Reputation Marketing is, in the simplest terms, using your five-star online reputation to influence customers to do business with you.  Here you’ll learn how to use customer reviews to market your business.

Got Questions About Your Reputation & Marketing? We’ve Got Answers.

Q. So, how do you get a five-star online reputation?

 A. By collecting and promoting stellar online reviews on the websites and networks your customers use to research before making their buying decisions.

Q. And why isn’t it called Customer Review Marketing?

A. Because even though customer reviews are the most visible and sought after confidence signals for prospective buyers, there are other visibility and SEO factors that make up your online reputation as a whole.

Q. Is Reputation Marketing hard or expensive?

A.  NO and NO. Customers give their reviews for free, on websites, prospects use for free. You just need a system in place to encourage those reviews and get them out there where your next customers are looking for them. It is without a doubt one of the easiest, cheapest, and effective ways to market your business, service, or product.

Enough with the Q&A.  Here are some great articles that will help you learn more so you can be more effective in using customer reviews to market your business:

The Value of your Business Reputation

2017 Reputation Management Checklist – Downloadable PDF with Actionable Links

Reputation Marketing in 5 Steps

Why Customer Reviews are a Game Changer – Here’s the Facts

No salesman, account manager, or marketer is going to be as trusted or persuasive as a real-life customer’s review.  After all, your employees are paid to say your business is the BEST choice. Ads are just more money spent telling people “Pick Me!” Everyone knows that so there is a lack of trusts in both your sales team and advertisements.

You know what people do trust? The words of a customer who received nothing for giving their opinion of your business.

Provided you have built a positive online presence (the foundation of your Reputation Marketing) and are visible when people search for your type of business, your online reviews are the decider of whether or not you get a new customer lose another customer to your more customer-admired competitor.

Customer Review Facts:

88% of consumers say that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations. – BrightLocal.com

40% of buyers form an opinion of a business after reading just 1-3 reviews. –  BrightLocal.com

97% of B2B buyers said that user-generated content, like user reviews, is more credible than other types of content. – Thismoment.com

72% of buyers will take action only after reading a positive review. –  BrightLocal.com

Customers spend 31% more with a business that has “excellent” reviews. –  Invespcro.com

Buyers consult reviews early in the search, with 68% reading reviews as they build their shortlist. –  SoftwareAdvice.com

Reviews can have an impact of up to 10% on a business’s search rankings. – WebRepublic.com

44% of consumers say a review must be written within one month to be considered relevant. – BrightLocal.com

89% of users will make a purchase within one week of reading reviews. –  ReachLocal.com

How to Use Customer Reviews to Market Your Business

At this point, you should be convinced that you need to continuously encourage your customers to give you feedback so you can get your best reviews online promoting your business where it matters most.

That might sound like a lot of work, but technology rides to the rescue once again with ways to AUTOMATE your customer review management. Automatically handle everything from gathering reviews and weeding out dissatisfied customers to promoting only the best reviews and monitoring review sites. I’d suggest using ReputationLoop™, but I may be biased.  Check out the ReputationLoop™ reviews to see what others think.*

*BAM!!! Did you see what I did there???

That is how you use customer reviews to market your business.  It’s just that easy.

 

Now let’s talk about how you are going to use customer reviews to market YOUR business.

1. Use Customer Reviews to Build a 5-Star Online Reputation

• Have a system in place for monitoring, managing and promoting your customer reviews online.
• Respond promptly to both positive and negative reviews in a way that influences future review readers.

2. Be Where Your Customers Are Online!

• Claim and optimize your business profiles where you customers search for reviews for your type of business. (List of Customer Review Sites)
• Encourage customers to leave their positive reviews online to help future customers.
• Make it easy to leave a review. One or two clicks from your website or email create a quick and simple process for customers.
• Claim, optimize, and monitor your business profiles on the most popular social media networks. (Picking Your Social Media Networks)
• Promote your best reviews on the social media networks that matter in your industry.

3. Make Reviews the Star of Your Ads

• The copy in your ads is very important. But what is going to sell you better than a highly satisfied customer review?
• Save precious ad copy space for “features” and “specials” and use customer reviews to highlight the “benefits” your business or product.
• You can also add them to your email marketing campaigns!

