The other night I was watching an episode of Hotel Impossible on the Travel Channel (one of my few Reality Show guilty pleasures) and host Anthony Melchiorri confronted the hotel’s Marketing Director for answering negative online reviews sarcastically.  The Marketing Director’s response was that he was trying to bring some levity to the situation and thought that a sense of humor would help.  Needless to say, Anthony was not happy.

Google, Yelp, TripAdvisor and other popular review sites started allowing business owners the ability to retort poor reviews (or acknowledge the good ones) over the past few years.  This has been both a blessing and a great Achilles’ heel for business owners.  Some business owners and CEO’s should step away from the keyboard.  Others have the constraint and wisdom to follow basic best practices when managing online reviews:

1) Don’t get bad reviews in the first place
No company is perfect.  Ultimately a day will come when a customer will be angry or disappointed enough about something you or one of your employees did to post a negative review about you online.  But if you provide quality products/services and you have a strong customer service model you should be able to mitigate bad reviews from the start.  When the inevitable happens and a displeased customer complains, listen to your customer and try to make amends.  Sometimes turning around a bad situation well can turn a displeased customer into a raving fan of your company.

2) Praise the positive reviews
When people say nice things about your company take time to reply and thank them for their business.  This encourages repeat business and also shows potential customers you are just as loyal to your customers as they are to you.

3) Check the validity of a bad review
If someone does post a bad review there are a few things you can do to check the validity of the review:

• See how many other reviews the person has done.  If this is the only post they’ve ever done and their account is brand new, it may be reason to give you pause.  Or, it could be they were so pissed they decided to create an account just so they could express their displeasure online!
• If they do have other reviews, do they go around bashing a bunch of other companies in your same industry?  Or do they throw around technical lingo that only an industry insider would know?  If so it could be a sign the person is a competitor.
• If you truly feel the review is not legitimate you can flag it and request removal.  Don’t hold your breath though.  It may be even wiser to write a short  reply stating you are sorry they had a bad experience, and invite them to call you directly to discuss it so you can immediately address their concerns.

4) To reply or not to reply
Not every bad review may warrant a response.  Use your judgement:

• Some reviews are so blatantly fake that other people reading the review can see right through it.  Sure, it hurts to have your rating reduced illegitimately, but that should motivate you to encourage your customers to do even more reviews to diminish it and push it down.
• You may have offered an amiable solution and your dissatisfied customer didn’t feel your offer was good enough. If you know in your heart you did your best to mend the situation you may want to reply you are sorry about their dissatisfaction and mention you tried your best to make the situation better and you  are sorry they did not agree with your solution.  If the situation caused you to change internal processes to insure it doesn’t happen again, mention that too.  No need to go into any sort of detail, just keep your remarks broad and non-specific.
• In some situations you may know exactly who wrote the review, and you may know that to respond will begin an all-out barrage of nastiness from your dissatisfied customer.  Leave sleeping dogs lie.
• Sometimes your loyal customers will come to your rescue for you, especially if a review seems to be outlandish or fake.  This can be the most powerful retort you can get.

Reviews are playing a much heavier role in your search engine optimization as Google continues their shift toward Local Search.  Reviews are easily accessible on mobile devices when people are searching for you online.  Reviews sometimes can make or break a business.  So you should encourage your customers to review you online and be prepared to monitor and respond when appropriate to your reviews.  Be prepared for good and bad reviews alike. But remember: how you handle bad reviews can often go a long way to define your company.

The Google Search Blog has confirmed the “over-optimization” penalty has been factored into the Google search algorithm and made live.  They are calling it the “webspam algorithm update”.  Google estimates these latest changes will affect approximately 3.1% of English websites.  In comparison, their initial Panda update in February, 2011 affected over 12% of search results.

So what constitutes “over-optimization”?  Simply put, all the things we’ve been telling you not to engage in!

Keyword Stuffing
This is the practice of stuffing a bunch of keywords into your website content and Meta tags.  You’ve likely come across a website that the text was almost nonsensical because they kept repeating the same word or phrase incessantly.   Or maybe you were reading through a paragraph and a completely unrelated phrase was injected in the middle of the content and linked to another website.  These are the types of tactics Google is attacking with this update.

