Customer Relationship Management Is Easy and Immediate with Hyper Local Social Media

While some people might believe social media is a passing fad, they’d be wrong. As a savvy business owner, you’re well-aware that this type of media is here to stay – and that it can have a big effect on your business.

Developing and maintaining your customer base is one of your major focal points. Social media allows you to quickly reach out to your existing customers and interact directly with them, showing them that you are responsive to their needs and suggestions. This builds loyalty and positive word-of-mouth, which will increase your business in the long run.

Happy customers broadcasting their experiences on social media can easily earn you a lot of attention – but so can unhappy customers. Good news spreads fast; bad news spreads even faster. Luckily, you can improve upon these relationships just as easily. Social media allows you the opportunity to enhance – and even repair – customer relationships.

You know that it is key to reward your most loyal customers and appease those who report a negative experience.

With just a little clever customer relationship management at the local level, you can quickly and effectively address reviews  (both good and bad) on social media. Your positive message can go viral and be seen by many in a short amount of time. With only a small expense on your part (for example, a gift card to make up for a negative experience right as it happens at a particular location, a free dessert for a local loyal customer), your location-based marketing efforts can stretch far and wide. 

You're provided with a separate social page for each of your business locations. When a customer "checks in" to a location via CheckInPage, he or she will be presented with a Facebook Page-like "Wall" and other similar tools created specifically for real-time feedback at that location. You can reward such engagement and unveil information that no other tool can extract - your customer's honest thoughts and impressions at any particular location right as each is taking place! CheckInPage introduces hyper local social media and is by far the most powerful, mutually beneficial tool to date.

Encourage your customers to report their experiences – positive or negative – directly to you. By doing so, you have the chance to immediately rectify a problem or reward a loyal customer. Setting the record straight allows you to be seen favorably, increasing the chances that a negative experience could actually increase business to your location. Never be afraid of critiques – instead, use it as an opportunity to win over a whole new set of customers with your positive response.

Take advantage of all the new social media – including CheckInPage.com – to improve your customer relationships where it counts most - at the local level. Contact us today to find out how we can help you. Let us help your good news travel fast from the place it originates.

3 ways to address Location-Based Customer Feedback Privacy Concerns

Studies of Privacy in Location-Based Applications show that in general, people have significant concerns about broadcasting their location to others. These concerns may be one of the main reasons that Location-Based Customer Feedback services have been slow to enter the mainstream.  The changing social norms that come with new developments in technology will undoubtedly help Location-Based Customer Feedback grow to become an integral part of a small business’ marketing plan. Attitudes about location information will shift over time. Until then, you can help your customers relax a bit by integrating these three tips into your marketing plan.

1. The Opt-Out; There may be some concern that “big brother is watching” when a customer checks in at a physical location. To keep that concern from weighing in on whether they decide to check in or not, it’s important to remind them that they can choose to limit the availability of that information.  Facebook offers its users the option to customize their location information. By default, friends can check you in. But a customer can limit that by changing their security settings. Be ready to speak intelligently to your customers about Facebook policies and options.
2. Tip the Scales; By offering a rewards program to your customers who check in, you give them more of a reason to take a moment to announce to 400 of their closest friends where they are spending their busy Saturday afternoon. When they go the extra mile and complement your business, or write a review, take a moment to acknowledge them.
3. Educate you customer; A more technically savvy user will be more likely to check in at your location from their mobile device than someone who isn’t as comfortable with the process. If you are encouraging your customers to use a Location-Based Customer Feedback application, it’s important that you (and your staff) become familiar enough with the action that you can show them how to use it if they ask for help.

For more information on Location-Based Customer Feedback, please contact us.

Extend Facebook Page to Your Physical Location but watch your feedback closely

Facebook has become vitally important for every business. Whether you have a physical location or not, with a few clicks, your potential customers can see uncensored opinions from people who have experienced what you have to offer. Word of mouth advertising has reached a new level of importance in the marketing plan of the business owner.

For business owners who are immersed in the day to day operations of making the place run smoothly, stopping to check their Facebook page is going to fall pretty low on the list of priorities. It may not seem crucial. Actually, many potential customers will be doing a search on Facebook to check and see what people are saying before they drive across town to check you out. If someone in your community came up against a growly employee, or had to stand in line too long, or just didn’t like your French fries, it could cost you another customer. So it’s important to stay on top of what’s being said on your Facebook page; especially with the larger number of people who are willing to check in at your place of business and comment using their smart phone while they are actually there. Those in-the-moment reactions to your business carry a lot of weight. Maybe more than a well thought out ad campaign.

This is an incredible opportunity. Social Media offers the business person a means by which to actually engage their customers instead of just talking at them via normal advertising channels. When it comes to Social ROI, the money won’t start coming your way until you get your arms around what’s happening on your Facebook page. If you are doing a great job of engaging your customers, you are also handling any negativity swiftly, and that activity automatically extends your Facebook page to your physical location.

For more information on how to use social media to your advantage and integrate it into your marketing plan, contact us.

Location-Based Marketing Attracts Customers From Near and Far

You’ve no doubt heard the saying “location is everything.” In today’s social media, this most certainly is the case with the popularity of location-based marketing. Websites such as Facebook, Foursquare, and Gowalla continue to experience tremendous growth as consumers use their smartphones to  “check-in” and share information on their favorite retail outlets and products. Even several major corporations such as AT&T, Kmart, Hewlett-Packard, and SC Johnson have jumped aboard the location-based marketing bandwagon by offering coupons when consumers are in the vicinity of their products.

