Customer Service & Social Media
As a business owner, you undoubtedly understand the power of word of mouth marketing. The success of almost any business is based on happy customers recommending your products or services. More than ever, your customers are using social media to tell, not only their friends and neighbors, but anyone willing to listen. Whether they “tweet” about it on Twitter, talk about it on their blog, or post a review on a growing number of review sites, people are talking about your business. Therefore, it’s important for you to pay attention to what they are saying.
Among the first, and most successful, review sites was TripAdvisor.com. Travelers could review the hotels they’ve stayed in and tell others about their experiences. For me, it’s a must see website before I book any hotel. It has helped me avoid rude staff, hotel construction, and generally bad hotels. It’s also helped me to see “real” photos of the hotel, rooms, and its ammeneties. Now, the site has expanded beyond hotel reviews, and asks travelers to review local restaurants and popular siteseeing activities.
Few people realized the real power of Google Maps when it was first launched, but with its incorporation with the iPhone, there are now millions that rely on it. While most know that Google Maps helps people find your business (sign up now for Google Local if you haven’t already), others aren’t aware that Google also offers reviews of these businesses. Google local both provide its own users’ reviews and aggregates reviews from sites like TripAdvisor. So when someone uses the internet or their iPhone to find a local business/service, they not only find where you’re located, and your contact information, but they also find user reviews.
Similar sites have recently started to take off, such as Yelp.com. Based on the success of sites like TripAdvisor, they plan to offer reviews on everything local – restaurants, retail stores, etc. Many use this service when traveling to an unfamiliar city to find businesses (and decided if they’re any good). While there are still only a few reviews listed for most Central Illinois businesses, it is a site that is gaining some traction and is one you should keep your eye on.
While the thought of people virtually shouting reviews about your business across the internet can be scary, it can also be tremendously helpful. It’s extremely important to monitor these types of sites, but its even more important to listen. The people out there talking about your business are providing you with some honest and straightforward feedback to make your business better. Make the necessary corrections and then encourage your customers to tell their friends about their experience, blog about you, or visit one of these sites to provide a review. There’s no shame in asking your satisfied customers to help spread the word about you and your business, and it could just help you the next time someone decides to get information about your business from one of these sites.
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