Text Spinning
For those who don’t want to take the time writing unique, engaging content for their websites or blogs, they use “text spinning” software.  Basically you copy and paste a blog post or web page content into the software, and it “spins” it and tries to output a rewritten version of that content.  Some of the programs work pretty well, but if you read the content closely there are idiosyncrasies in grammar you will come across.  It is those idiosyncrasies Google is looking to identify.

As is almost always the case in technology, taking shortcuts may show short-term benefits but almost always result in long-term disappointments.  The 3% of search results that have been impacted by the latest changes by Google probably wish they had spent all their resources doing all the things Google tells you, because now they are going to be forced to!

The forums and Blogs blew up earlier this week when suddenly rankings started to drop and some websites even dropped completely out of the Google index.  A lot is still speculation, but here is what we know so far.

Google rolled out a new Panda update at the end of March which continued to target one of the methodologies SEO companies have been using to get cheap links: Blog networks.   This is the practice of setting up a network of low-quality Blogs on various topics and then promoting your clients on the Blogs and linking over to their websites.  If your SEO company is using this practice to rank your website you may have a surprise in store for you.  And the problem with this tactic is that the links they are building for their customers are temporary.  When their clients stop paying them, they remove all the links from their Blogs and then their clients are back to where they started.  Your SEO company should be building permanent links for you—that’s good marketing budget you’re spending with them!

Besides that, Matt Cutts of Google recently announced they are working on penalizing websites that are “over-optimized”.

At the SXSW Conference, Matt said, “What about the people optimizing really hard and doing a lot of SEO. We don’t normally pre-announce changes but there is something we are working in the last few months and hope to release it in the next months or few weeks. We are trying to level the playing field a bit. All those people doing, for lack of a better word, over optimization or overly SEO – versus those making great content and great site. We are trying to make GoogleBot smarter, make our relevance better, and we are also looking for those who abuse it, like too many keywords on a page, or exchange way too many links or go well beyond what you normally expect. We have several engineers on my team working on this right now.”

This basically falls into the category of just plain old bad SEO practices.  Tactics like stuffing too many keywords/phrases into your content and Meta tags, and building ridiculous amounts of links in a short amount of time, for example.  Things that just don’t look “natural”.  Google is also continuing to place more and more importance on active participation on social media sites such as Facebook and Twitter.  Unfortunately sometimes good people get caught up in algorithm changes too, but eventually Google seems to swing back around and make it right.

So it goes back to everything we coach our clients on: build great content on your website, be active in social media, and do things the right way and you will be rewarded.  Play the shortcut game, and eventually you will get Google-slapped!

Google is a money-making machine, and the bulk of their annual revenue comes from their advertising channel.  You’ve probably gotten a postcard, email or phone call from Google encouraging you to use AdWords (also called PayPerClick) to advertise your business online.  Google’s ad revenue increased from $28 billion in 2010 to $36 billion (unaudited) in 2011.  No wonder they’ve been pushing it so hard!

Google also has been pushing the idea that business owners can run their own campaigns.  And they’re banking on you doing just that.

Many of our clients who come to us for help with their AdWords campaigns have been running their own campaigns for at least a year.  Once we have optimized their campaign and their ads, on average we have reduced their monthly Google ad spend between 20-30%.  On some campaigns we’ve reduced Google ad spend 50% or more!  Imagine what those businesses could have done with all that extra money they paid to Google over that years’ time.  And imagine how much less money Google would have made last year if everyone optimized their campaigns!

Beyond simply reducing Google ad spend, you should focus on improving Quality Scores for the campaign.  This ultimately leads to improved ad positions, better click-through rates and increased conversions.  You won’t hear Google’s sales force (or phone book companies pushing AdWords) focusing on improving conversions.  Why?  Because it’s hard work, and it is in their best interest for you to run under-performing ads.  The more you increase your ad spend, the more Google and their media-buying partners will make.

So how do Quality Scores affect you?  Here is a snippet provided by Google in their AdWords Help Center:

•    Ad auction eligibility: Higher Quality Scores make it easier and cheaper for a keyword to enter the ad auction.
•    Your keyword’s actual cost-per-click (CPC): Higher Quality Scores lead to lower CPCs. That means you pay less per click when your keyword has a higher Quality Score.
•    Your keyword’s first page bid estimate: Higher Quality Scores lead to lower first page bid estimates. That means it’s easier for your ad to show on the first page of search results when your keyword has a higher Quality Score.
•    Your keyword’s top of page bid estimate: Higher Quality Scores lead to lower top of page bid estimates. That means it’s easier for your ad to show towards the top of the page when your keyword has a higher Quality Score.
•    Ad position: Higher Quality Scores lead to higher ad positions. That means your ad can show up higher on the page when your keyword has a higher Quality Score.

