Tag: Customer Relationship (Page 5 of 5)

You’ve likely already scrolled through your Facebook newsfeed at least once today, and probably came across a plethora of different types of shared content, from baby videos to political articles to personality quizzes. Despite the variety, there’s a common denominator here. Your Facebook friends were not posting a website, but an article from a website, and that means they likely hit a sharing button.

What Is A Sharing Button?

A sharing button is exactly what it sounds like – it’s a button that enables visitors to share content on their social media pages. These buttons are something that visitors have come to expect on a website, especially on blogs, and are often placed at the bottom of the page. We suggest placing them there too since this is where readers who want to share are looking. Provide your visitors with the experience they’re expecting, or else they’re heading elsewhere.

Why Do You Need It?

There are so many elements that go into making a website successful, and sharing buttons are definitely on that list. The more people you have reading your content, the more voices there will likely be in the comments section. This is of course going to help you discover more about your customers, which will allow for more effective communication.

Obviously, if you want to get more customer reviews, you’ll want to get more visitors to the content that you wish to have shared. Adding sharing buttons any place that you wish to have content shared is a sure fire way to gain a wider audience. This includes landing pages, blogs, and web pages, or, any place where a visitor can join a conversation in a comments section.

The comments section provides an awesome opportunity to discover more about your customers. It’s not only what they’re saying, but HOW they’re choosing to say it. The latter is extremely important when it comes to the ways you communicate with your customers. The words you choose, and the way by which they are arranged says a lot about you.

Final Thoughts

This post from LinkNow Media is a short, casual reminder about the importance of integrating a sharing button. It’s a simple way to get more people chatting about your products or services, which presents the opportunity for you to join in as well. Don’t yet have a sharing button on your blogs or landing pages? Get in touch with your web designer. You’re sure to see more friction in the comments section.

3 Tips for Responding to Negative Online Reviews

By Eve Mendelovitch

On January 27, 2017

In Blog

As long as there are reviews, there will be negative reviews. Read up on all the tips you want about responding to harsh criticism, but you’ll still be at a loss for words when someone is badmouthing your business and staff. It never hurts to read a blog like this one for a refreshment on appropriate ways to respond to negativity. The last thing you want to do is call over your coworkers to show them the outrageous claims some crazy person made (because let’s face it, it sometimes feels that way). That will only deepen your rage, and kill the mood in the workplace. Instead, take a deep breath and respond with these points in mind:

Use the phrase “I hear you.”

Businesses don’t become successful because they get it right the first time. Success is achieved when businesses face their problems and find appropriate resolutions. Don’t let a negative comment get you down. Rather, look at it as an opportunity to highlight how committed you are to making things right for your clients. If your knee-jerk reaction is to jump right into justification, you are essentially saying that you know better than them. Instead, think over what they’re saying. Look at where they’re coming from. Let them know you hear them, and offer an apology if necessary. The bottom line is that people want to be heard, so listen. By doing so, you show that you value your customer’s feedback, even if negative.

Address the customer by name

All reviews deserve to be handled with care, even negative ones. If you continuously use the same framework for addressing negative reviews, you run the risk of leaving a cookie-cutter response. Every customer is different, and each problem must be addressed individually. One way to connect personally with unsatisfied customer is by using the customer’s name in your response. Addressing someone by name is a form of flattery. As author, Dale Carnegie stated, in his 1936 novel, How to Win Friends and Influence People, “a person’s name is to that person, the sweetest, most important sound in any language.” Keep this principle in mind when addressing an unsatisfied customer. It’s an effective way to engage with someone who is ticked off. Just remember to check your spelling before hitting reply.

Ask a question

Most the time, issues between a customer and a business owner are due to a miscommunication or misunderstanding. One way to clear up confusion is by asking a question. By asking a question, you are calling attention to the problem in an indirect, unconfrontational manner. For example, if you’re a restaurant owner, and have a customer who is unhappy about the hour wait time for a table, ask if they had made a reservation, and inform them of your reservation policy. Or, ask when they arrived, and provide them with alternative time when it might be less busy. Always look for the opportunity to ask a question. This helps to avoid the conversation from getting into he said/she said territory, and creates an open dialogue.

