Table of Contents

Introducing The Reputation Economy

1.  How your online reputation controls 80% of your prospective customers
2.  Measuring the effect of your online reputation in dollars and cents
3.  The importance of your Google trail
4.  Monitoring the conversation about your business on the web
5.  Building your online reputation the right way
6.  Promoting your reputation when you’re face to face with the customer.

Google and Search Engine Changes That Effect Your Business

1.  Panda and algorithm updates
2.  What gets your website top placement
3.  Google +1.  What does it mean

Google Maps & Local Search Results Take Over

1.  What is local search and Google Maps
2.  The new Google layout
3.  Getting top placement in 2012
4.  Getting listed on multiple local sites

3rd Party Online Review Sites Become The Big Threat To Local Business

1. Who pays attention to review sites in 2012
2. How reviews sites like Yelp generate their income
3. The best plan for managing review sites
4. Dealing with fowl play from sneaky competitors and ex-employees
5. Where do review sites get their visitors from
6.  Which review sites to list your business with and not list with.

Facebook, Twitter and Social Media Content That Generates Profits.

1. The easy approach to social media for 2012
2. Content on your Facebook & Twitter sells and repels

Introducing The Reputation Economy

1.  How your online reputation controls 80% of your prospective customers

What is surprising to most businesses in 2012 is to discover that over 80% of everyone that responds to their advertising including repeat, referral and word-of-mouth customers are Google-ing their businesses prior to calling, visiting or buying from them.  Another way of looking at it would be to say that if 100 people respond to your advertising or have intentions to contact you 80 % of those will find themselves smack dab in the middle of a Google page long before they show up on your radar.

The scary part..

If that statistic isn’t scary enough here is one that will have you rethinking your entire approach to advertising and marketing.  Only 20% or less of the people that Google you will ever make it to your website or call you.  Yes you heard that right!  That means out of 100 people that respond to your advertising 80% will Google you and only 20% of that number will ever make it to you.  10 years ago they used to just pick up the phone and call you and now out of 100 people that would have called you, you’re lucky if you ever see 35 to 40 of them hit your radar.

Wide this is happening…

We like to call this phenomenon Google distraction disorder or G.D.D.  Sometimes businesses think that their reputation is the cause of Google distraction disorder when in actuality that’s not the issue in and of itself.  The fact of the matter is that when people start to use Google or any other search engine they tend to go into a mental state that creates a short attention span and a sense of hyperactivity.

As an example if you set 100 people down on the Internet and asked them to start Google-ing anything that they would like for 30 minutes and at the end you ask them what was the first thing that they Googled, most of them will not remember.  They will remember the last thing that they Googled but rarely the first.  Between this mental phenomenon and the typical businesses lack of online domination surrounding their brand and business name for the first three pages of Google, we see massive drop offs in advertising and marketing response rates once they hit the Internet.

What to do about it…

The only way to keep people from getting lost in the search engines as they try to respond to your advertising or marketing, which includes repeat and referral customers, is to control the first three pages of Google.  In addition you also have to control third party review sites such as yelp, City Search, insider pages, merchant circle, Google places and your Google map listing.  Any site that your business has a listing and a customer can write a review is an area that you need to control completely.

Any business that can control the first three pages of Google along with third party review sites will simply be more successful and make more money than a business that falls behind the curve.  While quality of service, advertising budgets and price points between competitors can slightly level the playing field, the fact of the matter is that any business that is winning on the Google and third party review sites battlefield simply has a 10-1 advantage over their competition.

Final Wisdom…

If you think that simply logging on to Google, typing in your business name along with reviews and or complaints and not seeing something negative pop off the page means that you are winning the game, you would be wrong.  With that said let’s make you right by giving you the correct viewpoint.  Controlling the first three pages of Google means that you have the ability to take your satisfied customers and have them pop off the page prior to a potential customer clicking on any link.  In other words once they Google you they have to see your reading fans pop right off the page before they click any link that takes them to another page.  Successfully accomplishing this drives your customers to your website into your phone number to a greater degree than would otherwise be possible

2.  Measuring the effect of your online reputation in dollars and cents

In order to find out to what degree your reputation is making or breaking you first you must do some simple math.  Your first step is to determine how many people search for your company or brand on a monthly basis.  Here is a convenient tool that will help you determine that number.   https://adwords.google.com/select/KeywordToolExternal  Simply click on this link and enter your company name.  Then add up the number of times your company is searched in all of its variations.  For right now let’s not pay attention to the global vs. local number but rather focus on which ever number is the highest.

