Keys to Small Business Marketing

Kimberly Smith, University of Houston Small Business Development CenterKimberly Smith, University of Houston
Small Business Development Center
Each year, about 400,000 new small businesses open their doors to the economic landscape in their communities. But according to www.bloomberg.com, a whopping 80 percent of these new ventures will fail within the first 18 months. What’s the difference between one energetic, inspired entrepreneur with an idea that succeeds and a similar one who just can’t seem to get his or her business off the ground?
To answer that question, we spoke with Kimberly Smith, director of marketing and publicity at the University of Houston Small Business Development Center. She shared her insights about strategic marketing tactics and how they help small businesses across all industries build their brand.
“If you’re an entrepreneur with a great idea, and you’ve had big sales at opening that later tapered off, you might be experiencing a combination of problems,” said Smith. “When business owners come to me for advice, I tell them in order to be successful, they have to have a well-planned, well-researched marketing strategy.”

According to Smith, if you’re a new or aspiring small business owner, there are five fundamental elements of a marketing strategy that will move you closer to achieving your business goals in the first year and beyond.

Marketing Strategy Do’s:

1. DO identify your ideal target market for your product or service.

It might be that everyone is your “target market,” but not everyone is ideal. Find out exactly who needs your service or product, who wants it, and who can afford it. Do lots of research, and find out exactly who fills those three categories.

“For example, when Apple started marketing their computers, they knew they wouldn’t be appealing to the cheapest consumers, so they used a different approach to marketing,” Smith said. “They advertised (their product) as a ‘work of art’ that would appeal specifically to people who would appreciate art — like graphic designers, illustrators, innovators, musicians. That made the market much smaller and easier to target.”

2. DO figure out How to reach your ideal target market.

Where are the people who need, want, and can afford what you’re selling? How can you get the word out to them?

“The best way to answer these questions is to do a lot of research,” Smith said. “So, if your ideal target market is professional women between the ages of 30-40, the next step is to figure out where they purchase. Online? In brick and mortar stores? Do they listen to certain TV or radio shows?”

Smith said that pinpointing the specific buying behaviors of your target market will lead you to the most effective places to spend your advertising dollars.

Follow up with social media. “Figure out which social media platform is the best fit for your product, and start posting there,” Smith said. “It takes time and effort, but it pays off.”

Helpful Hint: Call a TV or radio station, or a community newspaper — any publication that posts a website with banner ads. Tell them you’re looking at their ads, and explain which market you’re trying to reach with your product or service. They can tell you exactly who their ads will connect with, so you’ll know if your advertising money will be well spent there or if you need to keep looking.

Free Advice: “The librarian here at the Small Business Development Center at the University of Houston will run a competitive marketing analysis free of charge for any small business owner,” Smith said. “She’ll help you figure out the trends so you can market more effectively in your particular industry.”

3. DO use surveys.

If you’re in business, you have access to people. It’s always a good idea to ask them questions about your products and services.

“Even if you’re still at pre-venture stage and you don’t have actual customers yet, survey your friends and family,” Smith said. “Ask them if they think the price points you’ve set are acceptable. Get as much feedback as you can about that.”

Ask how often they might need or want the product or service you’re selling, and how they tend to receive information about new products — online, social media, flyers in the mailbox?
“That’s extremely useful information for your new business,” Smith said.

For new businesses that have already opened, Smith suggested a by-invitation-only special party consisting of a specific focus group of guests. “If you’ve opened, you can use your own place to bring customers in after hours, let them know how much you appreciate them, and ask them to answer a few survey questions,” she said. “The feedback you’ll get from this is invaluable.”

4. DO claim and maintain your online presence.

Too often, business owners believe their online profile ends at their website. “If you want to succeed, you need to get beyond your website and set up profiles on Yelp, Google, and the Yellow Pages,” Smith said. “Claim them. Take control of your online profile. Make sure all of them convey a consistent message about your business, and all the details are correct across all of them — your selling proposition, your business hours, your contact information.”

That also will positively affect your search engine optimization (SEO), which is essential for targeting your customers and driving traffic to your website.

“It helps to be at the top of the page when someone is searching for a business that has your products or services,” Smith said. “All the information should match. It’s surprising how many inconsistencies there are from site to site with basic information like store hours. That’s confusing to the customers. Your pages should be constantly monitored and maintained.”

