Chatbots, or online virtual assistants, have seen explosive growth as customer communication tools this year, especially as more people stayed home and looked for “safe” ways to get answers and communicate with businesses. But what exactly do chatbots do and how do they work?

Let’s take a look at what chatbots are, what they can do for you and explore some popular chatbot options available for businesses and marketing teams.

What exactly is a chatbot?

Chatbot technology uses language processing and artificial intelligence to understand what a human is looking for and then adjusts its response to help users get answers. Two of the best-known chatbots today are iPhone’s Siri and Amazon’s Alexa.

All online chat services – whether live or not – are designed to improve customer service, provide information and answer common questions. They can also provide website or mobile app visitors with a quick way to reach out for answers on more complex questions.

Live online chat services use a person from your team or from a call centre who communicates online with customers by typing. These systems use a chatbot to get a conversation going, but in live chat, the bot “pings” a human user after taking some very basic information from the customer and then the rest of the conversation is live.

With a system that doesn’t include live interaction with a human, a chatbot often collects information so that a human can follow up. The chatbot also may be able to provide answers to basic questions it can recognise.

There are currently two main types of chatbots being used by businesses:

• Rule-based chatbots are the most common. After an initial greeting and “question” by the bot, prospects select an answer and the bot responds based on their answers and guides them in the right direction (using additional questions, if needed). Ultimately, users enter their contact information so that a human can follow up.
• AI-based chatbots use artificial intelligence to recognise patterns and “learn” as they go. They’re built by developers and add to their existing base of information to become “smarter” the more they interact with people.

How companies are using chatbots

Chatbots are useful for all kinds of businesses, but retail and healthcare are two industries that have taken great advantage of them during COVID.

Hospitals, clinics and healthcare teams have been stretched to their limits, so have used chatbots to help “screen” patients for COVID symptoms, offer help and advice, steer patients to the right departments online and provide information on how to stay safe. In the future, chatbots may be used as a standard part of the triage process in hospitals.

In March, the WHO created a WhatsApp chatbot with the help of partner organisations to answer questions about the coronavirus and send updates to followers. Over time, questions have been added in more than 12 languages and the bot has allowed users to get updated case numbers, travel advice and news about the outbreak.

On the food front, international grocery chain Lidl – which operates over 10,000 stores across Europe and the United States – has a chatbot (named Margot) on Facebook to help customers learn about wines. It can provide guidance on which wine to buy, help users learn about how wine is made (there’s a quiz), recommend food pairings and answer questions on 640 different types of grapes.

Popular chatbot options for businesses

Can’t afford live chat services at your company? If you’re thinking about installing a chatbot but don’t have the money to develop one from scratch, there are a number of free or low-cost options that are also pretty easy to set up and install. Here are a few popular choices:

• ManyChat uses Facebook Messenger, a starting template and a basic drag-and-drop interface to help you create a bot for your company quickly and easily. It can also connect to software systems you already use, like Shopify and MailChimp, to improve your marketing and customer relations.
• ArtiBot is a chatbot that can help you capture leads, take payments and book appointments. It’s fast and easy to set up on platforms including Weebly, Squarespace and WordPress. All the basic tools are included free, but you can get extras like SMS notifications with a Pro plan. You can also pay the ArtiBot team to install the bot on your site for you.
• Flow XO is very easy to use (no coding required) and there’s a free version which gives you access to all of the features, but you’re limited to 500 interactions. The bot can answer questions, take payments and help capture leads – for instance, it can collect a visitor’s email address and add it to your MailChimp database. There are also paid versions starting at $19/month.

Think a chatbot might be right for your business? Need help with improving your customer communications and marketing? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

Based on my test – and knowing that clients can benefit from this new tool, too – here’s information on how to set up a poll for your LinkedIn connections (as well as a few other polling options you might want to try), some notes on what I learned from mine and a few recommendations based on the poll results.

How to set up and run a quick poll in LinkedIn

Setting up a LinkedIn poll is pretty straightforward – and you can set up a poll from either your desktop or mobile device – but LinkedIn also has a helpful FAQ page with answers about poll creation, voting and editing.

Once you’re logged into your account, you can create a poll from your LinkedIn home page, or if you’re an admin for a LinkedIn Page or a LinkedIn Group you can create a poll for those, too.