Closing

At LinkNow Media, we’ve looked at ways of responding to negative reviews in the past, and are likely to revisit this topic again in the future. We believe that if you can handle the situation competently, you’ll be given another chance.

How to Get Bloggers to Review Your Product

By Eve Mendelovitch

On January 11, 2017

In Blog

Think about the last time you were on the fence about a product. You likely went to an online review site, like Amazon, and scrolled to the review section to see what others were saying about the product in question. If you still weren’t convinced, then you may have dug deeper to a product review blog to read a full-length account of someone’s experience. If the opinion was trustworthy and favorable, you likely followed through on the purchase. Was this the case? If so, there’s no denying it – you are like most consumers.

It isn’t hard to see how powerful the opinions of bloggers are when it comes to the buying process. They have revolutionized the way we make decisions in the market place, and are imperative to running a successful business. It goes without say then: the more buzz around a product, the more likely it is that people will make a purchase.

If you are looking to get the name out there about your product, then there’s no question that you are committed to finding people who have positive things to say about it. Working with a blogger is a great opportunity to get the word out there, increase brand awareness, and reach relevant consumers. Here are some recommendations about contacting someone to review your product:

Who to Ask

A blogger that gets a lot of traffic likely gets bombarded with emails asking to review this and that. If you plan to ask a popular blogger to write about your product, you’ll need to stand out. In a previous blog post, we focused on helpful tips for writing an email campaign, and a lot of those same marketing principles can be applied here. It’s important to keep your subject line concise. Don’t be afraid to make a pun, ask a question, or crack a joke – this is your chance to show that you’re unique. Be personable. Provoke curiosity. An email with a boring subject line isn’t going to get opened.

When it comes to the body of the email, put yourself in the shoes of the blogger. What’s in it for them? Bloggers want publicity, so you’ll need to sell them on that point. Explain why your product would be of interest to their audience. Be wary of coming across as too sales-pitchy or using a lot of corporate jargon.

Not getting any bites? It might be in your best interest to ask newer bloggers. They’ll be flattered by the request and they’ll love getting a freebie. Even if they’re new to the world of blogging, there are a few key things to look for, such as the consistency and frequency by which they post, and the level of engagement in the comments section.

Where to Find Review Bloggers

Pinterest is a great place to find bloggers. Join related group boards, post your product, and interact with like-minded individuals. This is the first step to finding a pinner who might be interested in reviewing your product. They might even be the ones inquiring about it. If not, contact those who you feel you can build a relationship with. Be sure to familiarize yourself with their content before diving in.

Keep At It

These tips are a great place to start on your quest to reaching the blogger that will get your product noticed. Of course, what works for some businesses might not work for others. In the end, it’s all about what works best for your audience. Don’t get discouraged by rejection – it simply wasn’t meant to be.

At LinkNow Media, we are always looking at ways to help business owners get more online reviews, so stop by often!

5 Customer Appreciation Tips For 2017

By Eve Mendelovitch

On December 31, 2016

In Blog

While a simple gesture, saying thank you is a sign of respect, appreciation, and gratitude. As a business owner, you can’t afford to overlook the importance of these two little words. Thanking customers is a huge factor in customer retention, as well as your online presence. Below are 5 creative ways to express gratitude. Not only will the following techniques make your customers feel appreciated, they also ensure your marketing efforts don’t go to waste.

Discounts

Who doesn’t like saving money? Offering loyal customers discounts via email is a great way to show that you are thinking of them. Make sure the content of the email is well-structured, playful, and fun. This is a chance to display a creative edge over your competition!

Freebies

Many businesses are beginning to see the value of saying thank you in the form of a freebie. Take advantage of holidays and clients’ birthdays (if you have that information), by offering a free service or product. This will make your customers feel valuable and appreciated.

Trials

When people are on the fence, a free trial can diminish any worries they may have about your company, products, or services. By doing so, you’re saying that you appreciate their interest. Thanking someone for even expressing interest may seem odd, but it says a lot about how far you will go for your customers.

