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In this post:\nHow many customers actually leave reviews online?\nWhat motivates your customers to leave a review?\nHow to get reviews from more customers\nWhat about customers who don’t leave reviews no matter what?\nIn today’s always online world, it feels like everyone has an opinion to share and an online megaphone to share it with. But while it’s true that everyone \ndoes\n have an opinion, fewer people share them online than some might realize.\nFor anyone who owns their own business, even  microbusinesses, sole proprietors, freelancers, gig workers, content creators, solopreneurs, etc., this should come as no surprise. Getting consistent reviews can feel like a monumental task for even the hottest spot in town. All too often it can feel like after spending your week helping hundreds of happy customers, you’ll still only end up with a handful of 1 star reviews.\nThe power and importance of online review sites is growing. So what can you do? Let’s start by looking at how people behave online.\nHow many customers actually leave reviews on review sites?\nGetting a review from a happy customer might sound easy on the surface. But the truth is, a customer has several hurdles to clear before posting a review.\nFirst, you have to make the customer happy (the easy part). Next, you have to hope they already have an account set up for a review site. Don’t bank on even the happiest customer taking the time to set up a new account just for you.\nFinally, even if the customer already has an account on a review site, it’s unlikely they write reviews for \nany \nbusiness.\nIn a study about online user behavior, \nJakob Nielsen named this phenomenon “the 90-9-1 rule.”\n Put simply, the rule states:\n90% of online users are lurkers (they read or observe, but don’t contribute)\n9% of users contribute intermittently\n1% of users participate a \nlot\n and account for most contributions\nThe 90-9-1 rule is familiar to anyone who works in social media marketing or related fields, but what does it \nreally\n mean? Does it mean that only 1% of your customers are likely to leave a review of your business?\nNot quite.\nWhich customers are likely to leave a review of your business?\nTo learn more about how the 90-9-1 rule and how it might impact local businesses, we decided to reach out to \nBill Johnston\n, an online community expert and the founder of \nStructure3C\n, who gave us some valuable insight pulled from his over 20 years of experience.\nHere’s what Bill had to say:\n“The 90-9-1 rule is one of the most often quoted and misunderstood ‘rules of thumb’ for social.\nFar too many people hear the rule and then assume, “Okay, so only 1% or 9% of my customers are the ones who will leave a review of my pizza place.” Which isn’t the case. \nThe 90-9-1 rule tells us 1% of users online generate a ton of the internet’s content, but to think that only 1% or 9% of your customers are willing to leave a review of your business misses the point of Nielsen’s findings and sets you up for failure.\nThe fact is, there are 2 sets of motivating factors for people to contribute online:\n1) Intrinsic — When the customer is motivated by altruism. They had a good experience, or liked you personally, or simply want to help other “people like them” find something great.\n2) Extrinsic — When the user is acknowledged, rewarded or compensated\nGoing even deeper, though, I believe one of the following experiences is what motivates a customer to leave a review: \nThey’re really \nfrustrated\nThey’ve been \ndelighted\nThey \ngenuinely want to help\n others\nThey \nfeel passionate about the topic or product\n, and see themselves as a tastemaker\nThey are \ncompensated or rewarded\nMy advice to local businesses would be to think less about the 90-9-1 rule and more about how likely their customers are to have one of the types of experiences above.”\nWhat to do if you’re having a hard time getting reviews from your customers\nAs Bill explained above, it’s important for business owners to be aware of the 90-9-1 rule. But it’s even more important to understand what it means. \nYes, the majority of your customers will be online ‘lurkers,’ and thus unlikely to leave a review of your business. Still, you should always start by thinking about\n \nwhy\n a customer would leave a review.\nTake Bill’s motivators above and then ask yourself these questions about them:\nWhen and why are my customers feeling frustrated, and can I head off that frustration turning into a bad review?\nWhen and why are my customers feeling delighted, and are there things I can do to help them share their delight? \nWhy might a customer feel motivated to help me or my business?\nWho would feel passionate about my business and why? Are there connoisseurs who want to be associated with your brand, or be seen as an insider for discovering or promoting your business?\nIt’s against the rules to buy or offer something in exchange for reviews, but how can I show customers how leaving a review could result in a better customer experience?\nStarting with customer motivators is an extremely effective way to put your business in a position to get reviews. Use them as methods to identify areas for improvement or emphasis. \nThis will help you find even more success when following our tips on \nhow to get more reviews\n for your business like: using signage, making verbal requests, creating direct links to your review sites, and replying to all your reviews.\nPlus, recent research shows that businesses that regularly respond to their online business reviews earn more revenue!