To create a poll from your home page:

1. Click on Start a post, then click on Create a poll at the bottom of the pop-up box:
2. A Create a poll window will pop up.  Here, you can type a question and fill in answer options. Note that there’s a minimum of two options and a maximum of four options per poll. You’ll also need to choose the Poll duration from the dropdown (default is set at one week).

Once this is done, you have the option to select who you want to share your poll with. I chose to ask my own connections, but there are other options too.

When you’re ready to launch, click Post. You’ll be notified (in the app) about the first and subsequent votes. If you prefer, notifications can be turned off via the Responses to your posts, comments and polls setting.

My LinkedIn poll results

For my own poll, I asked my connections to answer the question, “What is your biggest challenge in getting quality leads for your business?” and provided three answer choices. Here were the results:

Clearly, the majority of those who responded feel that reaching their target market is the biggest challenge in getting leads, so we’ll take another look at this below.

Other polling places

By the way, LinkedIn isn’t the only place where you can take a poll or quick survey. In fact, you can take polls now in Zoom meetings, during Facebook Live events (as well as run polls on brand awareness if you’re running Facebook Ads), and in MailChimp, just to name a few. All of these platforms help provide options for learning more about your team, customers and prospects.

A few tips on reaching your target market

I learned something from my poll (and that’s the goal after all, right?): My connections were concerned about reaching their target market. So, on that note, here are a few tips and recommendations:

• Know who your target market is (and is not) – Even though in my poll, people said that identifying their target market wasn’t their biggest concern, it’s critical to know. Many businesses make the mistake of thinking that their products or services are for everyone, but this is rarely the case. You need to define your target audience(s) very carefully and specifically in terms of age, location, income, role, etc. Knowing your target market is key to creating and delivering communications and marketing campaigns that speak to them directly.
• Know their needs – What are the problems and pain points of your target group(s)? How does your product or service solve their problems? You may need to ask them directly (or, how about taking a poll?). Once you know their struggles, you’ll know where to direct your focus and communicate with them, showing that you understand them, their needs and concerns and want to help them find a solution.
• Know where they ‘hang out’ – What media do they use? Television? Radio? Newspapers? Facebook? Online search? What events do they go to?  What trade associations might they belong to? Once you know where your target market is most likely to go for information (where they ‘hang out’) you can better select advertising and communication methods and use these accordingly.

Need help creating a poll, learning more about or reaching your target marketing? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

This mantra has seemed particularly true working in a small-ish city such as Adelaide, where there appears to be just one degree of separation and everybody knows everybody.  Because of that, I’ve been incredibly lucky to be on the receiving end of some fantastic referrals.  But I was delighted recently when I heard an expression that sums up the way so many of us do business: Commercial Karma. It’s not a term I’ve come across before and it makes so much sense (plus it’s got a much better ring to it than ‘business karma’). If you do right by someone, they will (usually) do the same back.

What’s even more interesting is the amount of commercial karma I’ve seen going on recently during the COVID-19 crisis.  It’s been absolutely empowering to be alongside so many business people – all with the aim of pulling each other through these troubled times. Here are just a few examples:

• Products and services have been offered for free or with discounts
• Increased value has been created by bundling additional products, services or even resources with each other, for no additional cost
• Payment terms have been extended – often without being asked
• People have been ‘checking in’ with each other in ways they’ve never done before. I know I’ve been having heartfelt conversations with suppliers, clients and business contacts that I never thought I’d have. But I’ve greatly enjoyed the ‘realness’ of these conversations, despite the troubling times.

The amount of goodwill floating around at the moment is fantastic. And I’d hate to see all that disappear when things get back to ‘normal’.

Where does commercial karma fit into marketing?

Successful marketing can often seem to have just one goal: to get more and more people to notice you.  We used to be a lot more ‘shouty’ in our marketing activities, but with increasingly clever digital tools at our disposal now, we talk more in terms of two-way communications and ‘engagement’.  But what about the even more subtle way of leaving an impression – that of commercial karma?  Leaving an impression on someone is not about what you do or what you say – it’s about how you make them feel.  That’s the memorable thing.