Now to get an idea of your total search volume across all search engines take your total number of searches in Google and add 50% to the number.  So for example if your company is searched 100 times per month adding 50% would give you a grand total of 150 searches.  This number will roughly reflect the number of people the CQ out any given month as a result of responding to your marketing and advertising while including repeat and referral business.

If your total search volume equals more than 135 searches per month, chances are you are hemorrhaging profits as the result of people searching for you and then not making it to you, your website or your phone number.  Once your company reaches that level of search volume it is time to pick up the phone and call us to discuss what options are available for you to retain your advertising response.  But when

3.  The importance of your Google trail

If you’re like most people the first question that probably pops into your mind is “What exactly is my Google trail”?  Your Google trail consists of what people see over the first three pages of Google when your company in a searched.  The importance of what people see as they walk down your Google trail is critical to the survival and prosperity of your business.  The first thing that needs to be visible is of course your website if one exists and your Google maps page if you or listed in their directory.  However the fact of the matter is that most people scroll down the first page of Google looking for other detailed information.

Scrolling down the first page of Google is almost a physiological response based on how we are accustomed to searching.  It’s simply the habit that we have and it causes us to react first and think second.  So while most people would think that their website is the most important thing to pop up in Google, the reality consists of a slightly different picture.

The most important thing that can consistently your Google trail is the voices of your most satisfied customers.  This doesn’t mean that a third party review sites pops up for them to click on an region reviews but rather your actual individual customers pop up in the first three pages of Google and tell your story instantly as if Google is the home page of your website.  In the end if you control your Google trail you control your income.

4.  Monitoring the conversation about your business on the web

As part of a healthy ongoing reputation diet you need a method of consistently monitoring the conversation on the Internet about your company as well as any surrounding elements that made directly affected.  If you are reading this you should have access to our reputation tracking system already complete with your login and password.  The reputation tracker is a highly effective tool and monitoring social Media Networks along with other sites where individuals may post comments about you or your company on the Internet.

The reputation tracker is different from Google alerts in that it monitors the web sites directly rather than waiting until they become indexed in a search engine.  This is called active listening and it can be for more effective by alerting you to alarming conversations and comments before they reach the search engines.  We have all heard the stories about how effective amounts of prevention can be and nothing could be more truthful when it comes to your reputation on the Internet.

Regardless of how stellar your customer service practices are or how well you run your company, the fact of the matter is that someone will write something either untruthful or simply discriminating on the Internet about you and your company.  In fact current statistics show that between 30 and 40% of all negative comments posted on the Internet come from competitors and ex employees so you can rest assured that your company will fall into the reputation mix up.

If you have access to our system you can set up a large to notify you on your e-mail anytime you or your company comes up as a subject on the most relevant sites throughout the Internet.  If you ever need any help in interpreting the reports for understanding how to use the system we are always here to assist you so please do not hesitate to call or contact us.

5.  Building your online reputation the right way

Successfully building your company’s reputation starts and stops with your level of awareness as to how important it really is and how much money it can make or lose you.  Building your online reputation should be a line item expense in your fixed operating budget that you set and forget.

The next step is to begin collecting testimonials from your customers in the form of emails, letters, reviews or through any other form of communication.  One might think that the key of having a successful online reputation that is visible to your customers on the Internet revolves around simply doing a good job and doing business the right way but this would be untrue.  There are hundreds of thousands of businesses across the U.S.  That do business the right way and or virtually unrecognized on the web for their good deeds.  The only way to build your reputation the right way is to take your positive customers and their support and using digital

6.  Promoting your reputation when you’re face to face with the customer.

Unfortunately most businesses that are proactive in the reputation game are limited to suggesting to their customers that they go to a third party review site and write a review.  Consequently this is a recipe for disaster.