So as you can see it is in your best interest to pay attention to constantly improving your campaign and Quality Scores.  And even though they are an important factor, it isn’t all that easy to find your Quality Scores in your AdWords administration panel.  Many people launch their AdWords and let it run on auto-pilot.  If you allow that to happen you are spending more money than you need to on your campaign, and it will be much less effective.

You may have heard the USPS is turning to junk mail to try to turn around their several billion dollar budget deficit.   A full 59% of all mail is already junk mail, and that accounts for almost 90 billion pieces of mail per year!  Every week I shake my head at the immense waste as I grab the pile of flyers and solicitations that I’m not interested in and pick through everything to make sure something important isn’t mixed in.  (Every once in a while Mommy and Grammy send me a card, so I have to keep an eye out for that!)

For people like me who have taken advantage of online bill pay and online banking, my weekly trip to the mailbox feels more like a trip to take out the trash.  I want to stop it but how can I get removed from those annoying lists?

First is a smartphone app called Paper Karma.  It is a relatively new app that has gotten good reviews.  Download the app to your Android, iPhone or Windows Phone, create an account and within a minute you’re ready to go!  Take a picture of the piece of junk mail you don’t want to receive any longer, and Paper Karma will automatically recognize the mailer, contact them on your behalf and have you removed from their mailing list!  Sure it’s not perfect, but if it cuts down on my junk mail by even 25% I’m willing to do it.

For those of you who aren’t app-inclined (or just don’t trust those newfangled phones) there is also a website you can join to help the cause.  Catalog Choice is a not-for-profit group that is responsible for stopping over 19 million pieces of junk mail. When you receive a piece of junk mail go to their website and report the sender and they will request removal on your behalf.  There is a little more manual work involved because you have to search for the companies from which you received the junk mail (which can be a little confusing from time to time) but this is also an effective way to reduce paper waste.

So either get ready for a renewed onslaught of junk mail in a mailbox near you, or take advantage of these resources to help you cut down on wasteful advertising practices.  If they get the message loud and clear enough, perhaps they will turn their energy to a “green” form of marketing called internet marketing!

A colleague told me a funny and unbelievable story that sparked today’s blog post.  While he was leaving the office the other day he noticed a man standing outside the office next door.  Apparently the man was estimating how much it would cost to move their office to a new location.  As my colleague was walking to his car, the man yelled across the parking lot, “Hey, if you need to move I’m your guy!  I don’t carry insurance so I’m cheaper than everyone else!!”

I’m sure on some strange, distant planet that could be considered a value proposition statement.  I certainly don’t live on that world, and I think smart Earthlings would probably run in the other direction too.  How do you position yourself against your competitors?

Answering the question of what makes you better than your competitors should be pretty easy for business owners, CEO’s and top producers.  When going through the discovery process with many of our clients I sometimes find it more difficult than it should be to uncover strong value proposition.  Sometimes I’m met with negative tirades against competitors.  Most often I get the benign, “we will beat anyone else’s prices.”

Bashing your competitors makes you look petty.  And most agree that positioning yourself as “the cheapest in town” typically gets you a lot of customers who aren’t loyal to your company and/or don’t value what you do.

Having the ability to explain tangible and useful benefits to prospective clients is an extremely important ingredient for the success of your business.  To do an effective job you first need to pay attention to how your competitors advertise themselves.  Also, when new clients come to you from a competitor, ask them what your competitor did well.  Ask what made them leave your competitor.  And finally, ask them why they decided to come to your company.

Using this information will help you build your value arsenal and be prepared to knock it out of the park when asked the inevitable question, “Why should I come to you instead of your competitor?”

Here is the final piece that is most often overlooked:  once you have established your value proposition, get it on your website!  I sometimes get the most amazing elevator pitches when talking to new clients, but when I look at their website, none of that information is anywhere to be found!  Packaging your strongest value proposition and building it into strategic areas of your website will insure much better conversion rates.