\nWhat about customers who still won’t leave a review of your business?\nWhile the 90-9-1 rule is often misunderstood and misused, it does still contain helpful insights. For example, no matter how hard you try, there will always be a significant number of users who simply will not leave a review online. \nBut just because a customer doesn’t want to leave a review doesn’t mean they don’t want you to know about their experience. And, of course, few things are more valuable to a business owner than understanding their customers.\nAnother helpful takeaway from the 90-9-1 rule is that you can’t rely on online reviews to understand how your customers actually feel. It’s why big businesses spend millions to survey and analyze their customers to know what’s working and what’s not. \nIt’s also why every small, local business should have a system to get direct feedback from all of their customers. Whether they’re someone who will leave an online review or not.\nWhy direct feedback works\nDirect feedback avoids many of the hurdles that prevent customers from posting on review sites. Signing up for an account, privacy issues, and not wanting to attach reviews to a personal profile — none of these prevent a customer from submitting direct feedback about their experience. \nYou’ll also find customers are more willing to provide “feedback” about their experience than a “review” of your business.\nDirect feedback can help prevent potential negative reviews\nMany business owners can testify—few things will motivate a customer to leave an online review like a negative experience. Providing an avenue for direct feedback can go a long way to prevent that.\nYes, some customers take to review sites simply to air grievances. But many others feel it’s their only option to resolve a bad experience. Instead, giving a direct feedback option gives an upset customer a much more effective method to share their frustrating experience with you. \nSome customers will ultimately still take to review sites, but you’ll be surprised at how many more would much prefer to “take it offline.”\nDirect feedback can lead to more good reviews\nA good direct feedback program can also help bring in more positive reviews for your business.\nFirst, it helps all your customers feel valued, listened to, and respected. Few things are more frustrating for customers than a business who takes them for granted. The simple act of asking “how was your experience today?” speaks volumes.\nSecond, gathering as much feedback as possible gives you a better idea about what is and is not working. This can help you focus on expanding the most popular parts of your business and improve areas causing frustration.\nFinally, if you’re using a direct feedback program that involves two-way communication (via email, etc), you can respond to positive feedback with a direct link to your review sites. Which makes it easier than ever for your happiest customers to leave you a review.

Why most of your customers don’t leave reviews of your business (and what to do about it)

In this article:\nWhy you need a blog for your small business \nDo’s of writing an effective small business blog \nDon’ts of writing a blog for your business\nBlogging can be an important facet of any content marketing campaign. From providing value, to attracting new customers, to helping your website show up better online, there are several ways that writing a blog can help even truly small businesses. \nAs you begin planning your blog strategy, you should keep a few things in mind along the way. There are right and wrong ways to blog, so let’s go over what those are and discuss how to get started. \nWhy you should consider using a blog to help market your small business\nStarting a blog for your small business can provide several benefits for your online marketing, SEO, and customer experience. \nBlogging can improve search engine visibility\nBlogging is a great way to enhance your search engine visibility, or in other words, \nSEO for your small business\n. Google and other search engines place a high value on fresh, new content on websites and social media. \nPosting regular content shows Google that your website isn’t stagnant and that you are trying to provide constant value to your (and by extension Google’s) users. \nA quality blog positions you as an expert in your field\nWhen you write blog articles on your website, they help set you apart as an expert in your field. Your blog articles should be relevant to your industry and help others to learn more about it. \nA good blog will provide value for your readers and current customers\nAlong with making you the expert, a blog helps to provide additional value to your customers–like how to use your products or additional information about your services. \nA blog can increase traffic to your website and social profiles\nAs you post your blog articles and share them on your social profiles, they provide more opportunities for you to increase traffic to your website and social channels. This can also help your search engine visibility as more people find and view your blogs. \nThe do’s of writing an effective small business blog\nSeveral things are necessary for writing a good blog post beyond just the writing itself. You need to have it well-organized and easy to read and consume. \nFollow these do’s for writing a blog to give yourself the best opportunities to succeed. \nHave a clear focus\nEach article you write should have a definite focus. Before writing any blog article, think about the topics that would best benefit your customers and readers. \nRather than try to cover too much, choose a specific topic for each article to keep your readers engaged and help them easily follow the article.  \nUse relevant headings and subheadings\nAll blog articles should be easy to read and follow. One thing that makes for better readability is separating the different sections of the article by using headings and subheadings. \nMost people have low attention spans when it comes to reading through large blocks of text, so using headings to help break the article up will allow them to easily scan it to see what it is about. And then if they choose to dive deeper and read the full article, they have that option. \nThis technique also helps with SEO, as your H1/H2/H3 tags help search engines determine what your blog is about. Learn more in our article about \nfree tips for better SEO rankings\n.\nPost updates frequently\nIf you are going to start a blog for your small business, you should commit to a blogging schedule. Posting frequently and consistently will be important, especially if you start picking up regular readers. A good beginning goal to shoot for is 1-3 articles per month. \nDetermine what your team is capable of handling and work up from there. (More is generally better, but make sure every post is valuable and relevant.)\nLook for keyword opportunities\nYour blog is a great place to try ranking for new keywords, especially long-tail phrases. Long-tail phrases are the longer phrases people type when searching for something online. They are usually 5 or more words. \nSome examples of long-tail phrases are “how to write a blog for small businesses” or “where to find the best restaurants in NYC.”\nStrategically plan keywords that each of your blog posts could go after and then stick to that plan as you write your articles. \nUse effective, high-quality images\nImages help enhance your blog posts. People are visual by nature, so adding a compelling image to your blog post will help grab their attention and keep them interested throughout the article. \nLearn more in our \nguide to getting professional-quality photography for your small business\n.\nChoose your blog article length strategically\nA blog article is drastically different from a social media post. On social media, it’s important to keep your posts very short and to the point. But blog articles can (and should) go a little more in-depth and provide additional value. \nMore and more frequently, we are finding that long-form blog posts perform better on Google. They provide more value to users by answering their questions within one post. Long-form blog posts can range from 800-2500 words (and sometimes more). \nThe important thing here is to make sure you provide a well-rounded article that stays to the point. If you can write everything your customers need to know in 500 words, that’s great. Don’t try to stretch it out to get a certain word count. \nAnd if you feel you need to keep adding additional sections and the article starts to creep beyond 2500 words, the subject may merit being separated into multiple, more specific articles. \nReview, review, review\nWe cannot express enough how important the review process is for your blog. After each blog post is written it is crucial to have another set of eyes (preferably multiple sets) review the article for any misguided facts, spelling, layout problems, non-functional links, grammatical errors, etc. \nYour blog is an extension of your brand and represents your business. Make sure it represents you well. \nPromote your blog articles\nOnce your articles are written, it’s important to share them everywhere you can. Share your content across all of your social channels and be sure to include keyword-rich anchor text links back to your blog. \n(For example if you want your business to rank well in searches for local pet services businesses, you would select some keywords and use those as the “anchor text” to your article, thus: \nlocal pet services\n.)\nYou may even decide that some blog articles are important enough to boost as a paid ad on Twitter, Facebook, or Instagram. That’s a great way to get more readers for your blog. \nThe don’ts of writing a small business blog\nWe’ve outlined the right ways to do create and promote small business blog. Now here are the things to avoid doing if you want to do well in the search engines and keep your readers engaged. \nDon’t set unrealistic goals for your blog\nIt’s important not to set goals that you can’t achieve. Let’s say you want to post 5-6 articles every month, but you don’t have the time to do that yourself, and you don’t have any other writers on your staff to help you out. You’re setting yourself up for failure and disappointment. \nSet realistic goals for yourself as you start your blog writing endeavors. Start small and grow as you are able to. \nDon’t copy others’ content or plagiarize\nThis should be an obvious one, but you’d be surprised how many small businesses just copy some content they like from another website and post it on their own without giving any attribution to the original source. \nPlagiarizing large amounts of content on your website, even if you do give credit to the original publisher, is illegal, unethical, and can hurt your search engine visibility. \nIt’s important to write unique content on your website. And if you do need to copy some content from another site, make sure to give them proper attribution and try to keep this to a minimum and only when absolutely necessary. \nIf you want to mention other people’s blogs or social media and link to them, recommending them as another good source of info, this is usually perfectly fine (and actually desirable for the other party).