4. Empower Top Customers by Making Them Brand Ambassadors

• Set up a brand ambassador program. (How To Create a Brand Ambassador Program)
• With guidelines in place, build an incentive plan that is easy for you to package, track, and disseminate. This could range from a company T-shirt and free memberships to big discounts or free products – things that won’t hurt your budget.
• Create content your ambassadors can use to market your business. Include testimonials and reviews they can promote.
• Find potential ambassadors by looking at your customer feedback, reviews, and social media conversations. Find customers who show a love of your business, but remember they will need to be monitored.

This is the part where I tell you about what we do!

But I already did that (reference the smooth reputation marketing in the middle of this post).  We want to help you build a stellar online reputation and show you how to use customer reviews to market your business. ReputationLoop™ makes it as easy as possible to generate more leads and attract new customers. That’s what we do.  But don’t take our word for it, you can read our reviews or get a free demo and see for yourself how ReputationLoop™ can grow your business.

 

About The Author

Zach Anderson is the co-founder of Reputation Loop (helping small businesses grow by generating customer feedback and online reviews) who loves online marketing and golf.

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Two questions will tell you if you need this Reputation Management Checklist:

When a customer searches for your business, do you know what shows up in search results?  

Do search results give the impression you are a reliable and well-liked business?

If the answer is no to either of these questions, you’re going to want to get started checking off the items on this 2017 Reputation Management Checklist.

Why Do I Need a Reputation Management Checklist?

The importance of managing your online reputation is clear considering online reviews, business social media profiles, and company websites rank highest in searches.  These links provide exposure to a wider pool of prospective customers when sound SEO practices are combined with effective reputation management techniques and tools.

Studies have shown that over 80% of online searchers follow up via an in-store visit. Customers are using the internet to find out about your reputation before making a purchase. Think about it.  Your next customer is more likely to find you through a mobile online search than driving by your storefront or billboard advertisement.

If your business lacks an enticing web presence, you risk losing business to competitors found in the same internet search who have ensured they have a positive online presence.

Your Online Reputation is Made Up of 3 Main Parts

1. The content you create such as web pages, blog posts, and social media that can show up as links in search results.
2. User generated content that shows up on third-party sites such as Yelp or ComplaintBoards.com in the form of reviews, ratings, and complaints.
3. Mentions of your business by third party websites such as the Yellow Pages or Chamber of Commerce (also known as citations).

Using a tool like this reputation management checklist ensures you establish your credibility as a reliable business. A positive online reputation gives your company a competitive edge over others in your city and industry.  Manage your reputation, and you position your business as the first and best choice when customers are researching online before making a decision where to spend their money.

The Reputation Management Checklist also ensures you are controlling much of what is being said about your business online and lets you influence those conversations towards positive messaging.  Your online reputation serves as 24/7 advertising, getting the word out about your company to customers searching on the internet, specifically consumers in your community searching for your specific service.

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Reputation Mangement Checklist– With Actionable Links

Quick Web Presence Audit:

• Do a Google Search of your business name.
• Do a Google Search of your business name + reviews.
• Check the major review sites for pages and reviews of your business.
• Check the major social media sites for pages or comments for your business.

Google Properties:

• Set up Google Analytics
• Check the Google Search Console to ensure your web pages are indexed
• Claim and Optimize your Google My Business Listing
• Set up Google Alerts to monitor new mentions of your business

Ensure Your Visibility Online:

• Monitor and manage accurate business listings and citations
• Claim and optimize your business profiles on social media relevant to your industry
• Claim and optimize your business profiles on Review Sites your customers use

Managing Online Customer Reviews:

• Have a system in place to monitor your online reputation
• Check reviews daily on the review sites that matter most in your industry
• Encourage customers to leave reviews on top review sites with automated feedback emails
• Respond to all reviews – both negative and positive
• Promote your best reviews on your social media accounts and website
• Gather testimonials you can use for YouTube videos or testimonial pages

Website, Blog and Link Building:

• Create web pages that rank high in search results
• Consistently post search engine optimized keyword rich content to your website’s blog
• Guest post on popular blogs to get links back to your website

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Your Online Reputation is Working 24/7

Your website and online marketing do not make up all or most of your web presence. Internet searches, social media, review websites, and complaint forums are top of mind activities and destinations as consumers search for the best service at the best price. Be sure to make reputation management, including a customer review strategy, part of your daily business operation.  Automate your customer review management with low-cost services such as Reputation Loop to monitor your online reputation and ensure positive reviews are consistently gathered and promoted across the web.