Think about how you treat people in business. I don’t necessarily mean just your clients or employees, because this idea extends to everyone. For example, unsuccessful job applicants, people who enquired but didn’t buy, competitors, and suppliers who tendered for your business but didn’t get it.  The indirect links to your business can be equally powerful.  As I mentioned above, Adelaide is extremely connected, and I’ve lost count of the number of times that someone I encountered (but didn’t necessarily work with) has been instrumental in providing opportunities for me and my business.  The power of commercial karma is real!

I know there will be lots of learning points from COVID-19 (including things like employers realising that no, they don’t have to drag all their employees into the same building every day to do the same work they can now do from home!). I really hope that one of the more subtle learning points will be around the subject of commercial karma – and that it must continue!  I’m not talking about continuing to offer discounts or extended payment terms as clearly that’s not sustainable, but I am talking about always doing right by each other. Going above and beyond – especially in a non-transactional sense – creates a lasting impression on someone.  I’m not even seeing this as a form of marketing, because that implies it’s some sort of ‘strategy’ to get a sale or gain.  But I do see the benefit – rather like the ‘pay it forward’ movement that I also subscribe to – and believe that if we had more commercial karma, the business world would certainly be a better place.

Want to share your own thoughts about this concept? Wondering how your business should market and present itself as we move forward? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

Not surprisingly, the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report, notes that the number of Australian businesses with a social media presence has hit an all-time high. Facebook remains the most popular platform (about 90% of businesses surveyed are using it), with LinkedIn and Instagram following (second- and third-most popular, depending on business size).

The most popular reasons for social activity? Advertising and promotion were listed as the most popular, followed by customer interaction and contact.  However, remember that customers look at it the opposite way. They want to communicate and interact with just a touch of selling so it’s really important to get the right mix.

If you’re not already getting social with your customers, it’s time.

Which platform?

The golden rule when deciding what social media platform(s) to be on is to think about your target markets: what social media platforms are they on?  To help you work this out, the 2018 Yellow Social Media Report on consumers may be useful.  It provides insights into consumer social media behaviour, the technology and platforms people are using, and when and why they’re connecting.

Tools to help you plan and organise

Social media does take time and planning. One of the best ways to ensure that you’re posting on a regular basis is to include social media as part of your overall marketing plan. That way, you can ensure that you’re posting about events and sales before they happen and don’t forget to share news with your audience in a timely manner.

To help with planning, I’ve put together a free marketing calendar template that you can download and use to schedule all your promotional events for the year, including all social posts. You can customise the template in Excel and adjust it to your needs.

You may also want to consider something like Hootsuite to help you stay on track. Hootsuite is an online social media planning tool that lets you organise and report on all your social media activity, as well as calculate ROI. You can also schedule posts in advance and create assignments for teams.

With Hootsuite, you can try any plan for free for 30 days, and there’s a basic free plan that allows you to manage up to 3 social accounts; more robust plans are available for a monthly fee.

But what about content?

Worried about what to post? Many businesses struggle to come up with enough things to share. Plus, with so many businesses out there angling for the attention of their followers, how do you make sure your efforts aren’t wasted?

Here are a few tips for creating engaging content and working posts into your overall strategy:

1. Add photos, videos & images — Including an image with your text post catches the eye of your followers and helps them engage with and remember your post. Photos and videos are common, but infographics are also great to include because they combine visual interest with information. In fact, infographics are liked and shared on social media 3X more than other any other type of content.
2. Use live video (wisely) — If you read our post on Facebook Live, you know that it can be a great tool – IF used appropriately. You need to practice with this tool, have a good reason to use it and notify followers in advance about the event so you’ll get as much engagement as possible.Think about a way to use Facebook Live that will provide something of value to your viewers so it’s worth their time to tune in. Use it as a chance to answer questions, promote a new product or service, or get feedback from customers.  Don’t forget about YouTube Live, too.
3. Repurpose and link to content — Social media posts are a great way to take people to your website, as well as repurpose other content you’re creating. Remember, social media is about engaging with audiences, so it’s a great way to provide additional information they may be looking for.When you build your strategic plan, look for ways to create social posts that tie into your other marketing efforts. You can also edit text you write or use photos you take for your website, news releases or sales promotions and use them to create quick posts.

