashable.com/2011/10/15/protect-small-business-reputation-online/

http://outspokenmedia.com/guides/orm-guide/

http://www.visibilitymagazine.com/location3-media/tarla-cummings/online-reputation-management#

http://www.anvilmediainc.com/search-engine-marketing-resources/search-engine-marketing-articles/online-reputation-management-article

HOW TO LOSE A CUSTOMER IN 10 STEPS (OR LESS)!

A WHAT-NOT-TO-DO GUIDE

1 ) TAKE THEM FOR GRANTED

Your customers are coming to you and giving you their business. It is important to treat them as individuals, value them, and show your genuine appreciation. This can be as simple as including everyone involved in your e-mails, or sending them a thank you note.

2 ) DON’T COMMUNICATE

It can be easy to get caught up in what you are doing and let communication fall to the back burner, but if you think about how you would want to be treated, good communication becomes very important. This means many things:

- Give updates on the status of the work you are doing, whether it is a milestone or you run into an issue.

- If your customer prefers e-mail and you prefer the phone. Do your best to accommodate them. Little things like that are perfectly reasonable, try to be flexible.

- Don’t make assumptions about what your customer is thinking (you know what they say about assumptions). Ask for feedback!

- Your customers are individuals, not numbers, get to know them. If you are working with more than one person, include all of them as appropriate in your communications, and don’t belittle someone just because that aren’t your “key” contact.

3 ) DON’T FOLLOW BILLING ETIQUETTE

Be clear about costs up front and stay aware of the budget as you work.

Bill on time. Not unexpectedly or later than planned, your customers have a cash flow, and that must be respected. In the case of some agencies, if you miss the timeline for a bill, their hands are tied and they can’t pay you!

4 ) TALK BIGGER THAN YOU WALK

Never make promises you can’t keep. People have little patience for this and having a reputation for over-promising and under-delivering will follow you. Word of mouth is extremely powerful and unfortunately, the fastest way to get it is to do a bad job!

5 ) FORGET INITIATIVE

Never make your customers prod you to do your job! This means keeping your own schedule in check, and goes back to #2, keep your customer informed of your progress and any issues that may arise.

6 ) BE FLAKEY

If you schedule a meeting or service time, keep to that scheduled time! Don’t be late or unexpectedly early and don’t make a habit of canceling. This will quickly color a customer’s opinion of you and damage their faith in your competency.

7 ) JUST SAY “NO”

If your customers are making reasonable requests, do whatever you can to say yes every time.

Move the deadline up 2 days because the customer had something come up? You padded your timeline from the beginning and this fits your schedule, “Yes.”

8 ) NEVER SAY YOU’RE SORRY

Always own up to mistakes. Be humble and do what you can to make things right.

Earlier we said that word of mouth is powerful. This is your opportunity to take a potentially bad situation and turn it into something good. People appreciate it when you do the right thing, and even if they are a bit unhappy about what happened, they will feel like they can trust you. Trust is invaluable.

9 ) ALWAYS BE THE BOSS

Yes, be the boss and be accountable and ensure quality from your staff, but remember the customer. When your customers foot the bill, treat them with the respect and authority they warrant; you answer to them.

10 ) SHOW YOUR EMPLOYEES YOU DON’T CARE ABOUT THEM

It’s simple, when you treat your employees well, they will pass it on to your customers. Be sure to lead by example and offer training/guidance for your standards of customer service.

horror stories 7213103 HOW TO LOSE A CUSTOMER IN 10 STEPS (OR LESS)!

Free Advice — 2 Comments
20
Jan 11

Media mixing for TOMA

Top-Of-Mind-Awareness (TOMA) is a big, abstract concept with entire books written on the subject. For this modest (yet longest ever blog post) we’ll stick to the basics which go something like this…

Certain businesses occupy a special part of our brains for various categories. When you need a new pair of running shoes you may think of Nike first. More often than not a transaction is decided before any advertisement has a chance to sway a customer. This is why TOMA is so important, and should be considered in any outreach campaigns you undertake.

If you prioritize TOMA as a goal for your outreach efforts you need to start thinking about branding and overall message to evangalize and what mix of platforms and advertising vehicles will reach your audience and connect with them most effectively.

Your “Brick & Mortar” Presence & Website - These two go hand-in-hand because nowadays they’re equally important. Achieve TOMA by building brand-charisma in your store, and online. Surprise and delight your visitors while communicating your unique selling points and you’ll be sure to stick in their heads.

Social Media - Having a strong presence here is great for TOMA. Statistics show that timespend on facebook and twitter is a growing percentage of people’s total time spent weekly on the Internet. Think of these social networks as semi-gated communities. You can get in if you don’t live there, but people will give you funny looks. You’ll reap all the rewards if you’re a resident within in them and If you are interesting or entertaining you will draw daily, repeat visitors and spark discussions.

The immediacy, almost daily nature of these platforms means they’re excellent for letting people know about new products, sales, deals or news about your company. Paid advertising on these platforms is also highly targetable, allowing you to reach out to only the groups of people you’ve identified as high-potential prospects.

Print Advertising - Great for targeting niché audiences aligned by common interests. Magazines or periodicals that cater to specific audiences usually offer a large-regional or national reach. Print casts a wide net with a medium amount of targeting. A clever TOMA-oriented message can really boost recognition and recall of your brand among a large audience.

Outdoor Advertising - A no-brainer for local, impulse-buy businesses. Gas, food, lodging and entertainment being advertised on major traffic routs can see an immediate return from a billboard or other type of outdoor ad (TOMA for those crucial 5 minutes can make all the difference). For other types of businesses outdoor can be a useful tool for driving traffic back to a website. This is where a short, memorable URL really comes in handy. Few people will take the time to write down a phone number and even fewer will actually call after they’ve gotten to their destination. However a clever outdoor message and excellent website can convert motorists into customers, while increasing TOMA for all passers-by.