Showcase

Brining attention to your customers on your website or social media pages will make them feel special. Let others know how much you appreciate their loyalty by being as specific as possible. This is a great way to reach a wider audience, as your customers will likely share your words of praise, if they haven’t already been tagged.

Refer

As a small business owner, you have the amazing opportunity to work with people in a wide range of industries. A great way to show them that you appreciate their business is by sending business their way. What goes around comes around.

Closing

It can be tricky for new businesses to find a creative, genuine way to express gratitude, but don’t let that discourage you from venturing outside of the box. Giving thanks will become more intimate and refined as you build stronger relationships with your customers. Understanding your audience is the key to making the most of the after-transaction phase.

Who to Thank During the Holidays

By Eve Mendelovitch

On December 21, 2016

In Blog

With the holiday season in full swing, it’s high time to express gratitude to the people who help strengthen your brand and build your business. Rather than send a generic season’s greetings email to every person in your database, you should consider sending a thoughtful, personalized message. While it would be nice to send unique content to each your clients, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. The best way to personalize your messages and still have time for holiday shopping and festivities is to divide your customers into groups and create different content for each. Of course, we’re looking at this from a marketing perspective.

Potential Clients

Potential customers are people who have shown interest in your product or service, but will need an extra nudge to follow through on the purchase. Here’s where bottom of the funnel type of content comes in handy. To convert these potential customers, you will need to diminish any concerns they have about getting on board. Put yourself in their shoes. Do they need more information about your company? About how they will benefit? Is money the problem? Address these concerns in the form of a thank you. Thank them for showing interest by offering a free test-trial or a discount, in the spirit of Christmas.

Existing Clients

Existing clients don’t need more information about your company history, services, or pricing. They’re already sold. You likely already have an established relationship, and now is the time to strengthen this relationship. A good way to do this is by boosting what they already have, or cross-selling. Cross-selling is the practice of selling a different, but related product or service to an existing customer. If you are a company that sells different tiers of packages, give them the gift that keeps on giving by offering a discount on upgrading.

Collaborates

No company is without business partners and suppliers. Whatever yours provide you with, display your gratitude by sending a gift. You can do this via email with a digital gift card or via mail. Keep in mind that the businesses that you work with have employees too. Express your thanks with a company-wide lunch on you. This is a surefire way to show that you appreciate everyone and all they do to help your business grow and succeed.

Employees

The holiday season is a wonderful time of year, but it can be stressful for employees who are scrambling to complete work tasks before break, while juggling Christmas shopping, cooking, and planning. Show your employees you appreciate all the work they do by organizing a holiday office party with food, beverages, and fun presents. It’s a great way to destress, rejuvenate the holiday spirit, and display gratitude.

Closing

Many businesses are seeing the benefit of creating separate messages for different clients and business partners. It allows for deeper relationships, without sacrificing precious time, which, let’s face it, can be scarce around the holidays. It’s not too late to send off some holiday emails, but you’ll want to be creative. Businesses everywhere are taking advantage of the season by offering special deals and promotions, so you’ll need to find a way to stand out. Think outside the box when it comes to subject lines, and keep the body of the email concise!

Why Use Customer Reviews in Your Email Campaign?

By Eve Mendelovitch

On November 2, 2016

In Blog

When your business first started out, you may have urged happy customers to spread the word about your good service – but that has all changed. A lot. With social media, smartphones, and online customer review sites, there is no need to encourage. Customers have very few barriers in the way of sharing what they think about your business, for better or worse. If you’ve made it easy for your customers to leave reviews, getting them is a cinch – but that doesn’t mean you can go on autopilot once you do. There are many ways to enhance your online performance with positive reviews. One such way is with email campaigns.

Make the Most Out of Online Reviews

We’ve written in the past about the benefits of sharing positive reviews on your social media pages, and this week we’re looking at the benefits of using positive reviews in your email campaigns.

Many companies shy away from using email campaigns because, well, let’s face it – emails can be annoying. If you’re like most people, you get dozens of emails a day. Do you really have time to read through all of them?

