Change has arrived, and companies can now utilize specific tools and applications on the internet to secure a long-lasting relationship with these customers, and leverage their satisfaction into future transactions and increased word of mouth business.
The modern internet marketing professional continuously seeks new tools and methods to leverage customer satisfaction into additional selling opportunities. The dynamic of social media is only beginning to dawn on brick and mortar businesses, and the early adopters (adapters) are going to win the prize.
A great example of leverage can be found in the way clients have been managed “after the sale” for years. At my company, the CENTURY 21 franchise sends out a post-closing survey to all clients asking for feedback on the transaction. This is very “old school,” but strangely not many real estate companies do this.
The great thing about conducting customer satisfaction surveys is that it provides management with important feedback about customer service, and more importantly it lets the customers know the company cares enough to ask. But couldn’t this process benefit from an application of leverage?
Think about the survey. It is read by the customer, and it is read by the company. This one-on-one event is not taking advantage of new ways to “get the word out.” What if the survey wasn’t done by a third-party company which keeps the results private, rather what if the customer was sent the survey and asked to post the results in the form of a business review on Google?
This would create a “forever” customer opinion of the company which would be displayed whenever the company was “googled.” Additionally, the new survey would add to the number of reviews found on Google and Google Maps, thus increasing the chance of the company being seen (scoring higher in search results) during a search for real estate offices In the local market.
No additional work is required, and no additional cost is generated. The savvy small business today knows that getting business reviews on Google is like putting money into a savings account. It just sits there growing interest for the company.
This leverage can be grown geometrically using social media sites such as Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, etc. Imagine if tens of thousands of people were alerted each time a positive customer review was posted at Google? Even if no response was received by the alert, you can bet that the message scored a subliminal hit for those who read it.
The compounding effect of social media is greatest hidden secret that the web has yet to reveal to the business world. Social media leaves a trail of links to comments and articles that can begin to build a dynamic passive marketing program for any company wise enough to develop a social media plan of action.
Loading ...