But with that said the first key to building an online reputation with a face to face customer is to be able to identify and track who your best customers actually are.  But of course it goes without saying that you should do a good job and have a best practices policy for dealing with customers but as we’ve mentioned before that a lone just doesn’t cut the mustard.  Since the only way to leverage are satisfied customers is to move their testimonials to the web, we simply must identify who are best customers are so we know to target.

With reputation accelerator we have a system for identifying your best customers, having them write reviews and making sure they and only they are promoted to go to third party review sites to promote you even further on the World Wide Web.  We understand that identifying a business is best customers and then systematically having a marketing campaign to direct them to third party review sites can be an extremely labor intensive process.  It is for this reason that we design and develop the review accelerator which is available for your use and any time.

Regardless if you use our automated system or you do it the old fashioned way with a slide rule and a crank telephone from the 1920s, the reality is that it must be done to be competitive in today’s market in literally any industry.

Google and Search Engine Changes That Effect Your Business

1.  Panda and other algorithm updates

But if you have spent any time in business you certainly broached the subject of search engine optimization and having your business up here in the search engine rankings.  You’ve also probably pull your hair out on more than one occasion trying to decide which were owed to go down.  The challenge with deciding on any road revolves around the fact that the search engines and especially Google constantly change their algorithms, which completely and frequently changes the game plan for success.

In our business we specialize in distributing thousands of pieces of content all over the web on behalf of our customers which consist of their satisfied customer’s testimonials.  So while we are not a search engine optimization company we must be experts in getting the content that we distribute ranked in the search engines in order to control the first three pages of Google.  As such we have become highly proficient and knowledgeable at what it takes to be successful within Google, yahoo and Bing.

While there are thousands of recipes and concepts for how to get rank in the search engines, we have found that it all boils down to some core values and practices.  The long and short of it is that your content must be unique, relevant, valuable and consistent with your company’s products or services.  The second key to success revolves around where you send your content, how much of it you send, to what sites and how often you send it.

2.  What gets your website top placement on search engines?

In the end there are only two ways to conquer the search engines.  The first way is to optimize your website by implementing tactics and techniques that attract and help the search engines understand what you do and how relevant it is to their users.  The second way which accounts for about 70% revolves around creating external content on the web that is well optimize and links back to your site promoting your company.  Considering this is the subjects that we can go one and talk about four HRS we will refine it by simply saying that website optimization consists of only two parts.  The first part is optimization of your website and the second part consists of all things you do externally that link back to your website.

In 2012 the search engines have released more algorithm updates than any year in history.  This has made search engine optimization both trick here, more time consuming and vastly more expensive.  The key for any business that does not hire an outside agency is to stick to the basics while not attempting to single hand from death defying search engine feat that will result in getting your sites and boxed were blacklisted by the search engines.

We currently run and operate the largest online content distribution platform in the world with a direct line to both third party social networking sites and all the major search engines.  While we are not a search engine optimization company the fact of the matter is our service is very effective and assisting you in optimizing your search results and your Google map listings.  If this is a subject you become or are interested in please do not hesitate to give us a call to discuss your options further.

3.  Google +1.  What does it mean?

If you do much searching, you’ve probably noticed the new Google +1 feature in the search rankings.  This feature is designed to give any Google user with a Gmail account the ability to recommend search results as they scroll through the Internet.  On one hand it’s almost like giving search engine results a star rating as if you were reviewing something on a third party review site.  On the other hand this new system gives search engine rankings over to the public sector to control and influence.

While the new Google +1 system brings the social element into search rankings it may or may not affect actual rankings of particular web site listings as this remains to be seen.

Google Maps & Local Search Results Take Over

1.  What is local search and Google Maps

If you’re in business for yourself and you still don’t know what Google maps local search listings are its time to go back to the basics and do a little research.  Essentially Google maps and local search listings are the same thing.  They go under the name Google places as well as other pet names depending on what circle you’re in.

Your Google places listing is essentially a yellow page style listing for your business.  Google is spending an infinite amount of money and time perfecting its maps services and the Geo location of your business and others like it is the forefront of the Google places service.

Adding your listing to Google Places is free, and Google doesn’t accept payment to include particular listings or sites in our search results. However, we do offer locally-targeted advertising through.  Every business listing must have a mailing address. If you work from home or you are a mobile business you can specify a “service area” in the sign up process and choose to hide your physical address.