About The Author

Zach Anderson is the co-founder of Reputation Loop (helping small businesses grow by generating customer feedback and online reviews) who loves online marketing and golf.

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If your business is not showing up in local search results, you may be wondering how to improve your local ranking on Google.

If you want to improve your local ranking on Google, the most important thing you can do is claim and optimize your Google My Business listings.

Local results appear for people who search for businesses and places near their location. They’re shown in both mobile and desktop versions of Google Search and Google Maps. Google My Business lets you manage how your local business appears across Google.  Maintaining and managing your business listings on Google My Business creates and online presence on Google that helps customers find discover your business, contact you, and find your location.

With Google My Business you can maintain your business information, interact with customers through reviews and photos, and point customers to your website or storefront.

How to Add or Claim Your Google My Business Listing

To add your business information to Google Search, Google Maps, and other Google products, you will need to create a Google My Business listing. If you don’t have a Google My Business Listing, you can sign up for free and quickly improve your local ranking on Google.

Signing Up for Google My Business

• Go to com/business and click “Start Now” at the top right corner of the page.
• Sign in to your Google account. You’ll need to create one if you don’t already use Google services.
• You’ll see a map of your country with a form at the top left. Enter your business name in the first field.
• As start typing, suggestions for possible matches will appear. If you see your business, select it from the drop-down.
• Complete the rest of the fields with your business information, then click “Continue”.
• At this point, you may see a matching business for the information you entered. If this is your business, click it. If it’s not your business, click “Keep the information I entered”.
• You’ll see the option to confirm that you’re authorized to manage the business. If you are, check the box, then click “Continue”. If you are NOT authorized to manage the business listing, get the person in your organization who is, then continue signing up.

Claiming Your Google My Business Listing on Your Desktop

• Navigate to Google My Business.
• Search for your business using name and address.
• If you don’t see your business listed in the menu, click “No, these are not my businesses” or “I’ve correctly entered the business”. You’ll then be prompted to enter some details for your business. Make sure you enter an accurate, complete street address, and a phone number which reaches your business directly.
• Click “Submit”.

Claiming Your Google My Business Listing on Your Mobile Device

• Open the Google My Business app.
• Sign in with the Google account you’d like to use to manage your business.
• If this is your first time adding a business to Google, sign in with the Google account, you’d like to use to manage your business and touch “Continue”.
• If you’ve added a business before, tap the menu icon, then tap the name of your business to reveal a list of all listings in your account. Scroll to the bottom of the page and choose the “+ Create New Business” button.
• Enter your business name and information, agree to the terms of service, and then select “Continue” to create a listing for your business.
• You’ll want to access Google My Business on your desktop as shown above to access more advanced editing features, including adding service-areas.

NOTE: If you see a dialog letting you know that someone else has verified your business when you try to claim your listing, it is possible you used a different email address when you previously verified your business.  If someone else has indeed claimed your business listing, you can contact the current business owner through Google My Business.

Claiming Your Google My Business Listing on Google Maps

• Open the Google Maps app.
• Search for your business.
• Open the business information panel and scroll down. Then tap Claim this business.

How to Improve Your Local Ranking on Google with GMB

If you do not see your business in search results for relevant searches in your area, it’s time to optimize your Google My Business listings. To maximize how often customers, see your business in local search results, there are some basic steps you need to complete in Google My Business. Providing accurate information in Google My Business and keeping it up-to-date raises your business’s local ranking on Google and enhances your presence in Search and Maps.

