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Some of my SCORE small business clients just do not have the personality needed to effectively use social media for their small businesses. While they are personally very conscientious, they also take their reputation personally. Thus, it becomes a personal affront when someone demeans or disparages their business, its products, or its services. In truth, there are invariably a few mean customers who try to take advantage of businesses, but that doesn't matter. More commonly, sometimes mistakes just happen, but customers can likewise see it as a personal affront. Again, it doesn't matter who is "right".
If you want to use tools like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc. to publicize your business, then you have to accept that you will get negative comments. If you do not have the personality that can bite your tongue, apologize sincerely, and offer a discount or other consideration for anyone claiming bad products or service, then the answer is to just not play on social media. The internet is absolutely an environment where the customer is always right.
Most sites do not let you filter comments. Even if they do, any attempt to delete them will just lead to more vitriolic responses. The good news is that internet users are very experienced with spotting trolls who are just trying to pick a fight and hear themselves talk. Just continue to respond positively and feel confident that your good services will be endorsed enough to easily offset the few complaints.
If you want to use tools like Facebook, Twitter, Yelp, etc. to publicize your business, then you have to accept that you will get negative comments. If you do not have the personality that can bite your tongue, apologize sincerely, and offer a discount or other consideration for anyone claiming bad products or service, then the answer is to just not play on social media. The internet is absolutely an environment where the customer is always right.
Most sites do not let you filter comments. Even if they do, any attempt to delete them will just lead to more vitriolic responses. The good news is that internet users are very experienced with spotting trolls who are just trying to pick a fight and hear themselves talk. Just continue to respond positively and feel confident that your good services will be endorsed enough to easily offset the few complaints.
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I was saddened today to hear of the passing of George Heilmeier. He was the Director of DARPA when I worked there in the mid-70's. However, it seems almost every discussion makes note of what became known as his catechism, a set of questions that he expected to see answered in every so-called ARPA Order (the document which authorized funding for each project). In the Strategic Technology Office where I worked, I was familiar with a four question version: What's the Trick? What's the Plan? Who Cares? So What? My book contains more discussion of each. I didn't realize it at the time, but apparently this was quite a change from prior practice at DARPA. Nevertheless, I have always found it to be an extremely good checklist for any development proposal.
From other reminiscing sources, the full catechism had nine questions:
From other reminiscing sources, the full catechism had nine questions:
- What are you trying to do? Articulate your objectives using absolutely no jargon. What is the problem? Why is it hard?
- How is it done today, and what are the limits of current practice?
- What's new in your approach and why do you think it will be successful?
- Who cares?
- If you're successful, what difference will it make? What impact will success have? How will it be measured?
- What are the risks and the payoffs?
- How much will it cost?
- How long will it take?
- What are the midterm and final "exams" to check for success? How will progress be measured?
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If you have a business license, you also are invariably now listed in myriad so-called "local search" websites. Also nicknamed "yellow pages" sites, they indeed include www.yellowpages.com as well as those associated with the well-known search engines like Google Places, Yahoo Local, BingPlaces, and review sites like Yelp and FourSquare. In fact, almost all of these local search sites are now "review" sites. So, what's the problem?
The problem is that these sites were populated with just the basic data that could be obtained from the local taxing authorities. Thus, while it's likely got your business name, address, and perhaps phone number, it's invariably missing your email address, your website URL, any description of your products and services, operating hours, etc. In order to correct and augment these listings, the process is that you go to these sites and "claim" your business. Typically, the sites will either phone or mail you at the addresses they got from the tax authorities to confirm that you actually control the business. Once claimed, you can edit the content, usually including the addition of a logo and/or photo(s). The base listings are usually free, although premium features like videos and more photos are often offered.
There are a variety of services like Yext, LocalWorks, and Brandify that allow you to go to just one place to update your information on a bunch of sites. They may also alert you when there is activity, such as a new review or a new Facebook "like". Their downside is that they charge $20-$50 per month, which is not affordable by many small businesses. However, most of them have a free trial period, so I'd advise that you use them to get everything cleaned up initially, and then drop them. Alternatively, there are also free "aggregator" sites like expressupdate that provide a one-stop shop to update key data, although usually not things like photos or videos.
The problem is that these sites were populated with just the basic data that could be obtained from the local taxing authorities. Thus, while it's likely got your business name, address, and perhaps phone number, it's invariably missing your email address, your website URL, any description of your products and services, operating hours, etc. In order to correct and augment these listings, the process is that you go to these sites and "claim" your business. Typically, the sites will either phone or mail you at the addresses they got from the tax authorities to confirm that you actually control the business. Once claimed, you can edit the content, usually including the addition of a logo and/or photo(s). The base listings are usually free, although premium features like videos and more photos are often offered.