There should be only one listing per physical location. Even if you cover multiple towns, you should instead use the description of your business or categories to explain the different services for your business.

2.  The new Google local search and maps layout

Essentially Google has stretched the local map listings for a typical yellow page style search across the first full page of the search results.  This means in most cases you will not see an organic results until you scroll to the bottom of the first page.  This has been a complete game changer and now the importance of having your map listings optimized and showing up have become critical to the success of your business.  Here is a more detailed description .

Google has now clustered search results around specific locations so you can more easily make comparisons and decide where to go. Say you’re looking for that great barbecue restaurant with live music. With Place Search here’s what you’ll get:

The new results are marked with red pins, and each one is a unique restaurant with relevant information and links from across the web.  I can see that Stubb’s has live music, and I can click citysearch.com, tripadvisor.com and other sites to read reviews. In the past, the same search would return links with information about Stubb’s in different parts of the results page (here’s a screenshot of what it used to look like). Now information is grouped conveniently to make it easier to digest and compare.

Place Search results is appearing automatically on Google when they predict you’re looking for local information.  In addition, you’ll find a new link for “Places” in the left-hand panel of the search results page so you can switch to these results whenever you want.  For example, when I’m in New York, I love to go out and play foosball, but a search for [foosball] doesn’t automatically show me Place Search results. If I click “Places” I get the new view:

3.  Getting top search placement in 2012

The absolute best way for local brick and mortar businesses to gain search engine rankings and 2012 is through strategized content distribution plan coupled with the building of an online community that Google and interpret for your business.  Distributing content on a large scale combined with building a community on review sites in social networks will garner your website higher rankings and inventor who will footprint across the first three pages than any other endeavor.  Considering that 80% of the people that consider calling you or doing business with you see your Google home page before anything else we would highly recommend that you take it seriously and yet crack in before your closest competitor gains.  This is something that our company can more than help you with within a shoestring budget and without you having to look more than a finger so if you’re picking up what we are throwing down we would certainly invite a phone call.

4.  Getting listed on multiple local sites

But as we just mentioned above one of the keys to getting you Google maps listing rank in the search engine results as well as your website is to build a community that Google can detect.  The fastest way to accomplish this is through listing your business on third party review sites.  This however is backfiring for most businesses because controlling the third party review sites can be a nightmare.  This is where we come in and to the picture.

Once your business has listings on the most influential third party review sites (although there are a few we would like to warn you about), to the next step use to build positive reviews.  As we have mentioned earlier simply letting your customers know that you are listed and to recommend that they review you is a bad idea.  The only way to survive the review sites got what used to control the traffic flow to the sites and to make sure that you get in front of your customers and know what their reviews are as often as possible before they go public.  This is something that we have an automated solution for that does not require any effort on your part.

3rd Party Online Review Sites Become The Big Threat To Local Business

1. Who pays attention to review sites in 2012

This is a question that everyone is seemingly asking and the answer we will give you is most likely different than any ensure you will hear from any other source.  You see typically the review sites show up and get their traffic as a result of a customer searching for your business on a search engine such as Google.  So if you control your Google you can control the amount of real estate third party review sites require under your business name.  This is why we always say to control your Google is to control your income.

While this may be the case the fact of the matter is however that third party review sites will always be a part of your Google home page.  When you’re utilizing our service they simply aren’t clicked on nearly as much or given as much weight as they are or would be otherwise.  This is because we give your customers a powerful voice that you can control for the first three pages of Google, which of course changes the entire game.  Still managing third party review sites is key because they get traffic and they are only growing in their popularity.

2. How reviews sites like Yelp generate their income

But like we touched on earlier review sites generate their traffic by dovetailing searches for specific business names such as yours.  Usually when you start typing in a business name in Google it will recommend that you search for their name combined with the word reviews and or complaints among other combinations.  This is where a third party review sites strike as the result of their websites being search optimized for your business name as a key word or search term.

It is estimated that approximately 90% of all traffic to third party review sites are generated from search engines such as Google when a customer is looking for a specific business which is usually the result of responding to their advertising or word-of-mouth marketing.

3. The best plan for managing review sites

But at this point you may already know the answer to this question.  The key to managing review sites is to know who your best customers are and then to selectively move them pours the review sites in a coffee drip fashion.  If you move too many people towards third party review sites to quickly they will soon dominate your Google home pages and search results.