Enter Accurate Data in All Applicable Fields

Local results favor the most relevant results for each search, and businesses with complete and accurate information are easier for Google to match with the right searches. Pay special attention to your categories to help Google match your business with search users’ requests. Enter ALL of your business information in Google My Business, so customers know more about what you do, where you are, and when they can visit you.

Encourage Reviews and Respond to Customers

Interact with customers by responding to reviews that they leave about your business. Responding to reviews shows that you value your customers and gives you the opportunity to further influence future customers. High-quality, positive reviews from your customers improve your business’s visibility and encourage new customers to visit your locations.  Automate your review management to gather more and better reviews.

Update Your Hours Through Seasons, Holidays and Other Changes

Updating your hours of operation, including changes hours for holidays and special events, lets potential customers know when you’re open.  Google Maps will let a user know that the location they are visiting is closed or closing soon so it’s important that this information is current.

Use Photos to Enhance Your Online Presence

Photos help tell the story of your business and show people your facilities, goods, and services.  Use high-quality photos to help establish trust and credibility with customers researching their next purchase.

How Google Determines Local Ranking

According to Google, local results are based primarily on relevance, distance, and prominence. These factors combine to find the best match for your search but are not equally weighted. Google wants to provide the best possible search results so they could decide a business farther away from a search user’s location is more likely to have what they are looking for than a business that’s closer, and rank it higher in local results.

Relevance: how well a local listing matches what someone is searching for.

Adding complete and detailed business information can help Google better understand your business and match your listing to relevant searches.

Distance: how far is each potential search result is from the location of the user.

If a user doesn’t specify a location in their search, Google will calculate distance based on what’s known about their location.

Prominence: how well-known a business is.

Some places are more prominent in the offline world, and search results try to reflect this in local ranking. Good examples would be museums, landmarks, and well-known stores.

Google goes further to state, “Prominence is also based on information that Google has about a business from across the web (like links, articles, and directories). Google review count and score are factored into local search ranking: more reviews and positive ratings will probably improve a business’s local ranking. Your position in web results is also a factor, so SEO best practices also apply to local search optimization.”

Looking for More Guides on Improving Your Local Ranking?

Check out some of our top Local Search, SEO, and Google My Business Guides.

Website Pages that Increase Local Search Visibility

Local SEO Ranking Influence – Rank Quicker Without Backlinks

Local SEO Checklist: 9 Basic Tips to Get Found in Local Search

New Google My Business Features for 2017

 

About The Author

Zach Anderson is the co-founder of Reputation Loop (helping small businesses grow by generating customer feedback and online reviews) who loves online marketing and golf.

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What is the best free small business software out there?  No need to search all over the internet because we’ve done the research and finding the best free small business software for your SMB is as easy as scrolling down.

The best free small business software that is really free – no setup fee, no free trial, no limited free version, no tricks.

There is a lot romanticizing about all the blood, sweat and tears that go into being successful at what you are passionate about. But running a small business is a daily exercise in efficiency. Expert management of time, money and resources are critical to successfully setting up and growing a business. Check out the best free small business software for ways you can save time, streamline business operations, and get more done while spending less.

The Best Free Small Business Software to Manage and Streamline Your Business Operations

Best Free SMB Invoice/Accounting Software

Wave

Wave is award-winning, easy-to-use software made for small business owners, with all the features you need to run your business better.  Best of all it is for real free – no setup fee, no hidden charges, no free trial, no limited free version.

Wave’s free invoicing and free accounting work perfectly together. Paid invoices are instantly updated in your books. Use the free Receipts by Wave app to snap a picture of your receipts and turn them into complete accounting transactions. Make your business audit-proof.  NOT free but dirt cheap ($10-15/mo) Wave’s payroll services connect with your accounting, so your finances are always effortlessly up to date.

