by Chris Barnard | Sep 28, 2011 | Local Search
In the past week we’ve examined, or at least loosely discussed, how all of this social media, local search, and mobile marketing buzz affects our local Carlsbad small businesses.
SoLoMo digital marketing is here to stay, embrace it sooner rather than later to save money and capitalize on opportunity while competitors languish or make excuses.
In Part 1 of our Google buying Zagat examination – we use that term loosely – we chose to highlight how that Wall St. acquisition impacts Main St. small businesses right here in Carlsbad. (more…)
by Chris Barnard | Sep 22, 2011 | Digital Marketing
Small businesses across the world all share one common need to sustain growth; new customers.
Communicating with these potential and existing customers within their local community seems to still be in the dark ages.
At least the analog ages.
Or, more often than not most small businesses rely on existing customer word of mouth to generate new customer referrals.
Never mind wasting unbelievable amounts of money on local newspaper, Pennysaver ads, or 15 different yellow pages books that find their way immediately to the recycle bin. (more…)
by Chris Barnard | Jun 29, 2011 | Digital Marketing
In the race to acquire your small business advertising and digital marketing dollars, the winner doesn’t seem so clear-cut. At least when we take some geographical or demographic information into consideration.
Sure, the local phone book publisher has most likely seen a cataclysmic drop in ad revenue over the past few years. And certainly this must be directly correlated to the rise in online searches, increase in mobile internet accessibility, availability of improving technology, and the overall topsy-turvy world of defining consumer habits.
According to research from the Local Search Association (formerly the Yellow Pages Association) conducted by Burke, search has taken over as the top way to find local businesses for most demographics1.
Interesting that the Local Search Association was formerly the Yellow Pages Association, but maybe that’s another blog post. As a Carlsbad small business owner the challenge becomes how to best leverage each (and every) communication medium available to increase local sales and improve customer retention.
And of course how to weed through all of this digital chatter to identify those opportunities.
According to this recent article on the Google+ social networking move, the average U.S. visitor spent 375 minutes per month on Facebook in May, compared with 231 minutes for Google.
How many minutes are there in a month?
We can bet our mobile carriers can tell us. But are we getting our moneys worth for those minutes?
Moreover, how many minutes do we spend actually thumbing through the phone book?
We’ll reserve judgment on the blog posts…and promise to only take our finger-pointing to a whole new level via Twitter!
Although this is quite the contentious subject amongst some marketers, small business owners need not let emotion dictate the best communication tools for use in driving more local sales.
Hashtag AT&T are you listening?
What do ‘the phone book’ and MySpace have in common?
Hint: MySpace reportedly sold today for a whopping $35 million…it was acquired 6 years ago for $580 million…
by Chris Barnard | Jun 14, 2011 | Digital Marketing
Social media for your Carlsbad business is an easy and cost-effective way to maintain communication with your customers when they are not in your store or business.
Local search is an essential ingredient to any business concerned with how people find them online.
And mobile compatibility should be on your radar if it’s not already generating return on investment and adding more local dollars to your small business’ bottom line.
For a lot of us, our business existed – and prospered in some cases – without (or before) all of this Internet mumbo jumbo.
Isn’t all of this digital marketing stuff for kids and geeky shut-ins who’d rather slam away on a keyboard rather than gulp some fresh air?
It is essential for us to realize this most fundamental and foundational element of local Carlsbad small business digital marketing success.
Like Lotto, we need to be in it to win it.
As local business owners we hear about all the advantages social media, or listen to a cross-section of customers, colleagues, family members, and caffeine addicted bloggers…but we don’t take action.
And forget about local search and mobile integration, those are otherworldly terms that spark feelings of dread from some local small business owners.
Dread because we don’t know what this stuff means, and think we’re getting shined on for useless services directed at making the ad agency or marketing company money, not the local mom & pop.
Online is where it’s at folks, and it’s not for just the kids and cool people trend setters any longer. Its soccer Moms, doting Dads, yuppies, students, thirtysomethings, and even formerly technically averse grandparents have jumped on board the SoLoMo train.
When we want a friend or family member’s opinion about a product or service, we ask – social media.
When we are looking for products or services, we search online – local search.
How we access this digital environment to search or speak, is shifting – mobile integration.
Communication used to be one to one. Now it’s many to many…and digital marketing is our force multiplier.
Technology + Communication = digital word of mouth for the local Carlsbad small business.
And word of mouth is as grass-roots and cost-effective as we can get.
Social media, local search, digital whatever, and mobile this or that, are all TOOLS allowing our local Carlsbad small businesses to effectively communicate using this digital medium we all flock to before the sleep is even out of our eyes.
