Dojo Nation Dojo Nation - March 2015 | Page 73

LOCAL LISTINGS LET PEOPLE KNOW ABOUT YOUR BUSINESS Like the old Yellow Pages phone directories, local listing directories allow you to promote your business address and phone number in a profile so that they can display on their website. This alone will give you a leg up on your competitors if your business is listed on these sites and they are not. Local Listings offer a lot more information and more chances to interact with customers than those big heavy phone books of the past. LOCAL LISTINGS, REVIEWS & YOU It’s no secret that customer reviews can have a dramatic impact on your business. Word of mouth has always been a huge influence on buying decisions and customer reviews can make that decision easier. Almost 9 out of 10 people consider online reviews as trustworthy over recommendations from their friends. Now that’s some serious influence! But you should also know the importance of your own responses to reviews. You can thank positive reviewers and reinforce those warm & fuzzies between your business and that particular customer. This creates brand loyalty and super fans of your business. You should respond to negative reviews by issuing an apology, offering an explanation, or by emphasizing your good points. Responding to nega- tive reviews can minimize the damage they can cause. There’s also the chance that the reviewer may reconsider their negative review simply because you responded and showed them you care. Nearly a third of all negative reviews are updated to positive reviews just because somebody acknowledged their issue. CITATIONS ARE A GOOD THING- GO GRAB THEM If you haven’t done so yet. it’s time prioritize local your listings. Most local directories don’t charge a thing, yet they can really make a difference in a multitude of ways. It doesn’t take much time or effort to get your business listed and as a small business owner, capitalizing on cost effective resources to grow your business just makes good business sense.