5. DO create a marketing plan using these elements.

Smith said small business owners don’t always understand what she means when she tells them how important it is to create a marketing plan, but it just means pulling together the four previous points. “It’s just a way to make sure you’re finding your target audience, you’ve identified your unique selling points, and you’ve set goals with a plan to achieve them,” she said. “You’re not just selling. You’ve got an efficient, clear plan in place, and you’re progressing toward your goal.”

Marketing Strategy Don’ts:

Not only should new business owners take an active role in planning and implementing their marketing strategy, they also should be wary of traps that can undermine their efforts. When entrepreneurs run out of money, it’s often because they’re overconfident, their marketing message doesn’t connect with consumers, or they underestimate the need to keep up digitally.

Smith said the following poor practices are a recipe for new business failure.

1. DON’T make assumptions.

If a business owner assumes his product or service is so great that everyone will buy it, he’s in for a big disappointment, Smith said. “This shows a real lack of focus and research into the ideal target market. Let people try your product or service for free and get feedback. That tactic usually works very well and teaches the owner a lot about how people are receiving his product or service.”

2. DON’T design your own logo or own website.

Brand image is everything, and if it’s not on par with your competitors’, your target customer base will not take you seriously.

“Unless you’re a trained graphic designer, hire a professional to do your logo and your website,” Smith said. “People often think cheapest is best, but the smart thing is to set aside the money you need to get a good website and logo, and hire a very reputable person to do them.”

3. DON’T create too many social media profiles.

It’s better to have one or two well-maintained social media profiles that fit your business than to have a lot of profiles that don’t get any traffic.

“Your ideal target market can’t necessarily be reached on all social media platforms,” Smith said. “It’s impossible to keep posting on multiple social media pages, so choose one or two that match your products and services and post regularly. Don’t get on Pinterest if you’ve got a business or service that doesn’t apply.”

Hint: When the last post on a social media page is from a year ago, it could imply that you’re no longer in business, which causes customers to look elsewhere.

4. DON’T ignore bad reviews.

When customers leave a bad review on Yelp or Google, don’t think it won’t affect you. “When people search for your business, those reviews will come up,” Smith said. “Negative reviews deter people from your business, whether they’re true or not.”

She said it’s best to reply to each bad review and apologize for failing to meet expectations. Then offer something to make it right with the customer.

5. DON’T rely on referrals or word of mouth.

You work hard to earn a good reputation and have your clients tell their friends about you, but relying on them to do that is another trap that can lead to failure.

“It’s the ‘if I build it, they will come’ theory,” Smith said. “If you create a marketing plan and remain consistent, you do a good job with your customers, and you get lots of referrals and good word of mouth, imagine how well you’d do with advertising,” she said. “Advertising expands your customer base. If you’re already doing well, advertising will help you go beyond referrals and word of mouth. You can make enough money to hire more employees and go sit on the beach!”

Don’t Let a Crisis Freeze Your Business-Blue Bell’s 2015 recall is a lesson in crisis management

When it comes to customer loyalty and crisis response, communication is key.

And a little planning can go a long way toward repairing the damage.

Blue Bell is a great example of how a company can bounce back from a potentially reputation-damaging event.

For ice cream connoisseurs living in Texas, Oklahoma, Colorado, and a few surrounding states, Blue Bell isn’t just a brand of ice cream – it’s THE brand of ice cream.

Known for its nostalgic packaging and down-home personality as much as for iconic flavors like Cookies ‘n Cream, Dutch Chocolate, and its original Homemade Vanilla – Blue Bell is a beloved Texas institution with a die-hard fan base.

But in the spring of 2015, “The Little Creamery in Brenham” – which is actually a $600 million-dollar corporation with manufacturing plants and operations in several states – was linked to a Listeria outbreak that originated in the company’s Broken Arrow, Oklahoma, factory.

Three people died, and at least ten people were hospitalized.

For the first time in its history, Blue Bell recalled its products from store shelves.

A temporary shutdown – another first for the company – followed, as Blue Bell brought in outside specialists to clean and sanitize every piece of equipment used in the manufacturing process.

As the cleanup efforts got underway in the company’s plants, a different kind of cleanup began in Blue Bell’s Brenham, Texas, headquarters.

Blue Bell executives hired a public relations and crisis communication expert to help them craft a response and manage their interactions with customers and the community.

 

Hesitation isn’t an option

In the event of a crisis – whether it’s a Listeria outbreak, a defective product, or even a data breach involving sensitive customer data – you can’t afford to hesitate.

