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reputation management

How Do I Get More Leads? [VIDEO]

By Google AdWords, Local Search, Online Advertising, Online Marketing, Reputation Management

Looking for more leads?

Today, home service providers have multiple sources to obtain leads. However, most businesses think of the traditional ways of acquiring leads, like a business website, phonebook, newspaper ads, and word of mouth. While these sources can be effective, businesses need to also consider multiple online sources to remain competitive.

Many of these online sources do not require big marketing budgets, in fact, many business owners are surprised when they realize how cost effective it is to acquire additional leads.

This short video details these sources that every business should consider to achieve their growth goals.

Review Generation – Are Bad Reviews Hurting Your Business?

By Local Search, Online Advertising, Online Marketing, Online Reviews, Reputation Management
“It takes 20 years to build a reputation and five minutes to ruin it. If you think about that, you’ll do things differently” – Warren Buffet

This famous quote was delivered many years ago. Businesses that didn’t heed the warning probably aren’t around to do things differently. In today’s fast-paced, high technology world, businesses not embracing Mr. Buffet’s sage advice won’t need to wait 20 years to establish a sound reputation. Businesses today can develop a 5-star reputation in as little as a year AND lose a stellar reputation in much less time. In fact, Mr. Buffet’s advice of ruining a reputation in five minutes may actually be an eternity in today’s online world.

Why some businesses dislike reviews

The main driver for what the community thinks about a business is reviews. Reviews are great if a business rightly deserves positive reviews. In a market based economy, the market (customer) has the final vote on the success or failure of a business. Fair or not, this is reality, and business owners need to understand this quickly. Businesses that monitor and react to online reviews will be in a far better position to succeed in the future.

Business owners cite many reasons for disliking reviews, here’s a sample: review generation

  •           Inaccurate information
  •           Unfair, little recourse to rectify
  •           Not real, competitor driven
  •           Anonymous or unverified

Reviews are here to stay, therefore, it is incumbent upon business owners to understand their roles in protecting their online reputation. Business owners aren’t powerless (even though it may feel that way), many tools exist to help shape or re-shape an online review business profile.

What is Review Generation?

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If You Don’t Tell Your Story, Others Will – The Value of Online Reputation Management

By Local Search, Online Advertising, Online Marketing, Reputation Management

Online reputation managementFor small businesses, many positive changes have occurred with the creation of the internet. Today, small businesses can compete with the larger, more established companies. There are some negative things that can happen as well, such as spamming and negative reviews. All of these can influence your online reputation, and this is why you need online reputation management.

What is online reputation management?

Online reputation management is a process and strategy that involves monitoring, finding and then influencing the reputation and credibility that you have in the online world. Through good online reputation management you will be able to develop a good reputation thus shaping the online perception of your business. Read More

Tackle Online Reviews without Getting Dirty!

By Online Advertising, Online Reviews, Reputation Management

online reviews

There are numerous websites (e.g., Yelp, Google, and Hometown) online that focus on gathering reviews for products, services and businesses, not to mention lots of communities where people talk about their experiences online (e.g., Facebook, Twitter). Your business will receive both positive and negative reviews, so it’s very important to make sure that you find a way to deal with all reviews quickly.

How to deal with positive reviews?

If users are leaving positive reviews for your business, thank them for their support and showcase some ideas that you have for future product/service updates. It’s crucial to continue the dialog with your customers, as this will encourage a return visit or purchase. Hopefully, they will share their experience with others, generating more sales for you. Another benefit, consider this quote – “There is no advertisement as powerful as a positive reputation traveling fast” (Brian Kozlow). Share all positive reviews on social media! Read More

Phone Sales Tips for Contractors – Get Them To Say Yes!

By Food for thought, Online Marketing

image of contractor on phoneHow often do you hear:  “I am just in the planning stage” or “let me call you back” or “thank you for the information, I will be in touch”, and you never hear back from them again. What they are really saying is “I am not buying from you”, probably due to something you said or the way they were treated.

If this happens frequently; you may want to do a little personal introspection. Some reasons for this behavior may be due to poor phone skills or perhaps a lack of professionalism. Read More

Your Customers Are Talking About You – Online Reputation Management

By Online Reviews

yelp review logo - local online marketingWhether you like it or not, your customers may be talking about you in unflattering ways.  Remember the old adage: a happy customer tells one person; an angry customer tells ten. In today’s fast paced online world, this unhappy person can tell hundreds, if not thousands of people in one well-placed rant.

If your business isn’t engaged with these unhappy customers or you are turning a blind eye to these reviews, your business will eventually feel the wrath of this relatively new phenomenon.  Read More