In the last 30 days, how many people searched online for products or services you currently provide?
To further narrow it down, wouldn’t it be great if you could determine how many people searched online for similar terms right in our immediate Carlsbad area?
You can find the answer to dynamic keyword research here – at least according to Google.
Go nuts, play around…and envision your local Carlsbad digital marketing potential!
by Chris Barnard | May 24, 2011 | Reviews and Citations
With the internet landscape changing to a more socialized personal experience, Carlsbad small businesses can harness the power of social media, mobile geo-location services, and local search visibility by building a loyal army of friends and followers.
The best part is that army is already marching to the beat of our business, changing the hearts and minds of local consumers. We need to harness the power of social local mobile digital communications and participate in the conversation.
How can we make that work for our Carlsbad small business?
Search has gone social and local, and soon mostly mobile. Our local Carlsbad businesses can gain local search online visibility and garner social media credibility, but first we need to ask for help.
We need to enlist the help of our existing customers, and enable them to easily spread positive digital word of mouth about our business. In most cases it’s not even necessary to incentivize or reward our customers for doing so, but more on that later.
Let’s keep it K.I.S.S. as we always try to do. Asking customers to submit online reviews can be tastefully done to accomplish the goal of increased digital word of mouth for our Carlsbad small businesses.
Generally speaking, once properly presented with the opportunity to lend a hand, people are happy to participate in the success of local small businesses.
Just show them how they can do it, but we also must be sure to ask them to participate. Isn’t that the number one rule in all of marketing – asking?
The Fear Factor
Simply asking our customers to leave a review on one of the local search review sites is often the biggest challenge. Sometimes we feel reluctant to ask because we’re embarrassed, maybe we’re afraid of the answer, or just don’t want to bother people and take up their time.
Engaging our customers is not a waste of time, for the business owner or the customers. When we ask people how their day is going, how can we improve their shopping experience, what can be done to facilitate delivery, or what we can do to help them better use the products or services they are purchasing from us, we are actively seeking a way to improve the customer/business relationship.
And it resonates with our customers, they feel it. And as a result they become eager participants in our success.
Customers generally want friendly service, lower prices, and better products. Local small business owners generally want more customers and higher profits. Effective communication, not lip-service, between the two parties ensures a win-win situation for all.
We need not let fear hold our businesses back any longer; we’re proud of what we sell and service. Sometime we just forget to act like it.
After we get over the sweaty palms more associated with pre-Prom anxiety than effective business communications, the next step is enabling a quick and easy way for our customers to submit (and share) their digital word of mouth.
Syndicate the dWOM
Methods to collect, capture, and circulate digital customer word of mouth can be as simple and low-tech as sticking a reminder note on their receipt.
Maybe distributing customer review cards at checkout, or down the line with a mailer/email.
Collection and distribution methods can also be tech savvy, like a tablet computer by the reception area or cash register to draw customer interest…inviting the long-time customers to leave a review on one of the local search sites, website, local search engine profiles, or any other online environment that happens to arise specific to our local Carlsbad small businesses.
No matter what method we employ to broadcast our local digital word of mouth, we need to remember to make it quick and easy for the customer. And remember whether it’s low-tech or geek-speak, the time to ask for the review is often just as crucial as how customers can transmit the message.
Timing is Everything
Maybe immediately following the transaction isn’t the best bet with capturing a customer review for your bagel shop; hot coffee and a fresh smelling baker’s dozen in hand spilling sesame seeds and hot joe all over your brand new PlayBook® or iPad2®.
And perhaps posting a sticky note on a brake job can prove challenging.
Trial and error will certainly yield results, but so will asking the customer when the most convenient time for them would be. Even a survey, or maybe just allowing customers to submit online reviews in their own time is the best bet. 
Methods and times vary according to specific variables relative to our local business – what we sell, how we communicate with our customers already, and who those customers are.
Be sure to ask…but choose the time to ask wisely.
An email newsletter could be another enduring opportunity to elicit customer word of mouth. Or maybe one day per month could be dedicated to developing your business’ digital disposition.
Your website can certainly be a great place to ask for and capture existing customer digital word of mouth. Using the array of social media tools available can also make the process more user-friendly.
Rumor has it having those reviews or testimonials on your website might be a good thing too – according to Google.
Whatever method we choose to collect customer reviews and whenever we choose to ask for them, one thing remains constant and is a common link among every single Carlsbad small business; our customers are already talking about us…and most are talking online in a hundred different ways!
Wouldn’t it be better to join in the conversation while monitoring (and maximizing) your digital business identity at the same time ?