At best, your silence and inaction is interpreted as evasiveness; at worst, you’re opening the door to rumors, speculation, and accusations.

Blue Bell hired Gene Grabowski, a self-described “Crisis Guru” and public relations expert, to help them re-establish consumers’ and retail partners’ trust in Blue Bell ice cream.

Grabowski has seen this dynamic firsthand, and he has worked on crisis management campaigns for companies ranging from toy manufacturers to pet food companies to national restaurant chains.

The company’s efforts paid off.

With Grabowski’s guidance, Blue Bell survived the recall with its reputation largely intact.

Rather than pointing fingers or voicing criticisms, loyal customers rallied around Blue Bell and took to social media to voice their support, creating fan pages like “We Stand With Blue Bell Creameries.”

 

 

When the company released a limited selection of products post-recall, fans took triumphant midnight selfies in front of newly stocked shelves.

The lesson? When people really love a product or company, they’re willing to forgive and forget. Tweet this

Of course, not every company in crisis has the advantage of a big-name PR guru.

We interviewed Gene Grabowski to learn more about responding to a crisis with your reputation and your customer base intact.

 

Build your team

Grabowski says that effective crisis communication does not start with a plan.

He’s quick to point out that plans are important, but a good strategy should begin with people.

It’s critical to have a team already positioned when there’s a crisis--one that’s been carefully assembled beforehand, because it’s impossible to do that in the midst of the chaos.

There are too many variables in a crisis that can never be planned for – like looking up and seeing CBS on the doorstep.

Your plan can predict what 100 questions could be, but remember, there could be that 101st question that you weren’t expecting .

It takes creativity and experience to know how to answer that one as well.

-Gene Grabowski

 

For some companies, it might make sense to look in-house and build a team of creative, smart people who can remain cool under pressure.

Other companies – like Blue Bell, for example – may prefer to seek outside help from a consultant or company that specializes in crisis communication.

Either way, Grabowski’s advice remains the same: Build your team first.

From there, if you want to sketch out a rudimentary crisis response plan, that’s fine.

But remember that a plan can only take you so far, especially in a crisis where, literally, anything can happen.

 

Assess (and plan for) risk

Once you have a crisis team in place, it’s time to think about worst-case scenarios.

Grabowski recommends creating a matrix of high-risk, highly problematic scenarios.

The list will vary depending on the type of company, product, and customers involved.

For retailers and financial institutions, for example, data breaches and hacking might be at the top of the list.

For food companies, Grabowski says,  “It’s likely that sooner or later, contamination will become an issue.”

Once you have a list of potential crisis situations, think about how you’ll respond.

While every situation and company is different, a basic plan should cover a few broad areas like:

 

  • How are you going to notify your customers of the crisis? How will you ensure that people hear facts, not rumors or theories? Will you issue press releases? Sit for interviews? Who will be the point person for media inquiries?

 

Grabowski says it’s important to send the message that the company understands the problem and is completely focused on finding a solution.

He added that this is how Blue Bell managed to maintain its relationships with its customers and retailers during the time of the crisis. “We spent a great deal of time communicating directly with them about how we were resolving the problem, so that they would trust us enough to keep the product on their shelves when the recall was over,” he said.

Blue Bell made a point of communicating with customers early and often, issuing press releases every time they expanded a recall or learned more about the source of the outbreak.

 

  • Recalls and regulations. This is where an experienced team is critical, says Grabowski. Whether you’re working with in-house executives or an outside consulting team, you’ll want to make sure that you have people on your team who know the rules, inside and out. These are the folks who will help make key decisions — such as Blue Bell’s decision to issue a voluntary recall of their products, rather than waiting for a directive from the FDA.

 

  • Admit your mistake. And then apologize. Don’t underestimate the power of a sincere apology. Rather than sidestepping the issue, admit that you made a mistake – and let your customers know that you’re working to make things right. The company’s CEO and President Paul Kruse released a video apology, saying that the incident had left him “heartbroken.”

 

  • Media (and social media) coverage. “The rumor mill has to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible,” Grabowski said. “You have to react to rumors in real time. Correct everything that’s incorrect and set the record straight immediately.”

 

The best way to approach a media outlet that has published erroneous information is to be direct. “Contact them and say, ‘I know you want to be accurate, so please set the record straight.’ You can’t let rumors grow; they’re like weeds in a garden.”

