How to Fix Business Listings, Even Though You Did Everything Right
The week has been spectacular. You made your deadlines, connected with new potential creative partners and added your business listing (free of cost) to Google My Business. To high five the weekend, you meet a friend at the neighborhood coffee house and recap the glory. Excitedly, you pull out your iPhone and search for your […]
How to Add a Virtual Address to Your GMB Page
If you’ve ever watched David Copperfield—one of the highest ranked and wealthiest magicians of this era—perform his tricks, it’s no joke. You’ve been utterly mystified. Copperfield can escape from a locked cell on Alcatraz. He’s made it through the Great Wall of China. Flying on stage isn’t uncommon, either. Adding your virtual address to your […]
Learning from the Little Guy: Local Search Marketing for Big Brands
From Chipotle to Starbucks to Whole Foods, there are several national (even world wide) businesses that have managed to become the popular neighborhood go-to. They feel like your hometown coffee shop or grocery store, whether you’re shopping down the block from your front stoop or across the country in New Jersey on a work trip. […]
5 Ways to Build Customer Loyalty (without spending a dime)
Whether you’re a real estate agent or a chef, an entrepreneur’s common goal of growing business (because no matter how altruistic one is, we are in it for business) depends greatly on customer loyalty. First step’s first: define the purpose of your brand. Your brand reflects your mission and the identity of your service or […]
The Best Online Review Sites: Which Platforms Do Customers Trust Most?
Last October, I took a grand travel stint. I explored the trails and waves of Maui, ate my way around New York City and celebrated a friend’s wedding in Asheville, NC. Roaming consecutively, from one place to the next, I didn’t have the luxury to plan out every pit stop—though, quite honestly, that’s my preferred […]
Attack of the Machines: Tracking Sentiment with Automation
Did we just walk into a carnival? Nope. We’re actually in an energetic room full of entrepreneurs. Small business owners are around-the-clock jugglers. More than an artist or boutique manager, they are the budgeter, interior designer, cleaner and product manager. They pick up the phone, meet-and-greet customers, organize the schedule and fine-tune the recipes. But, […]
7 Social Media Tips for Small Businesses to Stand Out
From Foursquare to Twitter to Pinterest, social media continues to evolve and thrive—and completely mystify many small business owners. Which media channel should you use? When should you post? And, uh, what’s the point? There are tons of tough questions surrounding social media use. Last January, at the 2015 SnowSports Industries America (SIA) Snow Show […]
Step Aside Millennials: How to Market to Generation X
With the media spotlight often hitting Millennials, marketing to Gen X may seem like a total mystery. How can businesses reach them? Who is Generation X? A pool of nearly 50 million, Generation X comprises 16 percent of our U.S. makeup and ranges in age from about 39 to 50-years old. Gen Xers are sandwiched […]
7 Ways to Help Google Track Your Local Business
Local businesses are the heart of a community’s economic success, but they often face similar issues online that they do at their storefront—getting the same attention as larger companies that have more financial resources. Small bookstores, for example, don’t get the same notice as Barnes & Noble or Amazon, and small business owners might wonder […]
How to Tell if Your Competitor Is Using Fake Online Reviews
Not all news is good news. When you own a business—especially an independent brick-and-mortar establishment—you have to be prepared to accept feedback from everyone, even a few unhappy customers. However, it’s not all bad: Receiving a tough review is an excellent growth opportunity. Less than ideal feedback truly helps service providers and product developers improve […]
