Tag : customer

  • A Few Simple Ways to Fix a Damaged Reputation Online

    Posted Dec 13th, 2010 By in Branding, Business, Customer Service With | 3 Comments

    Poor recommendations online can be damaging to businesses and can end up costing companies thousands of dollars in lost sales each year. One thing you need to realize as a business owner or as a marketer is that it is impossible to go onto other websites and “delete” negative reviews.

    Although you cannot delete feedback left by others, you can manage the content that you put out to the public while also managing the positive reviews that your company has across the Internet. You can minimize the negative reviews by increasing positive reviews on more authoritative and trusted websites.

    Finding and keeping up with reviews of your company can seem slightly overwhelming. The first thing you will need to do if you have not already is set up Google Alerts for your company’s name. By setting up Google Alerts, you will be notified immediately every time someone mentions you or your company’s name on the Internet. This keeps you ahead of the curve when dealing with brand management and reputation on the Internet from this day forward.

    In addition, to view what people have said about you from yesterday and beyond, perform a quick Google search for “your company’s name reviews.” For example, when we searched “USAA reviews” one of the first reviews for USAA reviews. (more…)

  • Do You Need to Gripe? Groubal Instead!

    Posted Aug 10th, 2010 By in Business, Customer Service, Social Networking With | 2 Comments

    Have you seen the new brilliant free social network called Groubal? Groubal (gr.oo.bul) is “A powerful way to share your gribes that are grouped together to create change, group responsibility and group buying power.”  This unique social network was launched by Robert Doner to bring consumers together who have a complaint against a big company that’s going unnoticed. To provide an opportunity for people everywhere to be heard, Doner plans to take groubals to the companies involved once the complaints are big enough and verified.

    As you know, surviving in America is challenging these days to say the very least! With unprecedented oil spills and countless natural disasters occurring far too often, many individuals are fearful and frustrated as they try their best to cope with everyday life in a very uncertain world.  As a result, the American consumer is growing angry, irritated and simply fed up with how big business is treating them and ignoring their grievances.

    Unfortunately, in today’s world far too many corporations are simply attached to their bottom lines and disconnected from the customers that patronize their valued brands.  Along these lines, social networks understand just how their platforms are impacting business; how offline business is actually being conducted and what consumers truly expect from companies. Consumers have the power and are using it every day to call out corporations online; demanding them to be more transparent and responsible.

    However, people’s voices are still going unheard and this widespread condition is breeding serious resentment across many demographics and a ‘tipping point’ for all this hostility is on the near horizon.  The result of this frustration is breeding crowdsourcing where consumers who find others that share a common complaint, recognize that collectively they have a loud enough voice to finally be heard and are using it to call out corporations online, demanding them to be more transparent and responsible. (more…)

  • 4 Steps to Strengthen Your Brand with Social Media

    Posted Jul 9th, 2010 By in Business, Social Media With | 1 Comment

    Social media is a very powerful tool for allowing businesses to efficiently and economically develop a strong brand presence in the marketplace. This is true not just when it applies to brand outreach, but also brand development at it’s core.

    At Flying Pig Communications, we work with a lot of start-ups and small businesses that are at the forefront of establishing who they are, in the mind of their consumer. These businesses have found amazing success in developing that core brand foundation by relying on social media as their platform.

    Unfortunately social media is so new and omnipresent, it can seem overwhelming. This prevents many business owners from taking advantage of the opportunities it presents them. Never fear…you started a business, you can’t be a coward…here is an easy four step protocol to help any business owner develop a successful social media branding program:

    1) Know Who You Are

    Before embarking on any marketing campaign, but especially a social media one, which operates on such a personal, conversational level, a business must establish a clear vision of the following cornerstones of brand development:

    -What is the goal of your business/service/product? This should have nothing to do with sales or your personal profit/success. This should have everything to do with how your business can make your customer’s life better. Why in the world, with all the many products and services out there, would your customer benefit by choosing you?

    -What makes you unique? Why would your customer choose you over the 15 zillion other ‘you’s’ on the market?

    -What personality do you want to convey? Make your business human. People like working with other people, not other things…and social media gives you the power to develop a voice, literally! Develop a personality for your business and keep it consistent in everything you do. It could be your personality, it could be one you make up….have fun and always consider what will best appeal/resonate with your target audience.

    Just like life, you need to know who you are before you can attract others. Building a brand is more about a snappy logo or catchy slogan. Building a brand is about telling your customer a story about who you are, what you believe in and why they should trust you.

    2) Develop Your Strategy

    Once you feel firm in your answers above, moving on to the actual social media program is easy. Only two questions remain;

    -What social media channels will best help you express who you are.

    -How will you keep it consistent.

    Don’t try to tackle the whole social media sphere in one swoop, more isn’t better, better is better! Choose your poison (but make it strong).

    Choose the social media mediums that will best let you both target your ideal customer and express your brand. Know your limits, a good marketing campaign is the one that is properly executed, not the one that sounds good on paper.

    3) Prepare for the consequences

    Be aware of the power of social media, both for good and evil. It can be a double edged sword, and once you commit to a plan you need to make sure you maintain consistent and communicative with your audience.

    4) Enjoy it

    Most of all, have fun! Imagine social media as a web 2.0 way of shaking hands and kissing babies. Talk to your customer, enjoy them…serving their needs is the reason you went into business in the first place!

    Guest Author: Laura Petrolino is Founder and CEO of Flying Pig Communications. A full service Marketing, Communications and Business Consultancy Firm that specializes in working with start -ups, small businesses and non-profits.

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