It’s equally important to pay attention to social media.

Blue Bell made a point of communicating with its customers through social sites like Facebook.

And, not every company has been around as long as Blue Bell (the company is more than 100 years old).

Advantages aside, though, there are a few important lessons that business owners in every industry can take away from the Blue Bell crisis – and its well-crafted response.

We interviewed Gene Grabowski to learn more about responding to a crisis with your reputation and your customer base intact.

 

Build your team

Grabowski says that effective crisis communication does not start with a plan.

He’s quick to point out that plans are important, but a good strategy should begin with people.

“It’s critical to have a team already positioned when there’s a crisis–one that’s been carefully assembled beforehand, because it’s impossible to do that in the midst of the chaos,” Grabowski said. “There are too many variables in a crisis that can never be planned for – like looking up and seeing CBS on the doorstep. Your plan can predict what 100 questions could be, but remember, there could be that 101st question that you weren’t expecting. It takes creativity and experience to know how to answer that one as well.”

For some companies, it might make sense to look in-house and build a team of creative, smart people who can remain cool under pressure.

Other companies – like Blue Bell, for example – may prefer to seek outside help from a consultant or company that specializes in crisis communication.

Either way, Grabowski’s advice remains the same: Build your team first.

From there, if you want to sketch out a rudimentary crisis response plan, that’s fine.

But remember that a plan can only take you so far, especially in a crisis where, literally, anything can happen.

 

Assess (and plan for) risk

Once you have a crisis team in place, it’s time to think about worst-case scenarios.

Grabowski recommends creating a matrix of high-risk, highly problematic scenarios.

The list will vary depending on the type of company, product, and customers involved.

For retailers and financial institutions, for example, data breaches and hacking might be at the top of the list.

For food companies, Grabowski says,  “It’s likely that sooner or later, contamination will become an issue.”

Once you have a list of potential crisis situations, think about how you’ll respond.

While every situation and company is different, a basic plan should cover a few broad areas like:

 

  • How are you going to notify your customers of the crisis? How will you ensure that people hear facts, not rumors or theories? Will you issue press releases? Sit for interviews? Who will be the point person for media inquiries?

 

Grabowski says it’s important to send the message that the company understands the problem and is completely focused on finding a solution.

He added that this is how Blue Bell managed to maintain its relationships with its customers and retailers during the time of the crisis. “We spent a great deal of time communicating directly with them about how we were resolving the problem, so that they would trust us enough to keep the product on their shelves when the recall was over,” he said.

Blue Bell made a point of communicating with customers early and often, issuing press releases every time they expanded a recall or learned more about the source of the outbreak.

 

  • Recalls and regulations. This is where an experienced team is critical, says Grabowski. Whether you’re working with in-house executives or an outside consulting team, you’ll want to make sure that you have people on your team who know the rules, inside and out. These are the folks who will help make key decisions — such as Blue Bell’s decision to issue a voluntary recall of their products, rather than waiting for a directive from the FDA.

 

  • Admit your mistake. And then apologize. Don’t underestimate the power of a sincere apology. Rather than sidestepping the issue, admit that you made a mistake – and let your customers know that you’re working to make things right. The company’s CEO and President Paul Kruse released a video apology, saying that the incident had left him “heartbroken.”

 

  • Media (and social media) coverage. “The rumor mill has to be nipped in the bud as soon as possible,” Grabowski said. “You have to react to rumors in real time. Correct everything that’s incorrect and set the record straight immediately.”

 

The best way to approach a media outlet that has published erroneous information is to be direct. “Contact them and say, ‘I know you want to be accurate, so please set the record straight.’ You can’t let rumors grow; they’re like weeds in a garden.”

It’s equally important to pay attention to social media.

Blue Bell made a point of communicating with its customers through social sites like Facebook.

 

  • Think prevention. All companies have issues to manage — but Grabowski said that when a problem becomes a full-blown crisis, it’s often because the company didn’t deal with it before it got out of hand. Does your organization have any current problems that have the potential to spiral out of control? Make sure you don’t ignore present issues while planning for the future.

 

Crisis recovery—Blue Bell and beyond

Grabowski is the first to admit that Blue Bell has bounced back remarkably well from its listeria crisis. “Their case is very different from most other companies,” he said. “They had the benefit of over 100 years of brand loyalty . . . and they had successfully cultivated a family-owned, family-run image with good old-fashioned family values. That’s how they’ve survived this.”