The B2Me Experience

Now we’re in the Age of the Individual and customer-led experience, social media has become even more important. It’s the only medium that enables one-to-one communication at scale.  B2Me personalisation is about creating unique experiences that are interesting and timely for the individual.  In social media terms this means that messaging is gaining increasing popularity.  This year, the number of users on messaging platforms like Facebook Messenger and WhatsApp grew twice as fast as users on Facebook.  These apps offer fantastic opportunities for brands to establish meaningful conversations and should also be considered as part of your social media strategy.

Need help setting up your accounts or putting together a social media strategy? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

In addition to building an easy-to-find and easy-to-use website, one great way to make sure Google knows about your company is to get a free listing on Google My Business.  It’s a no-brainer method to get in front of your customers – and you don’t even need to earn your way there with SEO or buy your way with Google Ads – you just need to own a business that has some face-to-face interaction with customers (eg. you can’t operate 100% online).  No online strategy is complete without Google My Business (GMB) and there are new features you need to know about.

What is Google My Business?

Google My Business is a free tool you can use to help manage your business’ online presence across Google, including Search and Maps. In short, it’s Google’s local business listing management system.  If you don’t have a free listing for your business yet, you can get started at google.com/business. You can also download Google’s free mobile app, which allows you to update your listing from any mobile device.

Once you create a listing, you’ll need to verify it to prove that your business really exists in the location you say it does. You have a few options – including email, phone or using your Google Search Console listing – but most companies choose to verify by mail.

Why is Google My Business so important?

If you’ve created a GMB listing and people search for your business name, Google will provide that information immediately on the first page, as you can see from my example below:

Aside from the benefits this can bring (people can call you, get directions, see your opening hours, etc.) it also means they can leave your business a review, which is great for your digital footprint (more on this here).  Also, if you don’t fill out all your business information, someone else could, because anyone can suggest an edit to your business listing . . . including unhappy customers or your competitors. So make sure you take the time to complete all the information you can.

What’s new: Posts, Booking Buttons & More

Just as Google regularly updates their algorithm to improve the search experience for users, they also make regular changes and improvements to business listings. Some of the most recent changes they’ve made to GMB have to do with their desire to optimise search results and answer as many questions as possible within those results.  Here are some of the new features to consider:

1. Posts – posts are a new feature that you can use to write text, add an image or video clip and a call-to-action to your GMB listing. These can be used for events, sales, promotions, products, blog posts, or any type of announcement. Posts ‘go dark’ after seven days but give you a chance to change things up regularly so your customers have the latest information about what’s going on at your business (and old posts are still there, they just get moved down).
2. Photos and videos – you can now add more photos and even video to your GMB listing. Google reports that businesses with photos receive 42% more requests for driving directions and 35% more click-throughs to their websites. Create high-quality, engaging images to help draw customers in and refresh them regularly. Name, tag and describe your images and videos as well as geotag them to help with your SEO.
3. Make a booking – bookings are another new feature that’s now available. If your business relies on customers making appointments – such as a hair salon or massage therapist – and you use connected scheduling software, clients can book appointments directly from your GMB listing. This feature makes it really easy to get new customers, because they don’t even have to leave Google search to book an appointment!
4. Owner identity attributes – Google has added new owner identity attributes that allow you to let people know immediately if you are a female-led or veteran-led local business. The information gets added next to other details about your business such as if you have wi-fi, accessible seating, take reservations, etc. This could be meaningful to some potential customers and one to keep an eye on as Google says that it will be adding more over time.

There are many ways to optimise your Google My Business listing and best of all, they’re all free!  If you need any help, contact Breathe Marketing today.

However, in my opinion, it’s vital for many businesses, especially if you offer professional services of some kind.  When one person is potentially buying the services of another, these kind of peer reviews can help tip the balance between a potential new client contacting you or not.  They can save you the trouble of arranging references, and for prospects, they can help to de-risk a new relationship.

What’s the secret?

Want to know the secret formula I’ve uncovered in my 20+ years of asking for testimonials?  I ask.  I simply ask the question: “Please can you give me a testimonial?”  It’s that simple.  (The worst they can do is say no, right?)

Obviously, when asking for testimonials, you want to pick your clients carefully (choose the happy ones) and pick the right moment.

In reality, some clients will want you to write something up for them.  I never do this, but I will happily provide some pointers if they need (never putting words in their mouth) about practical details like when we first started working together, the scope of a particular project, the results, etc.