It can be difficult to see the benefits of email campaigns because of the association with spam, but there are ways of reaching your customers without flooding their inbox. If you are interested in learning ways to do this, part 6 of The Ultimate Guide to Online Marketing for Small Businesses is devoted entirely to email campaign best practice. This was written by Lauchlin, one of the digital marketing specialists here. Whether your emails are sent with the purpose of sharing information or offering discounts, you’re sure to find great tips there. If you like what you see, you can buy the full version here.

Reviews Can Help You Connect with Your Audience

With information bombarding us everywhere we turn, we don’t have time to sift through text that isn’t speaking to us. If you are going to use email campaigns as part of your online marketing efforts, you need to connect with your audience, and you need to connect with them fast. A fantastic way to do that is by including a review from a satisfied customer. Featuring a review gets the message across about your service or product in a highly economical manner.

Not only does a real review from an actual customer establish a relationship with a prospective customer, it helps keep the email concise and to the point. If you have their permission, include their photo and name for a personal touch.

Closing

There’s no shortage of people sharing advice on what to do about negative online reviews, but advice on positive reviews is few and far between. These are just a few tips on what you can do to make the most out of your positive online reviews. We’re sure to share more advice on ways to make the most out of positive reviews. Stay tuned!

3 Mistakes You Need to Stop Making When Saying Thank You

By Eve Mendelovitch

On October 30, 2016

In Blog

This week we’re looking at the technical side of things when it comes to customer appreciation. Whether you’re giving thanks via a handwritten note or email, errors can detract from the sincerity of your thank you. Not to mention, you run the risk of looking less professional. Don’t let a silly mistake get in the way of your thank you! Keep these points in mind when expressing gratitude:

Check for Grammar Mistakes

There’s no doubting you’re busy. You need to get your message across, and you need to get it across fast. But as the old saying goes, haste makes waste. It pays to double check your work, even something as short as a thank you. Here are some of the most common grammar mistakes to look out for:

Their vs. there vs. they’re
Your vs. you’re
Affect vs. effect
Who vs. that
Then vs. than
Assure vs. ensure vs. insure
Complement vs. compliment

If you ever have a grammar question, Grammar Girl is a great source for grammar tips and rules.

Avoid Passive Voice

Passive voice is one of the most common mistakes people make when writing. Many people don’t realize they are writing in passive voice, so it is an important point to keep in mind when proofreading.

A sentence where the subject performs the action expressed by the verb is considered to be active voice. Passive voice, on the other hand, occurs when the subject is acted upon. See, we did it right there – is acted upon!

The Hemingway App is a great tool to check for passive voice. It also checks for the level of readability and for phrases that have a simpler alternative. Clear writing made easy!

Keep an Eye on Tone

Have your target audience in mind. This is true for all forms of content, including thank you notes and emails. Are you thanking a new or long-term customer? Casual language is OK for someone you’ve established a relationship, but aim for higher diction when thanking a business partner. It’s also important to consider the deed at hand when writing. An over-the-top thank you for a small favor, is, well, over-the-top.

Closing

These points might seem small, and they are – but when it comes to saying thanks, it’s the little things that count. Errors like these will take away from your message, so it’s worth having a second pair of eyes look over your writing.

Behold: The Power of the Handwritten Thank You Note

By Eve Mendelovitch

On October 18, 2016

In Blog

We dedicate a lot of time talking about new and innovative ways to say thank you to customers. This week we’re ditching the new and turning to an old-school form of saying thanks. That’s right, we’re looking at old-fashioned pen and paper. Many people will tell you that the handwritten note is a thing of the past, and we couldn’t agree more. But that’s what makes writing by hand such a powerful way to say thanks.

Handwritten notes are at the top of the list with other ways of demonstrating customer appreciation, such as giving a freebie or showcasing a loyal customer on a social channel. In many cases, the pen is mightier than the keyboard, so to speak. Here’s why:

Increased Intimacy

In today’s turbo-charged world, it can be difficult to find a free block to get anything done. Even setting aside 5 minutes to give a simple thanks can prove difficult. This is where turning to the screen can save you a whole lot of time and energy. If this is how you currently communicate with your clients, it might be hard to imagine doing anything otherwise. However, you’d be surprised by how little time it takes to write a thank you note. Since writing by hand is a heartwarming gesture in and of itself, keeping it short and sweet is totally OK.