Of course, that’s not to say startups or companies with a more corporate or edgy image can’t survive a crisis.

As Grabowski is quick to point out, accidents happen to everyone – and the key to surviving is preparation, plain and simple: “You get through this by keeping an open mind for solutions, by having the best people on your team, and by demonstrating that you’re ready to do whatever is necessary to prove the product is safe to be on the shelves again.”

 

Few tools do more to convince people to take a chance on your company than customer reviews. They provide powerful, unbiased verification of your company’s strengths. But they’re also outside of your control. That means that, when life happens and a customer describes a negative experience, you need to respond promptly to prevent serious damage.

That’s the ideal. But when your to-do list doesn’t have room for one more task, monitoring and responding to negative reviews tends to get pushed to the back burner.

The Writers For Hire can take that responsibility off your plate. We monitor customer reviews and provide appropriate responses. And if you need to take additional steps to protect your company — and shield it from damaging search engine results — we have the SEO expertise to help with that, too.

At Your Disposal

We have the bandwidth to assign a team to your company’s online reputation management. You can count on us to:

  • Help you drive down unwanted search engine results about you and/or your company.
  • Stay on top of your company’s online reviews, along with media coverage and posts on your social media pages.
  • Provide clear, professional, and prompt responses, whenever necessary, that directly address customers’ complaints.

Because we specialize in writing services, our experienced team members also can help you generate compelling content that provides value, instead of negativity, for your potential customers.

Plus, we can harness our SEO skills to get that positive material in front of as many readers as possible.

Beyond Reputation Management

Your strategy may encompass some or all of the individual elements below. We have expertise in each of them.

Request A Quote
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Call 713-465-6860


Everything You Wanted To Know About Wikipedia, Part 1

Everything You Always Wanted To Know About Wikipedia (…and probably some stuff you never thought to ask), Part 1

Wikipedia has become a standard, go-to resource for all kinds of facts: Want to know everything there is to know about the giant squid? Need a list of every Nobel Prize winner, organized by country? Interested in the history of Microsoft? Ever wondered about the difference between East Coast and West Coast hip-hop?

Wiki HipHop

Wikipedia is a great example of the awesome things that can happen when people get together and pool their knowledge and expertise. Anyone with a laptop and an Internet connection can contribute to Wikipedia.

But this doesn’t mean Wikipedia is a free-for-all. Yes, anyone can contribute a new article or edit an existing one — but if you want your contribution to “stick,” you’ve got to follow a ton of rules regarding content, sources, neutrality, and notability.

So, what makes a “good” Wikipedia article? Does your product, service, or company belong on Wikipedia? What happens if your article gets flagged? And what does “flagged” mean, anyway?

Wiki can be complicated (and even a little intimidating) to the uninitiated. That’s why we’ve decided to do a series of blog posts exploring the ins and outs — and rules — of Wikipedia.

This week, we’re kicking off the series with a few of the basics.

First things First: What is Wikipedia?

Wikipedia is an online encyclopedia – but what does that mean? Here’s a good definition, from Wikipedia itself:

Basically, everything you need to know about Wikipedia is in the above sentence:

  • Wikipedia is “neutral.” In other words, it doesn’t represent one single viewpoint on any subject.
  • Wikipedia contains “verifiable, established facts.” As in, facts that have been published by an uninterested and reliable third party. Facts that you can verify by checking a couple of sources, such as (reputable) newspaper or magazine articles.

We’ll take a more in-depth look at both neutrality and sources in future posts. But right now, let’s just focus on the big picture.

So, now that we know what Wikipedia is, let’s take a second to discuss what Wikipedia isn’t. And there are a whole lot of things that Wikipedia isn’t. In fact there’s a whole page on Wikipedia dedicated to this topic, and it’s pretty long.

Essentially, though, it boils down to this:

  • Wikipedia is not a blog/fansite/personal website. So you can’t write in first-person, and you can’t write whatever you want. It’s not a place for ranting about politics or enthusing about your favorite movie or TV show. That’s not to say that your favorite TV show doesn’t deserve a Wikipedia page. It probably does. But it still has to conform to Wikipedia’s standards.

