One of the advantages of utilizing online tools like Yelp and Yahoo Local to promote your business is that it also allows you to learn more about your business from your customers while spreading the word about your products or services.
There are the naysayers who try and scare you by saying that when you have a presence online, your disgruntled customers are going to seek you out and complain publically for the world to see about your business and scare away other customers. This may be true, though wouldn’t you rather have the chance to do something about this rather then have them complain to their friends (and anyone that will listen) about how much you suck with no way of correcting it?
There’s a long lists of websites like Yelp and Yahoo Local that allow you to post and promote your business. You will also be able to monitor these sites to find out how you’re doing and if there is a problem, you can respond directly to show that you care and you want to ensure the best possible experience.
You may think that your business doesn’t have to worry about this, though due to the popularity of these sites and ease of use, your businesses may have already been added by the websites themselves or by your customers. Don’t’ forget, social media is all about sharing your experiences!!!
So, rather then letting a 3rd party be in control of your web presence, take the time to register your business and make it a habit to monitor them!! I’ll provide some easy steps to follow, which will help you monitor your online presence in a future post.
You can put out the fires before they spread….
Giddyup
