It’s the spookiest time of the year and yet the scariest thing to a business owner doesn’t come in the form of witches, goblins and ghosts. What they fear most is a drop in their profits at the end of the fiscal year. In the spirit of Halloween, we’ve listed the most common ways businesses can scare away potential customers. Avoid these 6 business boo-boos to make sure your customers feel treated— not tricked— when […]
At the very basic level, most business owners get the idea that their online reviews and overall star rating have a strong influence over potential customers. However, even the savviest business owner may not realize that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Yelp Tips, Google Questions and Photos are alternative ways consumers can share their experiences without the business owner ever even noticing. Let’s take a look at the unique features accessible to […]
We’ve said it before, and we’ll say it again— photos are an essential part of your brand identity. The photos posted to your online business listings come hand-in-hand with your online reviews and ratings. According to Yelp, businesses who have between 1-5 reviews and 10 photos get 200% more user views than businesses with the same number of reviews and no photos. To get new business, you need to establish a solid first impression within […]
If a picture is worth a thousand words, an inappropriate photo posted to your online business listing would be equivalent to a long, scathing negative review. A cockroach sitting in the corner of the room. An underwhelming plate of food. Regardless of whether or not these photos were actually taken at your business, so long as they appear on your online review site, they have the power to drive potential customers away in an instant. […]
Review Generation vs Online Reputation Management: Discover the Difference and Learn the Playbook that will Protect Your Brand Over the past decade, businesses of all sizes have become more and more aware of the real impact online customer reviews can have on their overall brand, and ultimately their bottom line. A recent study showed that 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses before making a purchase. The power of word-of-mouth is greater than […]
It’s no secret— negative online reviews can hurt your business and tarnish your brand identity. Research shows that 86% of consumers read reviews for local businesses before making a purchase. Reputation management has become a necessity for business owners in order to grow, let alone survive in a competitive market. The real secret is that the negative reviews that contain fake or illegitimate content actually have a higher percentage of being removed from your online […]
Word of Mouth is a powerful thing— it’s what gets you to buy a ticket to that summer blockbuster, or into that new Italian Restaurant with the meatballs that will change your life. The more you hear about that movie, or those world famous meatballs, the greater the likelihood that you’ll actually get up off the couch and out into the world to find out what all the buzz is about. Such is the purchasing […]
Facebook announced an overhaul of its main mobile app that puts more emphasis on two of its most critical features: events and groups. The company says it’s placing groups front and center as a cornerstone of how it wants users to think of the main Facebook app, while their events feature is getting a fresh coat of paint as one of the most-used parts of the app that keeps users coming back day in and […]
If done correctly, Local SEO can be a gift for your business that keeps on giving. Think of it as a garden. You tend to the soil, water it, provide plenty of sunshine, and with a little patience, you’ll enjoy the fruits of your labor. The moment you slack off, your crops will die. Quite frankly, so will your business if you don’t implement a strategy to stay relevant in local search results. Before you […]
“If you can’t say anything nice, don’t say nothing at all.” If only we can instill those wise words from the film Bambi into the minds of the masses of people on the internet. Unfortunately, the real world is not a Disney cartoon, and no business is safe from public criticism online. According to a survey conducted by BrightLocal, 85% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. On the bright side, people […]