Here are some other tips and options when asking for testimonials from your clients:

• Give details – if you’re publishing the testimonial, include the full name of the person giving the testimonial, and if it’s a business, include a job title and company name. Doing so helps add credibility (rather than just saying, ‘Mr. M. in Murray Bridge’) and reduces the feeling that a review might be ‘made up.’
• Ask as soon as possible – if you’ve just finished a project with a happy client – or if they’re starting to see results due to your work – now’s the time to ask. The sooner you do, the better the client will be able to remember specifics about the project and what he/she liked, how you helped the business, delivered value, etc.
• Consider video testimonials – video testimonials and/or case studies are great. There’s no arguing with them, and they give prospects a chance to hear about your work straight from the horse’s mouth.
• Ask by ‘not asking’ – still nervous about asking for praise? Instead, ask the client how things are going with your product or service. If they have positive things to say, dig a little deeper, summarise what they’ve told you and ask if you have their permission to use it as a testimonial.
• Try an email – by asking via email, you can separate yourself a bit from a face-to-face ‘ask’ and streamline the process. Create a basic template in Word that makes the process easy for clients and provides lines for name, company name, job title, location and project, as well as space for writing out details on how you helped solve their problems, offered great service, etc.
• Ask for a LinkedIn ‘Recommendation’ – these are also a great way to get testimonials.  The system is automated, which can take the sting out of sitting across the table from someone, pen in hand. It’s easy: you send a personal message to one of your contacts asking if they’d mind giving you a recommendation, they write it in the LinkedIn template, you get to review it before you publish, and then it’s there online for all to see on your LinkedIn profile.  Here are some of my LinkedIn recommendations.
• Facebook Reviews & Google Reviews – these are great places for testimonials, too, so if someone is willing to give you a testimonial or say something nice about you and your business, encourage them to write it on your business Facebook page or Google business page.  Huge kudos for your digital footprint!
• Repurpose them – if you have other places you want to show testimonials (such as on your website), you can simply copy and paste what your happy clients have already written in email, or your LinkedIn, Facebook, or Google page – just check to make sure clients are OK with this first. Here’s my testimonial page.

(By the way, I promise I’m not showing off by linking to my testimonials – I just thought it would be useful to show how I do it.  Remember, being British means self-publicity doesn’t come as easily to me, although I do work in marketing, after all ….)

Also, one final reminder: be sure to get permission so there aren’t any surprises if a client sees their name and feedback on your website or in print. The last thing you want is to have a happy client become an angry one because of a misunderstanding!

Need help in asking for or displaying testimonials from your clients? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

The short answer is yes. Creating great content is still key to building your online presence and positioning yourself as an expert in your field.

Here are three reasons why content is still king (and a few tips on creating some):

1) It answers your customers’ questions

Blogs, social media posts and FAQ website pages are a great way to answer questions for your customers.  Answers are available online, 24/7, for customers to find when you and your staff aren’t around to speak to them in person.  Unlike spam emails and unwanted pop-up ads, if viewers find your content through a search, it’s because they were looking for it.

TIP:  Talk to your sales team (or other people in your office who most often deal with customers) and find out the most popular questions asked by prospects and customers. Add questions and answers to your FAQ page on a regular basis, or post them to your Facebook page and then include a link to your website so customers know where to go for the latest information.

2) It makes Google happy

Today, over 93% of all online experiences (on all Internet-connected devices) start with a search engine – and not surprisingly, that search engine is usually Google. That’s why every business owner wants to have their website rank well.While getting a high rank in Google is complicated (their algorithm is made up of over 200 components), there’s no doubt that Google rewards sites for good content. Industry studies consistently show that relevant, comprehensive content is one of the most important factors for better rankings.

TIP: Don’t write content stuffed with individual keywords.  Google prefers more relevant content written in natural language.  On your website, write more content about less topics on each page – you can always create another website page for each topic you want to cover.

3)  It positions you as a leader in your field

When you write informative, non-salesy content that engages your audience, it also helps demonstrate your knowledge of your industry and why people should listen to what you have to say. This is an important part of building trust with potential customers.

TIP: Don’t make the mistake of many companies and use your blog, social media or email campaigns as overt selling tools. Think about the problems your customers are facing and create something that helps them solve those problems.