\nDon’t post inconsistently or infrequently\nDon’t start a blog on your website, post once, and then leave the blog stagnant for several months. Your website should be a living, breathing thing that you are consistently feeding new content to. Determine a realistic frequency to post blogs and try to stick to it. \nIf you don’t apply real effort to creating good, relevant, fresh content for your blog, you will see practically zero benefit from it.\nDon’t post irrelevant content\nYour blog should be relevant to your business. If you run a veterinary clinic, you’re not going to want to post blog articles about interior decorating (unless it somehow relates to a pet’s health). \nKeep your blog articles relevant to your business and the needs of your customers. \nDon’t ramble \nRambling is a big no-no. No one is going to want to read an article that rambles on and on about any given topic (or gets way off topic). Rambling usually doesn’t have a clear focus and tends to take away from the overall impact and value of the article. \nKeep your articles well-organized and concise. \nDon’t use long spans of text\nGoing back to consumer attention spans, it’s important to avoid long walls of text within your blog articles. Keep your paragraphs short. \nThree to 4 short sentences is a good goal to have. This will make your articles easier to read and skim through. \nFor most people, if they see a long wall of text when they land on an article, they will go back and find a different one that is easier to consume quickly. \nDon’t forget to proofread\nProofreading and reviewing all articles before they get published is an important part of the process. Don’t be in such a rush that you publish mistakes or poorly crafted content just for the sake of posting.\nRemember that your blog represents you. Show that you care by publishing quality, well-built articles. 

The do’s and don’ts of writing an effective small business blog

In this article:\nWhy Yahoo is still important\nHow to claim and create your Yahoo business profile\nWhat next\nWhile Yahoo has less than 2% of the search engine market share worldwide, that is still hundreds of millions of users that are searching on this platform each day. \nAs the default search engine for FireFox and a nostalgic search engine for many others, Yahoo is still very much a relevant place to list your business. \nWhy Yahoo is still important\nIt is crucial to list your business across several online directories to improve your local search engine visibility. These listings, also known as citations, help the search engines to verify your business’s information across multiple trustworthy sources. \nYahoo is one of these places. It has been around for more than 25 years and as such, it has become a habitual search engine for many of its users. Even though market share has declined for this platform, millions of people still use Yahoo each day. This means that it can provide a valuable opportunity for your business to get found. \nIt can be a little complicated to claim your business listing on Yahoo, but we’ve put together a detailed guide to help you out. \nHow to create and claim your Yahoo business listing\nFollow these steps to add your business to Yahoo and get it verified. \nStep 1 (Option 1): Search for your business\nGo to \nYahoo.com\n and search for your business. Like many online directories, if you have an established business, it is likely that they’ve pulled your information from other sources and added a listing to their directory. \nSearch for your business in the main search bar on Yahoo. If a business listing doesn’t show up to the right of the screen, be sure to try a couple of different searches–one with your city name, with old names if applicable, etc. \nIf you can’t find your business on Yahoo, continue to Step 1 (Option 2) to add your business to Yahoo.\n(Image)\n\nThe business listing will look like this. And the next thing you need to do when you find it is click “Verify your listing.”\n(Image)\n\nYahoo will then redirect you to a platform called Yext. Yext is a platform that offers services to help you manage and update your online listings. These are paid services, but we’ll continue walking you through the free way to claim your Yahoo listing in Step 2. \nStep 1 (Option 2): Add your business to Yahoo\nIf your business is not on Yahoo, that’s okay. You can go directly to Yext to add it. Just go follow \nthis link to Yext\n and continue with Step 2. \nStep 2: Verify your Yahoo business listing\nWhen you get to Yext, fill in your business information on the form that appears and click “Scan my listings.” \n(Image)\n\nWhen you do this, you’ll be taken to a page that shows your business information across several different directories and whether or not it’s correct or missing. \nNote: Don’t get distracted by this now, but make a note to come back and see which online listings you need to update for your business. \nJust continue by clicking “Fix All Errors.”\n(Image)\n\nThen make sure that all of your business information is correct in the following form. Make sure to enter accurate contact information to complete the process of claiming your listing. Click “Continue.”\n(Image)\n\nNext, Yext will try to get you to buy into one of their premium plans. You’ll see a screen like this.