There are a variety of services like Yext, LocalWorks, and Brandify that allow you to go to just one place to update your information on a bunch of sites. They may also alert you when there is activity, such as a new review or a new Facebook "like". Their downside is that they charge $20-$50 per month, which is not affordable by many small businesses. However, most of them have a free trial period, so I'd advise that you use them to get everything cleaned up initially, and then drop them. Alternatively, there are also free "aggregator" sites like expressupdate that provide a one-stop shop to update key data, although usually not things like photos or videos.
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I've been teaching a seminar on Using the Internet in Your Business for several years as a part of my SCORE volunteer work. Basically, I walk SCORE clients through the why and how to build a website. Even if they are not going to sell directly on the internet as so-called eCommerce, I strongly encourage them to at least create a web presence with what some folks call a "brochure site", so-called because it is a cheap, 24/7 accessible equivalent of the old tri-fold brochures that all businesses used to hand out. Typically, there are just five key pages: Home, Products & Services, About/Why Us?, Help/Support, and Contact Us. You've probably got most of the content that you need in the business plan that you used to get financing.
There are a variety of excellent hosting services that offer easy-to-use templates enabling anyone who can use document software like Microsoft Word to create a good-looking website. For several years, I have touted weebly.com as an excellent site that was notably easy to use and could get your business online at low cost, even free. I recently used it myself to upgrade the cosmetics of my own site, and to create a site glenlakesvets.org for our local veterans group in support of our annual Veterans Day golf tournament.
For completeness, I should also recommend wix.com and gybo.com as good, even free, hosting sites as well. Of course, the traditional hosting big boys like godaddy.com, homestead.com, and smallbusiness.yahoo.com have equivalent tools and have all dropped their pricing for small businesses.
There's just no excuse not to get started.
There are a variety of excellent hosting services that offer easy-to-use templates enabling anyone who can use document software like Microsoft Word to create a good-looking website. For several years, I have touted weebly.com as an excellent site that was notably easy to use and could get your business online at low cost, even free. I recently used it myself to upgrade the cosmetics of my own site, and to create a site glenlakesvets.org for our local veterans group in support of our annual Veterans Day golf tournament.
For completeness, I should also recommend wix.com and gybo.com as good, even free, hosting sites as well. Of course, the traditional hosting big boys like godaddy.com, homestead.com, and smallbusiness.yahoo.com have equivalent tools and have all dropped their pricing for small businesses.
There's just no excuse not to get started.
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Yes, I realize that they supposedly sent out an email in January 2007 that included a whole bunch of new terms and conditions, buried among them being the proviso of cutting back their period of allowed inactivity to 18 months. Checking the internet, I also find other similar retirees who were loyal customers for years who now no longer fly as much and had their miles “canceled” as well. One such customer lost 230,000+ miles, again with no notice. In my case, I didn’t use the miles because I was saving them for a rainy day when I couldn’t afford to fly somewhere that I desired.
My main gripe is that United obviously is taking these actions to make money by taking a deferred expense off their books. Alternatively, I have heard that United sold off this portion of their business to a third party who is clearly doing all they can to make as much money as possible from their purchase. It would have been a trivial matter for United to send an email or, even better, a physical letter to the customer, say a month or so before they unilaterally took this action. Unlike some of their competitors, obviously United intentionally chose not to do so in hopes that they could screw as many miles as possible from unsuspecting or non-vigilant customers.
Given some reasonable notice, I would not have a gripe. They had been sending me over an email per week touting one thing or another, so you know they are capable of automatically generating emails based on an imminent event. But no, they chose to keep their mouth shut, and now religiously stick to their tune of “we told you over a year ago”. Perhaps they did, but they could have provided good customer support by also telling us a couple of weeks before this costly action.
My main gripe is that United obviously is taking these actions to make money by taking a deferred expense off their books. Alternatively, I have heard that United sold off this portion of their business to a third party who is clearly doing all they can to make as much money as possible from their purchase. It would have been a trivial matter for United to send an email or, even better, a physical letter to the customer, say a month or so before they unilaterally took this action. Unlike some of their competitors, obviously United intentionally chose not to do so in hopes that they could screw as many miles as possible from unsuspecting or non-vigilant customers.
Given some reasonable notice, I would not have a gripe. They had been sending me over an email per week touting one thing or another, so you know they are capable of automatically generating emails based on an imminent event. But no, they chose to keep their mouth shut, and now religiously stick to their tune of “we told you over a year ago”. Perhaps they did, but they could have provided good customer support by also telling us a couple of weeks before this costly action.