5 STEPS TO GOING DIGITAL AND EMBRACING THE INTERNET

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1 an company. 5 STEPS TO GOING DIGITAL AND EMBRACING THE INTERNET Why are customer addresses needed? What do you do if someone posts a bad review about your business? Social media is enormously popular, but how do you get your Facebook and Twitter fans engaged? And how does all of this factor into crafting a successful marketing strategy? These questions can make the most successful and organized business owner want to roll into a ball and chant, Make the Internet go away! But there is good news! Going digital only requires time and a few simple steps. And once you go digital, you can start to automate. And with automation comes better marketing and more time for the marketer! If that sounds good to you, keep on reading. It s not nearly as hard as it sounds. In this guide, we ll answer all these questions and more to equip you for continual growth and help your business succeed. 1

2 Consumers LOVE the Internet In 2000, there were about 361 million Internet users globally. Today, that number has skyrocketed to over two billion Internet users worldwide; more than a five-fold increase 1. Consumers have adopted technology and the Internet in record time. If you have any doubts about jumping into it as a business don t. Your customers are there - your past customers, your future customers, and most of their families, friends, and acquaintances. Which begs the question what are they all doing online? In short, they are sharing, searching and socializing. Popular Communication So It is Written has revolutionized how people communicate with one another, and the growing popularity of texting and smartphones has made reaching one another possible from virtually anywhere. Businesses need to take advantage of this interconnectivity and utilize the tools consumers prefer to enhance customers experiences and improve communication. According to research by emarketer, fifty percent of people actually prefer the ease and convenience of electronic interaction over face-to-face communication 2. Unlike phone calls, written communication is harder to miss and doesn t require note taking. No immediate action is required from a customer when an or text is sent because they have flexibility to respond at their convenience. What does that mean for your business? It means it s best if you go with the flow if consumers prefer communicating in writing, you need to, too. 2

3 1 THE HOW, WHY & WHEN OF Go Digital Step One: Collect addresses how is the most used function on the Internet with ninety-two percent of online adults sending or reading 3. Chances are your customers and prospects have an address ask for it. Ask for it on your website, ask for it in your store. Ask for an address when customers make an appointment, inquire about a product or call for information. why Then use it to stay top of mind. It s not about selling them something every time you send them an ; it s about reaching out regularly so when a person is ready to buy, your business is the first to come to mind. According to a DMA survey, sixty-three percent of businesses see marketing as the most cost-effective method of customer retention 4. when It s better to send short s more frequently than long s less frequently. Make them pointed, with one core topic. If you have a lot to say, break it down into multiple messages and send one per week (more than that, you risk irritating your audience). Sales events, new product releases, special offers and promotions of any kind usually make up the bulk of business-to-consumer communications. But don t forget thank you s, birthday wishes, or holiday greetings are all small gestures your business can make to show gratitude and care for your customers. 3

4 2 TEXTING WITH EFFICIENCY AND GRACE Go Digital Step Two: Collect cell phone numbers, but ask before you text. Texting, often known as SMS messaging among businesses, is immediate, effective, but highly personal. It can be a valuable tool for SMBs, but damaging if misused. Make sure when it comes to SMS, you ask first. When you collect cell phone numbers, ask them what types of communications they want to get via text vs. . Texting is well suited for the immediate a flash sale, an appointment reminder, an emergency alert or a cancellation notice but will be better received if requested by the consumer. Communication Example: Where written beats spoken Every year, hundreds of thousands of dollars in revenue is lost by appointment-based businesses because of no-shows those who scheduled appointments then neither canceled nor rescheduled. However, research shows that the number one reason why people miss scheduled appointments is because they simply forget 5. The solution is not a secret. Remind them. But how you remind them can make a financial impact. On average, more than fifty percent of no-shows are eliminated by appointment reminders 6. While many SMBs utilize phone calls and voic messages for this process, written communication can increase effectiveness by another fifty percent! Day-of text reminders are most effective, and can reduce no-show rates by seventy-five percent 6. 4

5 and text reminders are both quick and easy to send out, can be fully automated, do not require the customer s live attention, and can free valuable time currently wasted talking to answering machines. Digital appointment confirmations also allow for better utilization of cancellations. Your business can use staff time to fill cancellations with customers seeking last-minute appointments. Internet Roll Call: Present, Positive and Sociable, Sir! With a wealth of information online, customers are turning to the Internet when choosing local businesses. Ninety-two percent of online adults use a search engine to find information, and seventy-eight percent of users look for information about a service or product online 7. A strong online presence is more important than ever. But how do you do that, you may ask? Focus on three areas beyond your website and you ll do well: mobile access, social media sites, and reviews. 3 MOBILE MEANS LOCAL AND EVERYWHERE Go Digital Step 3: Do put company profile information on as many local business sites as possible, starting with: Google+ Local, Yelp, and Citysearch. Basically, if you re in all of the local sites, you ll show up on mobile devices. This means making sure your phone numbers, address, hours of operation and other important business data is consistent across all of the sites the more the merrier. At a minimum, Google+ Local, Yelp, and Citysearch should have a full, updated profile for your business. Add more as you find them, and review them periodically to make sure the information is current. 5