\n(Image)\n\nScroll below these paid options until you see “Claim your Basic Listing only on Yahoo here.” This will allow you to claim your Yahoo listing for free. \n(Image)\n\nYou’ll be brought to a checkout page, where you can once again verify your business information and add a couple of additional items, including your website and a category for your business. \nComplete the form and check both of the boxes below it. Check the “I’m not a robot” reCaptcha, and then click “Place Order.”\n(Image)\n\nAfter this, you’ll be taken to a screen that informs you that Yext will be sending you an email shortly to confirm your account. \n(Image)\n\nLog in to the email you entered for your contact information. In the email you received from Yext, click “Confirm Email.” You’ll then be taken to a page to set up the password for your Yext account. Enter this and record it someplace where you’ll be able to access it. \n(Image)\n\n(Image)\n\nOnce you set up your password, you’ll be taken into your Yext account where you can see your Yahoo listing information. \n(Image)\n\nTo tell if your business is verified, click “Edit.” On the following screen, look to the right and check your “Yahoo Listing Status.”  If it already says “Opted in” then you’re done! \nIf this says you are “Opted Out” you will need to opt in.\n(Image)\n\nClick “Opt In” and then “Opt in to this listing.”\n(Image)\n\nYext will then give you instructions to verify your Yahoo business listing. You can upgrade to a paid service for immediate verification or choose one of the two free options: a phone call verification (also immediate) or official documentation (which can take up to two weeks). \nSelect the best option for your business. If you can do a phone call, we recommend this option, as it will immediately update your Yahoo listing. \n(Image)\n\nOnce that’s done, your listing is claimed on Yahoo! It may take a day or two to reflect the changes publicly on Yahoo’s search engine, but rest assured knowing that you’ve done the work to get it there. \nSources:\n
\nhttps://gs.statcounter.com/search-engine-market-share\n


How to create and claim your free business listing on Yahoo

In this article:\nWhy consistency is important in online listings\nHow to use Yext to help your small business\nYext is a powerful online resource that all businesses should take advantage of, whether you choose to pay for their premium services or not. \nYext doesn’t have its own online directory, but it helps you to find your business across several other online directories and check the consistency of your online listings. \nConsistency across platforms is vital in online business listings\nGoogle and other search engines use online directory listings, also known as citations, to help verify your business’s information across multiple sources. The more of these listings you have filled out, the better information the search engines are able to provide their users (your customers). \nBecause of this, it’s very important that your information is consistent across all of these listings. At the very least, your business name, address, and phone number (or NAP) should be exactly the same across all of your citations. \nThe more online listings you have with correct and consistent information, the better opportunity you have to rank in Google’s map pack when users do a local search for your services or products. \nSo, how can Yext help you with all of this?\nHow to utilize Yext to enhance your online business listings\nYext has some powerful capabilities that can help you improve your online listings and create consistency among them. \nHow to use Yext’s free service\nThe first thing that all businesses should take advantage of is Yext’s free business scan. With this tool, any business can enter their information to check the consistency and accuracy across the main business directories you should be listed on. \nGo to \nyext.com\n to see how your business appears online. You don’t even need to sign in. \nJust scroll down to the section where you can add your business information. Add your country, business type, business name, and phone number. \nClick “Scan Now” and Yext will generate a list of directories and how your business appears on them. \n(Image)\n\nThe next page is your list of citations Yext has found across the web. These will include Google, Yahoo, Facebook, Bing, Yelp, Mapquest, and many more (assuming you have \nclaimed your listings\n).\nThe thing that you want to look for here are any listings that have incorrect information. In the far right column, Yext will show you if any information is inaccurate with a red warning sign. \nIf you aren’t currently subscribed to Yext, you’ll likely also see “Not verified on Yext” on your listings that are correct. If you aren’t interested in paying for Yext’s services at this time, just ignore this (more on premium Yext services below).\n(Image)\n\nMake a note of any listings that are incorrect. Each listing Yext shows has a link in the left column that says “View Listing.” That link will take you directly to your listing for that site, where you can then update it. \nIf you want to update these listings yourself without paying for Yext’s premium listing service, we have helpful tutorials to guide you through the process, step-by-step. \nGoogle\nYahoo\nFacebook\nBing\nYelp\nTripAdvisor\n\nYP.com\n\n\nLinkedIn\n\n\nFoursquare\n\n\nOpenTable\n\n\nCrunchbase\n\n\nBBB\n\nIf the process of updating all of your listings is beyond the time you have available, then you might want to consider Yext’s premium services. \nHow to use Yext’s premium listings management\nYext’s premium solutions allow you to sign up for a plan that has specific listings and features. Yext will then update all of the listings within your plan to make sure that your information is correct. You will need to pay an ongoing fee to keep these listings updated. \nIf you are interested in doing this, proceed from the business scan page and click “Fix All Errors.”