Wave’s invoicing and accounting software do so much this is just a partial list of features:

• No training required; fast setup and really easy actions
• Unlimited bank and credit card connections
• Unlimited income and expense tracking
• Unlimited guest collaborators: Invite your accountant or business partner
• Includes unlimited customizable invoicing and receipt scanning
• Fully customizable expense/income categories (chart of accounts)
• Customizable sales taxes
• Accountant approved: real, double-entry software
• Journal transactions
• Run multiple businesses in one account
• At-a-glance dashboards, including cash balances and invoice status
• Automatically generated accounting reports: P&L, sales tax report and more

ALSO READ: Best Free CRM Software for Small Businesses

Best Free SMB Email Software

Thunderbird by Mozilla

It’s a tough sell to convince prospects that your business is legit when your email address ends in gmail.com or yahoo.com.  Thunderbird is a free email client that lets you personalize your email address for your business.  But there is so much more to this powerful email tool from Mozilla.

• Easy mail account setup wizard that does NOT require you to know your IMAP, SMTP or SSL/TLS setting – just your name, email address, and password.
• Multiple-channel chat right from messaging applications such as Facebook Chat, Google Talk, and Twitter.
• Tabbed email that looks and acts like your internet browser allowing you to open emails in separate tabs on your screen so you can easily jump back and forth between emails.
• Search and quick filter toolbars that let you easily find what you are looking for on the web or in your emails.
• Large files management and sharing with Filelink to improve speed and avoid your email being rejected by the receiver because the attachment is too large.

Best Free SMB Project Management Software

Trello

Trello is a pretty popular project management tool for two reasons: It’s free “now and forever, ” and it’s so easy to use.  Trello, used by millions, lets you organize multiple projects of any size. Open a card, and you can add comments, upload file attachments, create checklists, add labels and due dates, and more. You can invite as many people to your board as you need, all for free. Drag and drop people to cards to divvy up tasks.  If you are a fan of the GTD (Getting Things Done) productivity system fits perfectly with Trello’s easy setup, tracking, and sharing.

ALSO READ: Best SMB Appointment Setting and Booking Software

Best Free SMB Communication Software

Slack

Slack is the communication software used by some of the biggest businesses out there.  It lets you create a single workspace for your team to direct message, call, share, and track everything in your business. They do have paid software but with their tier pricing, which includes free “for an UNLIMITED period of time,” this could be the best free small business software for you.

Integrations with your most used apps and services make Slack seem too good to be free. Connect all the tools you use to Slack and get all your notifications directly within Slack—from support requests, code check-ins, and error logs to sales leads.

Slack wants you to love their software and grow your business with them, so their free plan is pretty impressive:

• 3 to 1,000 users
• Searchable message archives
• 10 apps or service integrations
• Native apps for iOS, Android, Mac & Windows Desktop
• 2-person voice and video calls
• 5 GB team file storage
• 2-factor authentication

Best Free SMB Office Software

WPS Office

Instead of paying for Microsoft Office software, or learning how to use Google Docs, you could use the free WPS Office software.  It functions and looks very similar to Microsoft Office, so there’s little learning curve.  This is a small-budget, no-commitment, productivity office suite of tools you can use.  It includes Writer, Presentation, Spreadsheets, PDF tools, and Docer templates.

Cool extras include free 1G file storage with WPS Cloud to use on your PC, mobile, and tablet to store and share documents by links with just one click.  And drag-and-drop paragraph layout features to adjust location and spacing of paragraphs by moving your mouse.

What Makes These the Best Free Small Business Software Out There?

There is a mountain of free software, promising all sorts of things at no costs.  Most come up lacking, but there are a handful of companies that have found a way to deliver a superior full-featured product for free by monetizing premium services or working with open source programming.  The best free small business software all excel in the most important areas: Ease of Use, Time-Saver, Customer Support and Satisfaction, and No or Few Limitations for Free.

Are you using free software to run your business? Share your experience in the comments.

About The Author

Zach Anderson is the co-founder of Reputation Loop (helping small businesses grow by generating customer feedback and online reviews) who loves online marketing and golf.

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With a steady rise in “near me” search queries, adding a “near me” search strategy to your local SEO puts your business in front of customers ready to buy.

Over a year ago Google announced that search queries with local qualifiers such as “near me” had doubled in just one year.  More recently Google stated “Mobile makes up 88% of all “near me” searches, with those mobile searches growing at 146% year over year.” This rapid increase highlights how critical these hyper-local searches are to your local SEO.