In other words, like this:

 

Not this:

 

 

  • Wikipedia is not a place to publish your original research/inventions/discoveries. Let’s say you just discovered a new planet or invented a super-cool new iPhone app. This is fantastic – but it’s not Wiki-appropriate. Because Wikipedia is a place for “established” facts, it’s not a place for your original work or research . . . yet. (We say “yet” because if an established, third-party publication like Newsweek or the Wall Street Journal writes an article about you and your new planet/iPhone app, you might actually be Wiki-eligible. But more on that later.)
  • Wikipedia is not a place for advertisements/self-promotion. Again, we’ll get much more in-depth with this later, but when writing about a company, product, or service you have to be extra-careful not to sound biased. Wiki pages that sound like they were written by a company’s PR department quickly get flagged for neutrality/conflict-of-interest issues, which looks like this:

 

 

That doesn’t mean that your product, service, or company doesn’t belong on Wikipedia. It just means that, if you want your Wiki page to “stick,” you have to follow the rules.

Wikipedia, The Writers For Hire, and You (or Your Company/Product/Service)

We’ve created dozens of Wikipedia articles for clients on a wide range of topics. And we’ve got an excellent track record.

And that’s because we turn down more Wiki projects than we accept. It’s not that we don’t want your business. We do. But we don’t want to take your money if we know that your page won’t stick. Before we accept any Wikipedia project, we make sure your topic is eligible for a Wiki page.

To be eligible, a topic must meet two major criteria: It needs to be notable, and it needs to have received significant coverage by neutral, reputable third-party sources.

We’ll get more into both of these as we continue our Wikipedia series. Stay tuned!

Coming up next: Notability.

Everything About Wikipedia, Part 4: Neutrality

Now that we’ve discussed notability and sources, it’s time to take a look at another major component of Wikipedia policy: neutrality.

You probably know what neutrality means: Basically, a neutral point of view is one that doesn’t promote a particular opinion or take a side on a controversial issue. An article written in a neutral point of view will give equal voice to all major views on a subject, instead of just one.

Here’s what Wikipedia says about neutrality:

Wiki Neutral

When you write or edit a Wiki article, you are required to adhere to Wikipedia’s standards of neutrality: Stick to facts instead of opinions, present all viewpoints, and don’t use judgmental language.

Sounds easy, right? Well, it is easy. Sort of.

Our Wiki clients are often surprised when we tell them that parts of their proposed Wikipedia article need to be rewritten to avoid being flagged for neutrality issues. That’s because neutrality isn’t always so easy to identify – especially when you’re close to a particular subject.

Facts vs. Opinions

The first and most important rule of Wikipedia is, you can’t treat opinions like facts. This does not mean that opinions have no place on Wikipedia. It does mean, however, that they must be presented as opinions rather than facts. They must also be attributed to neutral, third-party sources.

Here are a few examples of how to balance fact and opinion on Wikipedia.

You can’t say:

But you can say:

Wiki Fact Option

See the difference?

Both examples basically say the same thing: The Walking Dead is a darn good show.

But the first example is purely an opinion statement. The second example provides “proof” that this opinion is held by a whole bunch of people. The show has gotten generally positive reviews from critics; it’s won several awards; it gets good ratings, etc. These statements are presented in a neutral way – and each statement contains a citation.

Let’s try another one:

You can’t say:

But you can say:

Stephen King’s Wikipedia page doesn’t directly state that he is a good writer (or a bad one, for that matter). Instead, the page presents facts about awards he’s won, critical response to his work, and so on.

“”

Differing Points of View

Another big component of Wikipedia neutrality is including several points of view – even points of view that are negative and contradictory. This also means giving space to not-so-positive aspects of your topic, such as lawsuits or controversies associated with it.

This is why there are Wikipedia pages like this one:

Notice that this page doesn’t appear to take one side or another. It simply tells us that some people criticize Walmart for certain reasons – and it also points out that Walmart has refuted these criticisms.

Here’s another example. This is from the Wikipedia page about another large retail chain, Abercrombie and Fitch:

Again, this section doesn’t appear to take one side or another. The information is presented matter-of-factly, and we can draw our own conclusions about the company.

Blog Neutrality

 

Accentuate the Positive . . . And Manage the Not-So-Positive

At this point, you might be wondering, “Why the heck would I want to put negative information on my Wikipedia page?”

Because if you don’t, someone will.

Let’s say you want to write a Wikipedia page for Company XYZ. You know that Company XYZ was sued for discriminatory hiring practices a few years ago – it was a national news story. And, it’s something that everyone at Company XYZ would love to forget.

While it would be extremely tempting to simply not mention the negative stuff – it’s a really bad idea.