\n(Image)\n\nYou’ll then be brought to a form to update your information and make sure everything is exactly how you want it to appear across all of your online listings. Click “Continue” to see the four different Yext plans for small businesses. \n(Image)\n\nThe four plans Yext offers for small businesses are as follows:\nEmerging: This plan is what they call their “Starter Package” and is billed at $199 annually. With this plan, you get your information updated across 40 lower level directories. \nEssential: This “Plus Package” is billed at $449 annually and includes listing your information across the main search engines and directory sites, like Google, Yahoo, Bing, Facebook, and 10 others. \nComplete: This “Standard Package” includes all of the listings from both the Emerging and Essential packages and is billed at $499 annually. \nPremium: This last option is Yext’s “Advanced Package” and is billed at $999 annually. This includes all of the listings from the previous packages as well as review monitoring and enhanced content for your website. \nSimply select the plan you wish to use, pay for it, and Yext will update your listings and provide you with a free training session on their software. \n(Image)\n\nThe one thing that you need to remember with Yext solutions is that once you stop paying for their services, you no longer have access to your listings that they’ve updated for you. 

How to use Yext to improve your online business listings

In this post:\nWhy customer loyalty matters to small, local businesses\nDo loyalty programs increase sales?\nThe characteristics of an effective loyalty program\n6 elements that are critical for loyalty program effectiveness\nDid you know the average American household belongs to 29 different loyalty rewards programs? It makes sense. These programs benefit consumers and businesses alike. In this post, we’ll show you how to start a loyalty program.\nBusiness owners know the key to a stable and thriving business requires a loyal customer base. \nRepeat customers\n alone can increase sales by 47%, and customers who belong to \nloyalty programs\n typically spend 12-18% more than non-members.\nHaving a loyal customer base who purchases from you on a regular basis increases sales, stabilizes your business during lean times, and helps you get the word out.\nThat said, of the 29 loyalty programs to which customers belong, they only participate in about 12 of them. So just having a loyalty program in place isn’t enough. \nYour loyalty program needs to be engaging, compelling, and mutually beneficial for the business and the customer.\nhappy cafe owner accepting credit card for loyalty program\nSo, if a loyalty program is a part of your customer retention strategy (which we would recommend), you’ll want to put one together that keeps customers coming back. After all, that is the reason to have one in the first place, right?

But where do you start, and how do you make your program stronger? We’ve put together the six key elements of a successful rewards program.\n1. A great loyalty plan is frictionless\nJoining and using a loyalty program should be easy. People don’t want to divulge all their personal information at sign up, especially if they are signing up at check out. Nor do most people have room for another card in their wallets. If your current idea or existing plan requires a card, consider ways to make keeping track of that card optional.

A note on enrolling members: While people may not love being asked to join at check out, it still is one of the most effective places to enroll customers. It doesn’t have to be a tedious process. Often a phone number is sufficient to keep on record. It also helps to make it clear what the sign-up process is like. Make sure customers know it’s easy and be sure to reveal the benefits of the program upfront.\n2. Make your loyalty rewards exclusive\nDon’t fear exclusivity. If something is available to everyone, it’s usually exclusive to no one. One of the biggest reasons people join loyalty programs is to get something special or unique. \nEven if the program is available to all your customers, (there is nothing wrong with that), find ways to make the membership feel like they are part of a club, not just a list of customers who shop at your store. The offers they receive shouldn’t be the same offers you use to attract new customers.\nA note on exclusivity: Two temptations often get in the way of building a successful program. \nOne is to build a program that has multiple levels and rewards the most loyal customers more than the rest of the members. This may work for your business, but keep in mind, the more levels there are, the more time it will take to build and manage. Don’t let the program get in the way of the purpose, which is to make customers feel appreciated and feel like they belong.\nThe other temptation is to get as many customers in the program as possible. It is not uncommon for businesses to offer loyalty cards or memberships to first-time customers. But is it really a loyalty club if first-time buyers are members? Food for thought. \nThere is no right or wrong level of exclusivity, so long as it feels exclusive and increases customer retention. That may mean inviting everyone who walks through the door or reserving the club to your biggest spenders. It’s your call.