Broadcast TV & Radio - The only platforms where you basically have a captive audience and get the chance to tell a story for 30-60 seconds. Here you have a real chance to convince them that you’re the one they need to buy from. Broadcast is often the most expensive form of advertising so the risk / reward analysis is on a bigger scale. However a properly-placed, well-crafted and executed message can bring about immediate TOMA and generate huge buzz around your business.

Current Projects — No Comments
27
May 10

Stay Connected with GCI on Facebook

Our Facebook page is getting a makeover and you know you want to see it!

Be sure to log on and “like” page to be kept in the loop of everything advertising, check out our great albums, join in on hot discussion topics & more.

We absolutely practice what we preach! We have several clients who are on Facebook & it’s doing wonders for them. Have you thought about getting your business on? With over 400 million active users and people spending over 500 billion minutes per month on Facebook, as a marketer it’s quite simple. You go where the people are. Call me today & we’ll get started.

- Carly

News — No Comments
28
May 09

Yes, we practice what we preach

Just as we have advised you to do, we are part of a few networking sites.

Check out our company pages on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

Join (if you haven’t yet) and connect with us and your peers and you’ll have a stronger networking presence in no time! (Plus we’re pretty cool to “friend” of “link”.)

-Jenny

P.S. We’d love some comments about the social networking or blogging experiences you’re having. Don’t be shy!

GWHIZ — No Comments
1
May 09

Social Networking

It’s a great thing for your business, but how should you go about it?

Join networks (sites) that are relevant to the people you want to connect with.
Be smart with your profile. This may be a first impression of you. It’s also an opportunity to increase your SEO.
Add friends and join groups because they are relevant. (Don’t aim for quantity.)
Create strategic partnerships with other companies.
Keep in mind the human element rules this forum. Write like you speak.
Don’t write things as though your reader is your best friend. You want to connect with people, but that doesn’t mean you should write about the date you went on last night.
Create a blog to go full circle with your communication.
Include employees in the process. They will strengthen the voice and logically fit into your network.
Reference your social networking site in your other materials, especially on your company site.

What sites are out there?

LinkedIn and Fastpitch are great for connecting with other professionals.

Xing is good for getting your presence recognized overseas.

Facebook and Myspace are great for reaching consumers. (Speaking of Facebook, we have company and group pages, just search for “GCI Ad Agency” and both will come up in site’s results.)

Twitter is as a place to share what you’re up to with other professionals or consumers.

Yelp is a place to list your local business and encourage discussion about it.

WordPress running a blog on your site can add punch to communication when people are viewing your fullest web presence. (You’re looking at what WordPress can do right now.)

A list of other networking sites can be found here.

As always, you don’t have to start this venture alone, we’re happy to help guide you. Please feel free to call and come in or ask questions by commenting on this post.

By the way, we’re on Facebook. (Search for “GCI Ad Agency”. We have both company and group pages.)

-Jenny

Free Advice — 1 Comment
26
Mar 09

Every Document is a Marketing Tool

Every scrap of paper that leaves your business is performing a marketing function. Many businesses, large and small, overlook this simple idea.

You send invoices, fax covers, memo, notes, requests and all other manner of “non-marketing” related correspondence to – you guessed it – your clients, referral sources, and prospects.

It’s a pretty simple thing to:
• make sure these documents also conform to the image you project in your marketing materials; and
• make them sell a little.

There’s no harm in introducing a new product or service in every communication, regardless of how mundane:
• put your company story on the back of work orders;
• list all of your products and services on fax covers;
• insert a coupon for a special offering in your statements;
• put two business cards in your thank you notes.

Many small businesses make the mistake of assuming that an existing client knows all about everything you offer. No, they probably know about the one thing they buy from you. Continue to subtly educate at all times. It’s this attention to detail that, over time, adds to the collective marketing momentum your business needs.

- Ed

Free Advice — 1 Comment
6
Mar 09

Market Research Shortcut

Looking for how to reach your target customers, but don’t have the resources to find or conduct market research surveys? Here’s a suggestion for source information that someone’s already collected for you.

Use management tools to get into their heads. Search the web or go to any bookstore and you’ll find all kinds of scholarly tomes on how to manage people in certain age groups or generations. These share something in common with market research — they go into great detail about what that generation thinks about, what they like, how they interact with others, what they do to get what they want.

Managers who are not part of that generation (usually older) use this information to reach them in their own language, on their own terms. The net goal for the manager is to make their employees understand the value to them of doing what the manager wants.

Now substitute “advertiser” and “customers.” The net goal for the advertiser is to make their customers understand the value to them of doing what the advertiser wants. Hmmmm … sounds just like marketing, doesn’t it?

– Ed

Uncategorized — 1 Comment
24
Feb 09

Developing a product?

There are so many things that go into product development and by the end, it comes down to the packaging and the launch. We can help with that for sure. But I found a Case Study about Mercedes Benz a while back that I thought it was really useful. They used direct mail and the customer response as part of their product development and by the end the people that had been giving the feedback to help develop the vehicle felt so involved… such a sense of ownership that they were very keen to take advantage of the pre-sale offer that Mercedes offered them. I think it would be truly thrilling to help one of our clients with this kind of project. The design and branding opportunities to make the company shine and make the product and final sale a success seem endless.

For full info on the Mercedes-Benz case study go here: http://www.brandingasia.com/cases/mercedes-case.htm

-Jenny

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Posts Tagged: marketing

HOW TO LOSE A CUSTOMER IN 10 STEPS (OR LESS)!