Remember that anyone – anyone at all – can edit Wikipedia. This means that, the minute your page is published, absolutely anyone can add or delete information – even negative and not-so-positive information. As long as that information is supported by significant coverage in neutral, third-party sources, that is.

By including the negative information from the get-go, you are controlling how that information is presented. And, by including the good and the bad, you’re much less likely to end up getting flagged due to a perceived conflict of interest, which looks like this:

Wiki Conflict Of Interest

Staying Neutral

Not sure how to keep things neutral? Sometimes neutrality can be difficult – especially when the subject is something you’re particularly knowledgeable or passionate about.

We could probably write an entire book about neutrality – but in the interest of keeping things brief, we wrote a checklist instead. If you’re concerned about neutrality, here are a few things to keep in mind:

Avoid opinion statements. Let the facts speak for themselves.
Acknowledge differing points of view.
Avoid sales jargon and stick to neutral, clear language.
Don’t include anything that you can’t prove with citations from neutral, third-party sources.
Include all relevant information – positive and negative.

That’s it for neutrality. And, now that we’ve covered the most important Wikipedia “rules,” we’re going to take an in-depth look at content – what to put in, what to leave out, and how to decide length.

Stay tuned!

Stop Brandjacking: Help with Online Brand & Identity Management

Part of protecting your brand, your business, and even your personal online reputation is making sure that others don’t claim your name or try to impersonate you.  So here’s a hint:  sign up your name, brand, and business on every social media site – even if you don’t use it, even if you don’t have plans to ever use it.

Here’s the point:  Until you claim your user handle and stamp a password on it, anyone can claim your name.  Once they have your username, they can do anything with it – like impersonate you, or drag your business in the mud.

It’s actually a really big deal, and it happens to a lot of people.

So to impede those imposters, impersonators, phonies, and frauds from stealing your (or your business’) identity, there’s a handy tool ready to help:  KnowEm.  KnowEm will check your brand, product, business, or personal name on as many as 300 social media sites – and then help you register your name (before someone else does!).

When you reserve your name on all these sites, you’re making it that much harder for people to jack your brand.

Basic service at KnowEm free, and there are also other paid packages that can help you fill out all the forms and profiles.  And here’s a sweet bonus:  having profiles on all those sites can help boost your Web presence and any social media programs (current or future) for your brand or business.

16 More Ways to Build Your Web Credibility

This week, I have to send a big thank-you to one of our awesome clients, Dan K.

After reading our earlier blog post about building web credibility, Dan did a little research on his own and sent us some really cool information about The Stanford Web Credibility Project. This project is studying the components of website credibility, and the site is a great resource for anyone with a website. One of my favorite parts of the site is the Stanford Guidelines for Web Credibility, which offers scientific proof that little things – like having a physical address or correcting typos on your site – can make a big difference.

So, with Stanford as a starting point, I combed the web and put together this list of 16 things you can do to boost your web credibility:

1. Make it easy to contact you – your contact information should include an email address, phone number, and a physical address.

2. Use a professional, industry-appropriate design.

3. Make your site easy to use, and make it easy for visitors to find what they need.

4. Update your site’s content. A blog is a great, quick way to add fresh content. If you don’t have one already, start one.

5. Make sure your site is free of typos, misspelled words, and factual errors. Proofread your content carefully. Even better, have a coworker or detail-oriented friend proof your site for you.

6. Include an “About” page.

7. Post your privacy policy, and make it easy to find.

8. Include a link to your contact information and physical address on every page. People don’t like to spend time searching for your email address or phone number.

9. Use photographs – and try to avoid clip art when possible. Use photos of your actual employees, facilities, etc.

10. Use trust seals.

11. Use customer testimonials and case studies. And, don’t be shy about asking. In most cases, clients who liked your work won’t mind putting in a good word for you.

12. Link to other sites, like trusted organizations, industry experts, anything relevant that you’d like to share with your visitors.

13. Include an FAQ page that answers some basic questions like how your service/product works, payments accepted, return policies (if applicable), anything that might be a point of confusion.

14. Include emblems and/or links if you’re a member of an industry-specific organization.

15. Rein in your creativity: Avoid unusual color combinations (like white text on a black background), and don’t use funky, hard-to-read fonts in your body copy.

16. Don’t write things like “according to research” or “based on recent studies” – unless you can link to a credible study that supports your statement.