\n3. Make your loyalty campaign repeatable\nThe difference between an offer and a loyalty program lies in the ability of the customer to repeat the process. If customers only get the offer, discount, or deal after their second purchase, it’s not going to entice them back in for a third or fourth purchase.\nLikewise, if it requires dozens of purchase to get the first reward, it may seem a bit out of reach and decrease a customer’s likelihood to participate.\nWe see this a lot with credit card companies. In many cases, getting a reward requires lots of spending and lots of time to rack up points. It’s not an easily repeatable program. It takes years to get to that second reward, and that can discourage participation. \nThat said, they are playing the long game and enticing customers to be lifelong card holders. So this fits their model and mission. Tailor your customer loyalty program to support your strategy. \nPrograms with a repeatable process increase usage. There are many ways to make a program repeatable. It is not as much about the offer as it is about keeping members interested in the program. Keep in mind the timeframe in which you’d like customers to come back.\n4. A good loyalty program compels action from customers\nThe loyalty program should encourage members to take action. A compelling offer is something the customer wants and is willing to work for. It should require some work on the customer’s part, but not so much that they give up. You can’t afford to give an item away for free every other purchase, but it can’t require 15 purchases to redeem. \nPoint systems were one of the most prominent reward methods in the past. However, more and more, these programs are replacing points with other, more compelling rewards. Many companies have found that points don’t encourage usage nearly as much as tangible rewards that make your customer feel more connected to the business.\n\nCarol Roth\n – creator of the \nFuture File\n legacy planning system, former investment banker, small business advocate and host of \nThe Roth Effect\n – says:\n“Loyalty programs can be very effective, but in today’s day and age, your loyalty program should be more personalized and less points-per-dollar oriented. That is very transactional and loyalty is built on building relationships. Access to special perks, events, content, services, products, and more can be customized to your business and your customers’ wants.”\n5. A great customer loyalty program must be reciprocal\nBuilding a rewards program can take a bit of work, especially as you work out the initial kinks, but it can also be one of the best ways to increase customer retention. \nWhen outlining the program, be sure there is a high level of reciprocation, meaning your customer gets real value and so does your business—in other words, make it a win-win. \nWhether the value you’re trying to create for your business is increased sales, customer retention, or increasing word of mouth referrals, be sure the rewards program provides equal value in the eyes of your customer.\n6. Make sure your loyalty plan is “on brand”\nYour brand is your business. The relationships you have with your customers, the general atmosphere of the store, the products or services you offer, and the lifestyle you help them support all contribute to that brand. \nAs you consider the various rewards you can offer your members, be sure they mirror your business’s personality and reputation.\nFor example, if you run a high-end restaurant, giving away a free T-shirt may seem like a good idea because it gets your name out there, but it doesn’t fit the expectations of your customers. They’ll expect high-value rewards, not random swag with a logo on it.\nbeautiful young women buying high-end shoes for loyalty program\nOn the other hand, people who enjoy going to the salon to be pampered will likely enjoy a gift certificate to a high-end restaurant in town. Both are “on brand” in that they support the experience of pampering oneself. \nThink about \nwhy\n your customers come to you. That should be the core of the rewards you offer. \nPro tip: Think outside of the box when it comes to your rewards. Points, discounts, limited deals, and punch cards may be the perfect fit, but there is so much more you can offer. We talking about this in more detail in our post entitled \n5 simple strategies to keep customers coming back\n. If you need some help getting your creative juices flowing, check it out. And remember, the more on-brand your offer, the more compelling it will be for your loyalty members.\nLoyalty program effectiveness depends on your customer knowledge and management\nNone of these elements is more important than the other. In fact, each element depends heavily on one another; they’re intertwined. \nUltimately, you need to understand your customer base if you want to build a program that speaks to their needs and wants and meets the standard they’ve come to expect from your business. You deserve to know how much of your total customer base is made of repeat customers. It will help structure the best plan to improve the health and stability of your customer base. \nSmall businesses have flexibility beyond that of larger corporations. Big companies, like airlines or big-box retail and wholesale stores, have to accommodate millions of people and provide an experience that is universal across state lines. They have to play to their averages. \nSmall businesses don’t. They can be far more specific, engaged, and personal to win the neighborhood. But that starts with understanding your customer base.

