Online marketing websites and blogs are filled with advice about the importance of your website and social-media accounts to overall business. Basic content will get the job done, but exceptional content will keep customers coming back. If you post a glutton of articles and other meaningless pieces of information, current and prospective customers could be turned off.
The Internet is generally considered an informal medium. In your online reputation management efforts, use a conversational tone that will attract and engage readers. Consider the websites that you read on a daily basis and collect information about what works and doesn't work for them. These websites likely contain a certain voice that resonates with you, along with information relevant to your interests. Remember that hundreds of thousands of websites contain similar content, but a unique voice will stand out from the crowd.
Be mindful of online reviews
In January-February 2013, BrightLocal performed a survey on consumer behavior that observed buying decisions about local products and services. The survey focused on North America, with 90 percent of respondents residing in the United States and the other 10 percent in Canada. Unsurprisingly, online reviews had a distinct impact on local businesses.
One of the survey's questions involved the perusal of online reviews before making a buying decision. Eighty-five percent of respondents read online reviews regarding local businesses, more than the 76 percent from the 2012 edition.
In the survey, consumers said that they depend on reviews for entertainment (restaurants, 61%), medical care (doctors/dentists, 32%) and several other categories. In order to turn Internet users into customers, businesses must establish and maintain a solid online reputation.
If your reviews are not presenting your business in a favorable manner, it could result in loss of sales and a decrease in customer traffic. A significant portion of consumers will form their opinions based on these ratings and reviews.
If you're a local business manager or owner, you shouldn't lean on advertisements alone to build and manage your brand reputation. Rather than relying on one-way communication to contact your audience, you must listen to their questions and concerns and address any issues swiftly in order to earn their trust. Positive reviews will serve to recommend your services and products to other online consumers.
Be creative with your voice
If you're unsure of your website's voice, or the tone of your social-media accounts, then customers probably aren't connecting with your message. To further define your voice, determine the key messages about your products and services.
Your content should provide value to the audience. Many businesses will simply copy the information from industry competitors. By relaying the same information as other websites, your customers will view your content as a blur. The best solution is to adopt certain aspects of their website and put your own innovative spin on it.
You must go beyond capturing readers' initial attention and continue building interest in your products and services by offering content.
-Attractive formatting
Formatting your content properly will ensure that readers follow along until the last line. Use headlines and sub-headlines to separate text so that readers will have an easier time understanding content.
-Simple, easy-to-read text
When it comes to creating high-quality content that will connect with readers, keep paragraphs to approximately 4-5 sentences so that your content doesn't appear overwhelming.
-Eye appeal
Post pictures that will break up your text and retain the reader's attention. After applying these simple rules, adopt the mindset of readers and browse each piece of content. Ask yourself if you're visually intrigued by the content layout.
Ask for professional guidance
At times, you must consult an online reputation management expert that can provide the necessary tools. An online reputation management company will offer consistent and effective social media optimization and search engine optimization services to support your business. Their fine-tuned strategies will assist in alleviating the pressure of negative online reviews. As a result of their efforts, your business will experience an increase in customer traffic and conversions.
The Internet can be a terrific educational and entertainment resource. People have unprecedented access to content with just a few taps on the keyboard. When most Internet users visit your website, they want to be informed or entertained.
If your content fails to solve the problems of your customers, it's quite likely that they will find the information less than desirable. How do you fix this issue? Determine what are the key problems they face and then address them within the content.
You can accomplish this goal through social-media polls, customer surveys or several other techniques. The most important aspect of this process is observing the issues of your readers and providing them with solutions.
As you're assessing your website's content, it's important to note that you might not be experiencing any of these issues. Online marketing is a constant process that involves monitoring customer issues and improving their consumer experience. If you stay alert, you can improve your website traffic and content engagement.