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.