One final tip – while it’s a lot of work to come up with fresh content for your website, blog, emails, social media posts and other marketing materials, you can often ‘repurpose’ good content and save yourself a lot of time and effort.

For example, let’s say you have some text that’s been written for a company marketing brochure. With a little editing work, you can probably use some of the same information on your website, in a blog post, as a script for a YouTube video, an email campaign, a SlideShare or PowerPoint presentation, or for a Twitter or Facebook post.

Have thoughts, questions or other suggestions about content creation? Need help in producing content for your site? Let me know.

I’ve come across all kinds of people in my career as a consultant. It’s the variety of the people I deal with – and the different work they do – that make my job so interesting.  Yes, entrepreneurs and business owners often share common personality traits, but I can honestly say I’ve worked with every different personality type going!

I certainly don’t have all the answers when it comes to building great client relationships, but I’ve picked up a thing or two over the years about consulting that I wanted to share in a blog.  I hope some of these tips and notes will help others working in consultancy roles.

Here are some things I’ve learned:

1.  Listen and learn – Never forget that it’s a privilege to be invited into the inner circle of a business.  Yes, you’re meant to be the expert, but you’re also an outsider (at the beginning), so tread carefully. You need to demonstrate that you know what you’re talking about (so they know they’re in safe hands), but you should always spend more time listening than talking.

2. Ask – Even if you’re familiar with the industry, you’re new to this particular company and their culture, so when you have questions or you don’t understand something, ask. You’re an expert in your field, not theirs, so don’t pretend you know everything. I always joke in the first meeting with a client saying, ‘Treat me like an idiot and explain…..this or that’.  Then I get all my ‘dummy’ questions out of the way.

3. Manage expectations – If a piece of work isn’t panning out the way it should, things are getting out of scope, or budgets are quickly getting swallowed up, etc., talk to the client immediately.  Where possible, quote up front. In any case, you should always have a high level of transparency about how and when you’ll be charging and invoicing.  Don’t presume the client knows what you’re doing when. Which brings me to my next point . . .

4. Over-communicate – I probably do this a bit too much, but in my book, there’s no such thing as too much communication.  I’m not talking about sharing personal information, but about responding to every single email, giving progress reports and touching base if you haven’t heard anything in a while.  I always respond to every email and phone call the same day, even if it’s just to say I’ve received it and will respond once I’ve formulated my thoughts.

I’m going to generalise now (!) but having worked in both the UK and Australia, I have noticed that Australians don’t respond to emails as much. I’m often left wondering if technology has failed me because people don’t reply to say they’ve received them.  It drives me crazy, so I make sure I always respond the same day.

5. Time is (their) money – You want to be friendly and open, but always remember that your client has a business to run and is paying for your time. When I attend a meeting, I keep the preamble short and get into the details as quickly as possible, without being rude.  And I never accept the offer of a tea or coffee – they take too long to make.  Water is fine!

6. Break down work into bite-size chunks – When you start working with a new client, it’s a little like going on a first date. You’re just getting to know each other and deciding if you want to continue the relationship. It’s a good idea to de-risk the first piece of work, both for you and for them.  Make it small, quote up front and get paid for the work before moving on to a bigger project. This way, you’ll learn much more about how the client works, how they like to communicate, how detailed their feedback is, how involved they like to be, etc. – and if either party decides that they want to break things off and ‘just be friends’, neither will have invested too much time or money.

7. Create a written record – Recap what you discussed in meetings via email to make sure there is no confusion and everyone is clear on who is doing what and when.  If I know I’m having regular meetings with clients, I create an action plan that gets updated and sent a few days after the first meeting, which becomes the agenda for the next meeting.

As I say, this is not an exhaustive list but just some do’s and don’ts that I’ve picked up along the way.  If you have any other tips on being a better consultant, contact me as I’d love to hear them.

Google also loves online reviews and they help bump up your website in search results. This means that the more reviews you get, the more likely that searchers will find you.

But how do you ask your (happy) customers to write a review (if they’re not already) and where should that review appear online to have the most impact?

Where to start

There are many review sites out there, but right now, there are two primary places where you want to get reviews:  Google (your Google My Business page) and your business Facebook page.

Reviews on these sites show at the top of results if someone does a search for something like, “Tony’s Plumbing Adelaide reviews”.