Remember, getting someone to your website is only the first step—if they don’t contact you (or, convert) as a result of visiting your website you’ve just lost an important lead!

Learn more about Conversion Rate Optimization.

We often have well-established companies tell us they hate their logo or their branding.  (That’s right… I’m using the word hate here.)  They tell us when they started the company they didn’t put enough effort toward their branding, identity or their online marketing.  Now with hindsight in their favor they see the mistakes they made and want to fix it!  But how easy is it to change your company’s image once the marketplace gets to know you?

Freshening your branding is one thing.  That is a healthy part of managing any company’s identity.  Times change, you change, standards change. Think of all the world’s biggest brands.  Over the years they religiously refresh their branding to keep from looking stodgy or outdated.

Here are a few things to keep in mind if you plan on making some major changes:

1)  Develop a regimented plan
Often companies delay things that are perceived as painful until the time comes where someone in the organization gets fed up and yells, “Just Get It Done!!”  When it comes to your company’s identity nothing could be worse.  There is some background work that needs to be done first.

2) How do people view you?
Before you know where to take your branding, you first need to understand how people perceive you.  Talk to long-time clients and ask them why they’ve continued to do business with you.  Talk to new clients and ask them why they decided to work with you.  Through your research you may find you don’t like the way people perceive your company. If that’s the case you may need to make a more substantial overhaul to your company’s brand.  Also remember you have to remove your personal tastes and likes from the equation.  I know this is hard to swallow, but your tastes may be bad for your brand.

3) Research the competition
What are your competitors doing well?  What aren’t they doing well?  See if there is a niche you can fill where your competitors are lacking.  You may find there is a whole new customer base out there you want to target.

4) Buy-in
As with any plan, if you don’t have 110% buy-in from everyone in your company you’re starting down a bumpy road.  Be sure everyone from the top down understands why you’re making the change, your vision for the future of the company, and how this is an integral part of accomplishing that vision.

5) The Relaunch
Prepare people for the “new you”.  Help them understand why you’re going through this transformation.  Tell them why it’s in their best interest.  If you change completely and suddenly without notice, your customers and the general public may get confused.  And sometimes consumers get downright angry!  As some brands have found out.

If you’re going to make a major change to your branding, do your research and make a smart transition.  If you don’t, you risk making these changes at your peril. (SyFy anyone?)

In case you haven’t noticed or read the headlines recently, gas prices are on the rise.  You may have your favorite local gas station to get your gas, but are you getting ripped off?  We’ve all heard stories about gas stations gouging their customers when the wind blows in the wrong direction.  So how do we consumers make better choices and save our hard earned money?  Yes, there is an app for that!

While there are many gas apps out there I personally use the free Gas Buddy (www.gasbuddy.com) app.  With this app you can either type in the zip code of where you want to search, or allow your phone’s GPS to automatically search for gas stations closest to your location.  The results display the price of Regular, Midgrade, Premium and Diesel fuel at each station, their addresses, and the distance of each station from your location.  With the click of a button you can get directions to the station using your phone’s navigation application.

The Gas Buddy app allows users to correct pricing if you arrive at the station and the pricing isn’t correct.  They state on the Gas Buddy website that they automatically purge the last reported pricing after 72 hours to try to keep pricing as accurate as possible.  So while these types of apps aren’t always absolutely perfect, they can be used as a great guide to help you save some cash when you need to fill your hungry gas tank.

So give it a try and put the power of consumerism back in your hands!

Ecommerce is expected to grow to a $300 billion industry in the U.S. by 2015 according to Forrester Research.  Don’t you want a piece of that sweet juicy pie?  Troy Newport, Business Development Director at Webtivity Design Solutions, and Dennis Hassell, Regional Consultant at NXGEN Payment Services will co-present a workshop on ecommerce.  The workshop will cover the basics of selling online, making secure decisions for your business and effective marketing of your powerful revenue generator.

Where:
Manatee Chamber Lakewood Ranch Office
McClure Center 4215 Concept Court
(map it)

When:
Thursday, February 9, 2012
8:00am – 11:00am

How:
Register Now on the Manatee Chamber website

or Download the PDF Flyer:
Growing Revenue by Selling Online

See you there!