The 6 elements of an effective customer loyalty program

In this article:\nHow to tell if a review is fake\nHow to respond to fake reviews\nHow to remove fake reviews\nGet more positive reviews\nGetting regular online reviews is an important part of keeping up with your online reputation. Often times these will come naturally, and sometimes you have to do a little more work to maintain a good supply of fresh reviews. But sometimes, people who weren’t ever your customers take it upon themselves to try to badmouth your company with fake Google reviews. \nFake reviews are frustrating. They sometimes come from a disgruntled former employee or a competitor and they are loaded with false claims. But occasionally people mistake your business for another and leave a negative review in the wrong place.\nAs part of your small business's review management strategy, you need to know how to handle a fake review if you ever receive one. \nWe’ll walk you through the best course of action in handling fake Google reviews. \nHow to tell if a negative Google review is fake\nFirst, you need to determine if the review is indeed fake. Sometimes this is guesswork, but more often than not you’ll be able to tell.\nWatch out for these top identifiers of fake reviews on Google:\nThe person who left the review doesn’t match up with anyone in your customer list or a current customer/patient that you have record of\nThe profile of the reviewer is anonymous\nThe timing of the review is suspicious (after an employee was let go or a new competitor enters the market)\nThe profile of the reviewer is suspicious (only leaves negative reviews for specific types of companies or uses repetition in their reviews across different companies)\nThe comments of the review are generic or full of keyword spam\nGo deeper: \nHow to spot fake online reviews\nPay attention to the review and do a little deeper dive to determine if the review is fake. When you have made that discovery, take the next steps to handle the fake review. \nHow to respond to a fake negative review on Google\nEven though you know the review is fake, that doesn’t mean that potential customers who read your reviews will catch on. That’s why it is important to respond in a professional manner to fake reviews (even though you may not want to give them the time of day). \nIt’s important to respond to \nall\n reviews that come across your Google Business listing, including those that are negative or fake. \nThe best way to respond to a fake review is to point out that it is fake in a subtle and professional way. This will help others who read the reviews to recognize the spammy review and discredit it. \nwoman with paper bag over her head with frowny face for fake reviews\n\nHere’s an example of a response you might use on an anonymous review or a review from someone you don’t recognize:\n“Hello, we are sorry you had a negative experience with our company. However, we are unable to identify you as a customer in our records. If we are mistaken, please reach out so we can improve this situation.”\nCheck out our complete guide: \nHow to respond to negative reviews\n\nReporting fake reviews on Google\nThe next step is to report the review. Google will only remove reviews if they are in clear violation of their review content policies:\nNo fake or spammy content \nNo off-topic content\nNo restricted content\nNo illegal or sexually explicit content\nNo offensive, dangerous, or derogatory content\nNo impersonating\nNo conflicts of interest (reviewing your own company or a competitor’s listing)\nIf you are certain the review is fake, then it goes against Google’s policies and has a high chance of being removed. \nThis doesn’t guarantee that Google will remove the review, though, because they do need to be convinced that the review is fake. So it’s good to provide as much insight as possible into the report of a fake review (or at least as much as Google will allow you to). \nTo report a Google review, you simply need to navigate to the review on the Google My Business listing, or within your Google My Business dashboard, and click the three-dot icon in the right corner of the review. Click “flag as inappropriate” and then follow the prompts to report the review to Google. \nRead our comprehensive guide: \nThe complete guide to removing fake reviews\nWork to get more positive reviews\nThe best course of action after dealing with a negative review on Google, especially a fake one that you can’t remove, is to consistently be working to get more positive reviews. \nDon’t let fake reviews ruin your online reputation. Instead, continue to improve it with a good review management strategy. \nHappy customers generally aren’t as motivated to leave reviews as unhappy customers (or, unfortunately, as ill-advised competitors). That’s why you need to have a strategy in place to encourage satisfied customers to leave your business online reviews. \nReminding happy customers that you appreciate their honest feedback can encourage them to leave reviews, and will help you drown out the noise of any fake and negative reviews you’ve acquired, and show potential customers the awesome things that your company is doing well. \nThe best way to invite a customer to leave a review is to make it as easy for them as possible. Simply reminding your customers that their feedback is important to you, or sending a text or email link to your Google My Business page, makes this process much easier. 

127 articles found in “Online presence”

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