THE GOOD NEWS: “Near Me” Search Benefits Consumers and Businesses

When consumers have an immediate need for something, whether it’s information or to buy a product or service, they conduct searches with local qualifiers like “nearby” or “near me.”  Google calls these times when customers are ready to take action, micro-moments and I-want-to-go-moments.  These moments are such a big deal to Google that prompts you with “near me” suggestions before you can finish typing what you are looking for.

Image Source: Think With Google

You can optimize your website to show up during these crucial micro-moments.  The best part is that it isn’t hard.  By adding a few “near me” specific tactics to a strong local SEO plan

THE BAD NEWS: “Near Me” Search Results are NOT Ranked by Proximity

Just being closest to a “near me” search user does not give your business a significant boost in ranking higher in search results.  It’s natural to assume that proximity would be a top ranking factor but Google’s secret algorithms are designed to give you the best results, not just the most technically correct.

Search queries are treated more and more like conversations with a helpful know-it-all guide.  If you asked a long-time local where the nearest bakery was, if he wanted to be helpful he would tell you where the nearest “good” or “decent” bakery was, knowing he had never heard anything good about the one closest to you.

That’s why building a near me search strategy needs to be part of your SEO.  Taking the simple steps needed to let search engines know exactly where you are and that you are the best option for local search results ensures your business shows up at the top of near me searches.

Building a “Near Me” Search Strategy for Better SEO

There continues to be a lot of chatter about how “near me” searches are trending, but a better term for what actually happening would be GROWING.  Optimizing your website for these searches by building a “near me” search strategy improves your ranking with local search users.

Your next new customer is looking to spend money today.  Add the following activities to your local SEO gets your business in front of that hyper-qualified audience.

Have a Mobile-Friendly Website

Duh, right? But I state the obvious to stress that you have to do better than just shrinking your desktop content and ads to fit a smaller screen.  Using a responsive design that optimizes your website for mobile viewing and navigation isn’t just good for “near me” searches but helps your SEO on every level.

Optimize Your Google My Business Listing

Your Google My Business Listing is vital to your success on the Google network.  This is how you show up on maps.  This is where customers leave reviews, and you get those wonderful star ratings.  This is how you get into the local 3-pack.  Google My Business is where everything begins.  You need to optimize your Google My Business listing, ensure your NAP is correct, and get those reviews that make you stand out in search results.

Consistent NAP on Website, Business Listings, and Citations

With “near me” searches it is even more critical than before that your NAP (name, address and phone number) be accurate and consistent across the internet.  Your NAP should be on your website’s main pages.  Additionally, manage your business listings to ensure that when Google crawls your site and other sites they use to cross-check your information your business is listed and each listing and citation is consistent.  If not, Google won’t trust that you are nearby a person’s location when they are doing a “near me” search.

Get More Reviews Posted Online

Encourage customer to review your business by clicking “Write a Review” on your Google My Business page. This is a simple and factual statement: The more reviews on your Google business page and the better the rating of those reviews, the higher you are going to rank in local search results.

The more people talk about you online, the easier your business is to find. Customer Review Management is a real thing, it is vital to the success of your business, and you need to be doing it yesterday. Have a plan and process in place to ask customers for reviews and make it easy for them to post the best of your reviews on Google.

Add “Near Me” and Backlinks with City/State Anchor Text NATURALLY

Probably the easiest thing to do on this list is to add “near me” to the title tags of your location pages.  You should also add “near me” with top keyword variants into the text of your web pages and the anchor text of internal links to your location pages.

It has been shown that having some backlinks with your city and state in the anchor text correlates with higher rankings in “near me” searches.  The key word here is “naturally.”  Meaning, don’t stuff your content with city/state keywords to create dozens of backlinks.

Near Me Search Optimization is Key

According to Google, 82% of smartphone users consult their smartphone when researching an upcoming purchase. If your business is not showing up high in mobile “near me” searches you are losing valuable customers to the competition.  Take these steps to build your “near me” search strategy and improve

 

About The Author

Zach Anderson is the co-founder of Reputation Loop (helping small businesses grow by generating customer feedback and online reviews) who loves online marketing and golf.

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