Google Trends isn’t just for monitoring the search trends of your favorite television shows, it can also be used for your business. It’s a free online tool that can help you learn about your customers’ interests. You can use it to answer questions like:

• How popular is a search query on Google?
• How has the popularity of this search changed over time?
• Where in the world are people searching for this?
• What related topics are growing in search popularity?
• What search queries have grown significantly in popularity?

This can be valuable information for your business. By understanding how people search Google, you can make smart decisions about how to market your business, both online and offline. For example, if you were researching for a bakery business, you’d see that people searching for “red velvet”  are looking for cake. But, they also search for “red velvet cupcakes,” “red velvet frosting” and “red velvet cheesecake.”  This can give you ideas how to expand your website, and possibly your menu offerings.  (more…)

Even if your business has never been vilified online, you likely know someone who has that can testify to how detrimental negative comments can be. Whether or not the complaints are valid, they’re now on the record for all to see.

When faced with this situation, you have three options. One is to ignore it and hope it goes away. It won’t.

The second option is to respond online by calling out the customer as irrational. Before you do that, know that caustic comments reflect more on the sender than the receiver and there’s really no delete button in cyberspace.

Your third choice, and the one that’s best for your business, is to publicly acknowledge and address the situation immediately. How you go about resolving the issue will make all the difference when it comes to maintaining your reputation and increasing customer loyalty.

Here’s a three-step process to solving the problem.  (more…)

Events are a great way to deepen relationships with current customers and can help you attract new ones. When done right, events are also one of the best ways to get people to take the next step, from interacting with you on Facebook or reading your newsletters, to actually visiting your store, restaurant, or office. But successful events don’t just happen. To create a successful event, you need to develop a strategy that incorporates your different marketing channels so that you can promote your event, reach the right audience, and drive meaningful business results. Following are some “top tips” to help you run a successful event

Have a clear goal.
Think about what you want to get out of your event and, just as importantly, what you hope your attendees will get out of it by being there. For example, the goal of a retail store’s open house may be to increase foot traffic to the location. But what does the customer get out of it? Make sure to offer them an incentive to come, such as discounts, door prizes, or giveaways — in addition to the affordable merchandise, exclusive information, or other “just for attendees” benefits, of course.

Send a personalized invitation.
It’s a good feeling when you’re invited to a “special event.” Take the proactive approach in attracting potential attendees by sending them a personal email invitation. Make your customers feel wanted by sending them a finely crafted message that refers to them by name. Mary  Smith will feel more of a personal connection from a “Dear Mary” invite than a “Dear msmith@mail.com” or a generic “Hi there” salutation.  (more…)