It is becoming clear to retailers that location-based services is an important key to driving foot traffic among consumers who are in the mindset to make a purchase and the performance of these programs is demonstrating that mobile and location can increase average order value, frequency and loyalty. -Alistar Goodman, CEO of Placecast, San Francisco.

This type of marketing is a win-win situation for both business and consumer. In this day and age of immediate information dissemination, one can “shout out” to their friends and family where they are at any given moment and what they are doing there. Businesses, looking to profit from this phenomenon, can offer discounts and coupons to customers via smartphone in their immediate area. At the same time, customers can share photos and recommendations with their contacts, eventually driving even more business to the company.

Some companies are taking location-based marketing rewards a step further by offering points to customers which they can accumulate to cash in for gift cards to such places as Itunes, Amazon.com, and Target. These incentives have also proved to be quite successful in attracting customers.

If your business is contemplating using location-based marketing, there is no better time to start implementing a program. With many consumers using smartphones to search and label their locations, potential customers are just waiting in the wings to take advantage of offers. Contact us at CheckInPage for more information on how your company can benefit from location-based marketing. 

Location-Based Marketing: No longer Hollywood science fiction.

Get ready folks, because coming over the horizon is a new marketing shift that is going to blow away lot of people. The new marketing buzz word you will be hearing around the office is Near Field Communications (NFC) and yes… this new technology is strait out of Hollywood science fiction. Quietly the infrastructure for this Location-Based Marketing revolution is being put into place as more and more people are purchasing and powering up their new smart phones.

NFC technology facilitates the quick dissemination of rich media content to consumer’s cell phones in market areas where customers are more inclined to act upon digital call- to-actions. Examples of this could include ideas like Nike adverting new shoes to people working out at the gym, Ketle One Vodka alerting bar patrons to their new premium beverage or movie goers asked to give their opinion about next summer’s blockbuster trailer on their cell phone while standing in line for their popcorn with butter. There seems to be no end to the possibilities associated with NFC tags.

As the roll out of NFC enable devices continues, we will soon begin to see advertisers spending less of their budgets on print media and more of their dollars in other areas with NFC targeted ads. The concept is easy to get here…Why use an expensive “Shot Gun” blast like print media when you can employ a “Sniper Round” NFC alert and engage an inclined consumer?

Recently an NFC campaign for hoteltonight.com produced stunning results. The company, which sells last minute deals on hotel rooms, wanted to promote their new cell phone app. Screen ads were used over a six month period in airports in San Francisco and New York City where interested NFC users could download the hoteltonight.com app. After racking up 15,000 engagements they found that more than half of the users downloaded the app to either their iPhone or Andriod device.

Advertising is just one of the areas where NFC technology and devices will be influential. Already in Japan, the technology has re-fashioned the individual smart phone into a digital wallet or purse; with simple point and shoot payment action. As well as, quick dissemination of information from one device to another, such as, bumping phones together to trade business card information.

This new digital marketing horizon is not far off… Consider contacting us to learn more about Location-Based Marketing.

Reward Loyal Customers and Earn Revenue With Check In Commerce

With a little ingenuity, and not much investment, you can take advantage of check-ins to your location to increase your revenue stream. Trying your hand at location-based marketing programs can pay off big for you -- and for your customers.

It is important to get customers into your store. But even more important is getting them to return. According to a report in the January 2011 article in Inc. magazine, it costs businesses five to nine times as much to acquire a new customer as it does to keep an existing one. How can you use social media to earn revenue with check-in commerce? Simple incentives can pay off big. Consider offering check-in incentives, like those below, to your most loyal customers.

• Consider offering randomly awarded $5 or $10 gift cards to your establishment on a certain day. Not only will you increase foot traffic on that particular day, you’ll likely get many repeat customers checking in again to see what your latest deal is.
• Offer small incentives (free small coffee, free chips, etc.) to your top check-in each time he or she visits. Advertising the top check-in rewards to all your customers will have them all interested in competing for the top spot.
• Reward your frequent customers when they recommend your business to five or more friends.

While your customer enjoys a positive experience through rewards, you are building brand awareness, increasing customer loyalty and improving profits. A win-win situation for all of you.

When you’re ready to increase your business through check-ins, contact us.

Amplify Your Local Voice; but first cover the basics

Many small business owners have learned to make the internet world work hard for them. They’ve established an online following through social media networking, and maintain an active, complete website with an updated blog and tons of relevant information. But many more have not.

Here are a few things you need to have taken care of before you dive into the world of social media integration:

1. Check your security. Small business financial theft and fraud is one of the fastest growing crimes that the FBI is taking on. It’s a $100 million dollar problem. Watch your back. The threat to small businesses is very real, and you need good security software. Monitor your social media and keep your staff in line by making sure they are following protocol.
2. Back it up. Don’t have a forehead slapping moment when your computer crashes and you lose days, or even weeks, worth of work. Run the back up every day.
3. Know what your software can do for you. Most small business owners pay for a lot of features they never get to use. Check out the websites owned by the developers of your software. Take a few minutes to tour the features, and make sure that you can use anything that will make your life easier.
4. Be awesome online. Even if you are a “small” small business, you need to have an online presence that is polished, interesting, and alive. Your customers are looking for you online; maybe before they walk through your door.
5. Amplify your local voice. When you are ready to make your social media speak to your customers, draw them in, and offer them a chance to react to what your business offers, contact us.