If you’re in the restaurant or hospitality industry, websites like Trip Advisor are important.  Yellow Pages also has a place for customers to leave reviews, which help get your name into search engines and boost your rank, too.

How to get more reviews

So how do you go about getting more online reviews from your customers? Ask them!  Customers and clients are usually happy to share their opinions and help promote you online.

Ask your favorite clients to post a review when you see them in person. You can also print up small cards, flyers or posters at your business location asking for reviews.

Other options include sending a quick email to select customers, or adding a quick request at the bottom of your receipts, invoices or other pieces of client communication.

A few best practices

Getting reviews from customers can be easy, but there are still a few do’s and don’ts when it comes to online reviews. Here are some best practice tips:

• Basically, the golden rule is that referrals should be natural, not forced, and made over time.  You want searchers to see that customers consistently have a good experience – not that 100 people wrote reviews in March, which can seem fishy.
• Be sure that the IP address of the reviewer is not the same as the one for your business. (In other words, don’t have a customer use your business computer to write the review, or try to post one for them.) This is a red flag to Google that you’re trying to boost your own business by writing a great review for yourself!
• Don’t pay for reviews. Ever. And don’t harass or send a mass email people to requesting reviews. Just find an easy way to prompt customers that if they’re happy, they can jump online and post a quick note.  Some will do it anyway – particularly in consumer businesses – but a gentle prompt never hurts.
• Unless they’ve had a bad experience and want to rant publicly, customers won’t always seek out a place to post a review. So, if you’re sending an email or making a request, be sure to give them a direct link to the review site to make it easier for clients to give you some love.

Need more ideas or some help encouraging clients to promote you? Contact Breathe Marketing today.

Why? One-to-one marketing (or 1:1 marketing) has been shown to foster greater customer loyalty and better ROI. Fortunately, through CRM, email and other marketing software tools, it’s never been easier to target your prospects and customers with customised offers and content.

Here are a few suggestions – and a few tools – to help you do just that.

Know your audience

Putting customers’ first names into your print or email campaigns is a good start, but being able to offer tailored coupons or promotions can really boost sales and loyalty.

When you know who your customers are, you can create custom marketing campaigns to appeal to specific wants and needs. This sounds daunting, but being able to separate groups of customers by their interests or past purchasing behaviour gives you the power to target your marketing efforts to individuals.

So how do you do this? Start by using the information you have available. Use your email list and customer database (or CRM) and look for ways to segment campaigns. You can separate groups by purchase frequency, city, postal codes, services and much more.  Then you can use this information to send grouped special offers via email, postcard or even SMS messages.

Set up automated triggers 

Behaviour-triggered emails help you respond to how your customers are using your product or website. They’re a great way to get results and build interest.

For instance, if you buy something from Apple, you’ll undoubtedly get a follow-up email after you receive the item that asks you how you liked the product. And if you put something in your shopping cart and then leave the site without purchasing it, you’ll probably get an email a day or two later that says, “Hey, your items are still waiting for you!” These are both examples of behaviour-triggered emails.

Trigger emails are highly effective, with a 152% higher open rate than traditional emails. They’re a valuable communication tool that’s easy to automate with most major email platforms, and they can be used for up-selling, cross-selling, welcoming new customers and more.

Get the tools

Not sure where to begin in personalising offers for prospects and customers? Email platforms like MailChimp offer a wide variety of options for segmenting your emails (with some paid and some free choices), but there are also several online tools available that go beyond email:

• Marketo is some pretty full-on marketing automation software, offering real-time personalisation with targeted individuals through dynamically generated and personalised communication.

• Vero is a cloud-based email platform that helps businesses create and send targeted emails based on customers’ website behaviour, as well as offering complete data analysis.

• Intercom combines CRM and email tools to provide support, live chat, feedback and trigger emails so businesses gain an understanding of (and respond to) customer actions both online and in-app

• SparkPage is a B2C tool that helps businesses analyse where they’re losing customers in the conversion process, creating tailored messages suited to users’ needs.

These are just a few options to personalise your marketing. Depending on where you are in the process, your software and your marketing plans for the year, you can create plans for personalised promotions and efforts that will focus on each of your individual customers.

Need help personalising your marketing to get results? Contact Breathe Marketing today.