6 4 SOCIALLY ACCEPTABLE BEING IN ONLINE Go Digital Step Four: Social sites = backyard BBQ. Tone is casual, fun, practical. Interaction should be often. Social media has become a huge force in marketing and connecting businesses to consumers. Sites such as Facebook and Twitter allow businesses to connect with customers and self-promote where users spend the most time online. The straight scoop? Your customers are on social media, so if you re not, you may lose out to competitors who are figuring out how to make it work. It s like being in Finance and not being a golfer. You can do it, but it s not advisable. Don t believe us? Let s look at some numbers: There are over one billion active Facebook users, and one in seven minutes spent online globally is on Facebook 8 Fifty percent of small business owners reported gaining new customers through social media Fifty-one percent of Facebook users are more likely to buy from brands they like 9 Businesses that post at least once a day can reach twenty-two percent of their fans in a given week 10 Sixty percent of customers used social media when using multiple digital means to research, and forty-eight percent of these consumers responded to an offer posted on Facebook or Twitter 11 Okay, customers are there, but engaging them isn t always simple. Success on social media sites is usually due to frequent posts that are funny or practical. 6

7 how Keep the tone casual. If you don t go for humor, fine it can be tricky but don t be a formal stuffed shirt. It s called social media for a reason you don t want to wear a suit to a backyard BBQ. Use short copy. Lead with your brand personality. what Tips, tricks, good ideas, links and downloads practical advice that your target market will really find helpful can be successful. They can be when In terms of frequency, often is better. Posts on most social media sites like Face- book and Twitter have a short shelf-life. You can post or tweet several times a day and not ir- yours or shared from other ritate anyone. Your goal is to stay places. Packaging matters as top of mind, so don t be shy, but well short copy is mandatory beware the gratuitous, mindless for posts (especially on Twitter, posting. If you keep the backyard of course), so make sure you can BBQ metaphor in mind, you ll do explain it easily. An appropriate well; contribute, converse, share, visual (illustration or photograph) but don t overwhelm. can be a plus. Humor, when done right and when it s sharable, can really create buzz. When done wrong, it can also create buzz bad buzz or just fall flat. Use it if you feel what if Not getting immediate success? Keep trying. Facebook, in particular, is very confident you know where the sensitive to personality and style. boundaries are and what your It can take some time to find the audience will respond to. When voice that best fits your business it works and goes viral, humor is and works on social media. Don t hard to beat. give up too easily. 7

8 5 YOUR REPUTATION IS SHOWING! Go Digital Step Five: Ask for reviews digitally, and go for volume, frequency, recency and interactivity. Then monitor, monitor, monitor. Two out of three consumers read online reviews of local businesses 12. If your business is not properly portrayed on popular review sites, those potential customers may turn to a competitor who is. Online reviews give readers a first-hand account of a service and are incredibly influential in helping customers decide which business to choose. By collecting positive reviews, businesses can leverage this influence to attract new clients and market themselves online 24/7 as a great service with a proven reputation for pleasing customers. how This is where comes in handy. Send a thank you after a customer does business with you, and provide links to Yelp, or a review site appropriate to your business or location, and ask if the customer wouldn t mind sharing their experience. Don t put words in their mouth it s better if it sounds authentic, even if it isn t perfect. If it s appropriate for them to call out a particular service provider within your business by name, encourage it. Positive personal comments about a particular employee or the owner leave a stronger impression than just a They were great. how much This is another the more the merrier scenario. Seventy percent of consumers trust a business with a minimum of six to ten reviews 13. So you want volume, frequency and recency. If you hit 50, don t stop. A bunch of old reviews, even if they re good, can give a less-than-positive impression and don t have the same impact on search engines. Another thing to avoid sending out requests to everyone you know and have ever done business with all at once. Don t do that. Review sites have spam filters, so a multitude of reviews coming in all at once can trigger them and cause your reviews to be deleted. Plus, it looks more authentic if reviews have come in over time. 8

9 how about Bad reviews happen. Seventy-four percent of people who review businesses do so to help companies improve, and sixty-two percent of reviewers believe public feedback is the best way to get companies to listen. 14 The moral of the story? You re going to get some lessthan-perfect reviews and the occasional dog. The 3 and 4 stars out of 5 are not bad, so don t freak out. They make your business, and the positive comments, look more real. The companies that have 10 perfect reviews look like they bribed their in-laws; you don t want that. But sometimes you get a bad one. Be interactive. Certainly you can ignore the obvious crackpot if you get a crazy spammer no one would believe. But if a bad review has enough credibility to appear legitimate to an undecided prospect, then you need to respond. Not with explanations, excuses, or even an apology, but simply with a polite Hey we don t want anyone to have an experience like this. Look in your for a note from me and let s see if we can make this right, or words to that effect. Don t engage in a blow-by-blow online, ever. how much Fifty-one percent of consumers believe reliability is the most important trait when selecting a business, and fifty-eight percent of consumers trust a local business more because of positive customer reviews 13. It really, really, really is not enough for you to just deliver great service. You need to ensure that everyone knows just how great your service really is. Actively manage your reviews. Solicit reviews, monitor the sites, and engage reviewers a thank you to a happy reviewer and a let s talk to an unhappy one go a long way to improve your online reputation. GO DIGITAL OR GO HOME Consumers are utilizing electronic means to evaluate and choose businesses today more than ever, and this behavior is only increasing. Getting online isn t about innovation anymore, it s about keeping up. Whether you follow the tips above manually or use an automation tool, it is time to embrace the Internet and allocate the resources to boost your online presence to keep up with your customers and your competition. The success of your business is on the line. 9

10 SOURCES Pew Internet Survey, pewinternet.org National Institute of Health (NIH), nih.gov Leads_as_Top_Online_Activity_Globally Leads_as_Top_Online_Activity_Globally BrightLocal, Local Consumer Review Survey