Adding a few links or posting customer testimonials may not sound like much, but to the people who visit your site, these small details can be the difference between a new customer and a one-time visitor.

So, check out the Stanford research for yourself — it’s interesting reading. And, thanks again to Dan K. for the information!

If you want to read more for yourself, here are a few resources about web credibility:

Read about “Web Credibility Destroyers”

Losing Control in Social Media Marketing

I recently blogged about a webinar I attended featuring David Meerman Scott. The webinar described what businesses are doing to grab attention for their products and services – both on the web and in the media. (In case you were wondering, there are four ways to do this, which you can read about here in David Meerman Scott’s blog about attracting attention to your business).

During the webinar, Meerman Scott spoke mainly about one particular way to grab attention: by earning it. And the way to do this is through a good social media campaign. I’m going to summarize just a few points that Meerman Scott drove home about creating a successful social media program that really will grab the attention of the folks you’re after.

1. “On the web, you are what you publish.” That was one of the first things that really caught my attention. Online publishing includes just about any online content, including:

• press releases
• ebooks
• blogs
• podcasts
• Twitter and Facebook updates
• whitepapers and viral articles
• videos for YouTube
• and your website itself.

Make sure that, when you publish online, you’ve got useful information that really targets your buyers – what they need, what they’re looking for – and says everything in plain language that we can all understand. If you don’t already circulate press releases, you should start. Or, consider writing a catchy e-book to spark interest in your services. Use any platform you can – YouTube, blogs, Twitter, Facebook – to share your content on the web. Because without content, your blog and your Facebook page, your website, and your Twitter account are nothing but big, blank wastes of Internet space – which translates to your businesses appearing to be the same.

2. Play nice – or, as David Meerman Scott put it, “If you mom would say it’s wrong, it probably is wrong in social media marketing.” You want to use your social media program to foster friendly relationships with bloggers and clients when you’re on the web, not to try and pull the wool over their eyes. People don’t take kindly to marketers using the Internet or social media to play underhanded tricks on them. If you do, you might find yourself in the midst of a major customer and blogger backlash. That means, when you’re publishing content on the web, you need to adhere to the same standards you would in real life: things like transparency, privacy, full disclosure, truthfulness, and giving credit to anyone you might borrow content (or pictures!) from. Call it social media ethics – and if you don’t adhere to this code of conduct, it can really hurt you, as in the case of 3M’s major social media faux pas

3. Lose control. A successful social media campaign might means that you have to relax and encourage people to share information about you. Don’t create marketing and PR messages that try to coerce or brainwash people – people are going to talk about your product/business/service the way they want to. Instead of trying to direct the conversation, give them something to talk about: publish free content – and encourage people to pass it along. Give them added value. Entertain them. You can go so far as to put a Creative Commons license on your content, so people know it’s OK to share.

For a more in-depth look at David Meerman Scott’s social media suggestions, check out his ebook, The New Rules of Viral Marketing.

 

Online Reputation Management

Nearly everyone these days is clamoring for social media marketing services. Savvy business owners are looking to social media marketing for more website traffic, increased brand recognition and loyalty, and myriad other benefits.

But what about online reputation management? That’s one part of social media marketing that sometimes gets lost among the other benefits, which are often perceived as being more lucrative. How could you possibly know what everyone’s saying about your company in the far-reaching corners of the Internet? What does it even matter? Well, it matters plenty. One disgruntled customer can now be heard far and wide, often negating the effects of all the money you’ve spent on your social media marketing campaign.

Unsatisfied consumers won’t hesitate to log onto sites like Yelp, Angie’s List, and Google Maps, and write a negative review. If particularly vitriolic, one review can unspool the five positive reviews of your company posted directly above it. It might not be fair – that bad experience might have been the result of a bad-apple employee that has since been let go – but that review is there.

People visit these sites because they are particularly concerned with quality of product and experience. They’ve got a little bit of a watchdog complex in them. So when customers get on there and complain, they’re doing so to the most attentive audience possible.

What does this mean? You’ve got to fight for your reputation. And you need to be proactive about it. Start a customer loyalty campaign that encourages recent clients to post positive reviews, or at least search for and respond (appropriately) to any negative reviews posted. These responses can be vital, because it gives readers a chance to see that your company cares enough to respond to consumer complaints.

So if you haven’t started already, I highly recommend getting out there and claiming your company’s reputation and identity. That way, any negative review that finds itself posted will have less steam because your company will already be established as a clean, fair, and caring company.