Like we said before to controlled Google is to control your income so while we want to build third party review sites and your reviews we want to do it sparingly as possible in a controlled fashion.  With that said remember the words and selectively and sparingly.  The word selectively means to know and select your best customers while the word sparingly means to carefully and methodically send your customers to third party review sites in a methodical fashion.  As we’ve mentioned before this is something we have an automated product for that can achieve your review site management goals without your daily involvement and without straining your budget.

4. Dealing with fowl play from sneaky competitors and ex-employees

It is estimated that between 30 and 40% of all negative reviews on third party review sites come from competitors and ex employees.  Because the nature of third party review sites allows people to post comments in an anonymous fashion it has become a breeding ground for black PR and unethical guerrilla marketing.

If that didn’t make matters bad enough what’s even worse is that you the business owner has no recourse to alter the content on a third party review site and rarely will they remove it for you based on your complaint or even a lawsuit.  Third party review sites learned long ago that the more content they have on their sites that qualify for an episode of Jerry Springer, the more traffic they get.  The more traffic they get the more ads they displayed and the more money they make plain and simple.

The most effective way to combat foul play on third party review sites is through a steady but restrained flow of positive reviews.  Remember when it comes to third party review sites you’re as good as your last review and with that in mind the answer becomes rather obvious.

6.  Which review sites to list and not list your business on.

In theory you should be able to list your business on every third party review site and all things should turn out equal.  Unfortunately this is simply not the case due to the fact that differ review sites have different business models and different sales tactics.  In other words so review sites are passive and non-biased while others are predatory in nature.  Some review sites you never hear anything about and others are getting sued daily across the nation.

But knowing which review sites are predatory and which ones are business friendly is the key in setting up an effective third party review site management program.  Ideally you want to support third party review sites that are non predatory by nature so that you may be assured that the sites that show up in your Google search or as friendly as possible.

As part of our service we will consult and manage this aspect of your online reputation from soup to nuts so if you’re still building your listings across the third party review sites please do not hesitate to give us a call as we would love to speak with you.

Facebook, Twitter and Social Media Content That Generates Profits.

1. The easy approach to social media for 2012

But social media is one of the hottest and most stressful topics for businesses of all sizes across the U.S.  Businesses are asking all types of questions regarding Facebook, twitter, blogs and other social media spaces.  One of the most common questions we hear surrounds what type of content to post on Facebook and twitter.  Creating a Facebook and twitter account is easy and making an occasional comment does not require an additional staff member by any means but knowing what content to post on a regular basis that sells your business is a different story.

The easy approach to winning with social media for 2012 revolves around the idea of posting consistent content on a regular basis on both face book and media that your perspective customers can identify with and reflects the spirit of whom you really are is a business.  With that said let’s get down to our next topic and discuss the matter more directly.

2. Content on your Facebook & Twitter that sells and repels

Remember that you’re not judged on your Facebook presence until you actually have one.  While Facebook isn’t always the best lead generator for your business, it is the best judge of your character.  Once you have a Facebook account and it is visible on the web you can be rest assured that your customers will log and use it as a deciding factor as to whether or not to do business with you.  As a result, content is certainly king when it comes to social media.

The best content to post on your Facebook and twitter would consist of your testimonials and positive reviews from your best customers.  Nothing on your social media spaces will sell your new prospects faster than an existing customer telling the world how much they love you.

You can try a coupons, promotions, funny pictures, humor, slander or anything else that comes to mind to post on your Facebook and twitter and they will all failed in comparison to third party testimonials hands down.  As part of our service we have a program called the social media accelerator.  This program will ensure that you have positive customer testimonials regularly posted to your social media accounts in such a manner that will truly sell your business to your prospects.  Once again please do not hesitate to give us a call.

Conclusion:

In business usually the best tactic is to pick a rope and climb it however when it comes to your online reputation, the search engines and social media, which were up you pick will spell the difference between failure and success.  With that said we truly hope that you pick wisely and pick sooner than later.

Remember we’re always here to speak with you and look forward to talking with you.

Sincerely,

The Team @ Reputation Accelerator
877-874-9737 ext 121

http://ReputationAccelerator.com