Improved Personalization

There is no doubting that the digital world makes communication a whole lot more convenient, but be careful – convenience can quickly move into generic territory. After all, who’s to say that the email is written by the person who is actually giving thanks? A handwritten note is as intimate as you can get, without going overboard. A handwritten note also offers the opportunity to be creative. Even if you’re not an artist, you can add a touch of quirkiness with a small doodle.

Closing

Saying thank you is huge part of maintaining a loyal client base, so taking the time to write by hand may be worth it depending on your audience. It will be evident to your customers that you took time from your busy day to say thanks, and this will make them feel special.

What is your company doing to ensure your customers feel appreciated? Let us know in the comments section below!

How A Content Calendar Can Help You Build a Relationship with Your Customers

By Eve Mendelovitch

On September 29, 2016

In Blog

Social media offers advantages for businesses of all shapes and sizes. It’s a great way to promote ongoing promotions, connect with clients, and enhance your brand image. Despite these reasons for implementing a social media campaign, managing social media accounts can be difficult. If you run your own business, you have a lot on your plate. When it comes to posting on the daily, there simply aren’t enough hours in the day. Hiring social media specialists is the way to go, but is there more you can do to streamline your digital marketing efforts? A content calendar can sure help!

What is a content calendar?

A content calendar is exactly what it sounds like – a calendar that helps you keep track of content. The purpose is to let you see what you are going to post and when you are going to post it. Beyond staying organized, a content calendar is a useful tool for helping you tell your company’s story. Mapping out your posts allows you to establish an overarching theme.

Typically, content calendars include the following information:

Title of the post
Writer’s name
Deadline
The channel where it will be posted

This information ensures that each social media profile is getting equal amounts of attention, whether that’s Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or a blog.

There are a bunch free content calendar templates available that will help take the stress out of planning and integrating a content strategy. Experiment to find one that suits your needs!

Why do you need it?

When it comes to posting regularly, coming up with new topics is half the battle. Even the best writers get stuck from time to time, and this is a major reason why posts become so few and far between. A content calendar can easily solve this problem because there won’t be any need to scramble for a new topic. Having dozens of ideas mapped out will make going to the blank page far less daunting. It also allows more time to personalize your post with GIFs and images.

A Content Calendar Will Keep You Organized

A content calendar makes it easy for writers to see who is posting what and when, streamlining your digital marketing strategy. Since a content calendar aids in organization, it also lets others members of your staff get involved. Two heads are always better than one, and a content calendar can open up the stage to employees who have a unique perspective on your business’s mission. All your writers need to do is ask around! The more the merrier, as they say.

And Prepare You for The Holiday Season

Holidays are the perfect time to post about ongoing promotions and spread some holiday cheer. But, as you may already know, holidays have a way of sneaking up. Nothing is more overwhelming than trying to scramble together a piece to post on the appropriate day. A content calendar allows you to plan out a longer, or more important post, such as a holiday special.

Closing

Keeping a calendar will help you post consistently. It also allows you to see individual posts as part of a bigger story. The latter is arguably the most important point when it comes to posting content. The most successful companies have a have a story to tell. If it’s well-honed, people will stick around to hear it.

The Web is Waiting For You

Tag: Customer Relationship (Page 5 of 5)

What Is A Sharing Button?

Why Do You Need It?

Final Thoughts

Use the phrase “I hear you.”

Address the customer by name

Ask a question

Closing

Who to Ask

Where to Find Review Bloggers

Keep At It

Discounts

Freebies

Trials

Showcase

Refer

Closing

Potential Clients

Existing Clients

Collaborates

Employees

Closing

Make the Most Out of Online Reviews

Reviews Can Help You Connect with Your Audience

Closing

Check for Grammar Mistakes

Avoid Passive Voice

Keep an Eye on Tone

Closing

Increased Intimacy

Improved Personalization

Closing

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