Sales & Marketing Consultant, Bestselling Author & Sales Conference Speaker

Much like the complaint and suggestion boxes of yesteryear, the internet is, among many other things, a place where people gather to complain about things. Movies, music, politics – think about how much of what you see on the internet is negative reactions and reviews. You can use this to your advantage in looking for ways to run your business more effectively.

To take a simple example, imagine that you were running a hotel. In looking to make your hotel the best one on the market, you could go onto a site like orbitz or expedia, and look at the reviews of your competitors, the other established hotels in your area and price range. However, by focusing on the lowest reviews, you could find exactly what customers didn’t like about the hotel, and find ways for your product to pick up on opportunities that were missed by your competitors.

You can do this in any industry, and with any type of business. It’s just a matter of knowing where to look, and how to properly turn the negative feedback into useful and constructive advice.

Begin by knowing where to look, and what to look for. This depends primarily upon your industry. There are hundreds of industry-specific review websites and social networks out there, some of them better known than others. Twitter and Facebook are obviously great places to start, as are social media sites like Yelp, provided that they are relevant to your industry.

To find additional review sites, just browse through what people are linking to on Twitter and Facebook, or do a Google search for “your industry + reviews.” You’ll be surprised just how many sites there are out there.

Once you find negative feedback, you’ll need to incorporate what you’ve learned into your business. So if you see a lot of customers complaining about a business practice that is common in your industry (even if the complaints are specifically directed toward your company), then you know to change that practice. For instance, if you see a lot of complaints about online marketers sending out too many useless emails, you might want to take a step back and think about whether you’re personally guilty of that sin.

On the other side, if you see a lot of people complaining about something that doesn’t exist, then you may have found a niche for your business to profitably expand into.

At the end of the day, it’s always good to know what customers are saying about your business, and the other businesses in your industry. And considering that people are 10 times more likely to post a negative comment than a positive one, looking for negativity is a great way to start.

Happy marketing!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

Do you use Twitter?

If so, are you using it in the right way? If not, it can be the biggest waste of time ever!

And you don’t want to end up looking like a right Tweet do you?

In today’s social media frenzy world, whatever you leave on the internet sticks. When I say stick, I mean that a permanent marker and record of whatever you say remains on the internet for all to see.

So if you’re having a bad day and say something like “Just had the meeting from hell with a client” then that could potentially fall into the lap of:

A. That client!

B. Potential  clients

You need to be crystal clear about what you will and wont do on social media.

Sure, you want to come across as human but if you are using Twitter et al for business purposes then you shouldn’t bare all! So to speak!

So make sure that you Tweet right and don’t end up looking like a right Tweet!

Ok Tweeple, I’m done! Just make sure you tweet people in the right way!

Sean

Sean McPheat

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

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Not too long ago I found myself doing some additional research about the benefits of social media and networking sites like Twitter and Facebook. I found some really interesting things about Twitter that I hadn’t realized before – things that could really have a huge impact on the way you market your business – especially if it is an online business. Today I’ll share two main points.

The first is that if you are a salesperson, especially a newer salesperson, your prospects may have the foresight to do a little bit of research about you individually before deciding to make a purchase. If you use your real name instead of a pseudonym when creating your Twitter account your prospects are even more likely to find you online. If you’re careful about what you post they’ll see how professional you are – and how knowledgeable you are about your product.

The second interesting fact is that Google views Twitter with high regard. They also view each individual Tweet as a separate web page when ranking them on Google. This means that ever Tweet your post is increasing the amount of content your prospects can find on the web. It works even better if you occasionally include a link back to your main company website.

The trick, of course, is making sure your Twitter account contains valuable information. If you’re spouting off random music lyrics or pieces of useless information no one will care about what you have to say. Guaranteed.

Sean

http://www.seanmcpheat.com

A while back we talked about how you should be using Twitter for marketing purposes but I wanted to give those of you who weren’t already using the service a chance to check it out. In short, Twitter is a social networking tool similar to the instant message programs we have been so used to for years. The only difference is that you’re limited by what you can say in 140 characters or less.

The concept is known as microblogging, though it seems as though quite a few people are taking advantage of the concept and instead of limiting themselves simply make numerous posts one after the other. But I digress.

There are a number of ways you can use Twitter during your marketing campaigns. Today I’d like to share 5.

1. Twitter provides marketers with a way to build up a “fan base.” Not everyone who is interested in what you do or sell will make a purchase upfront but they may in the future and they’re likely to recommend you to their friends.
2. Using Twitter is a great way to build a buzz surrounding a new product or service you plan to launch. You can leak small bits of interesting information to the public before the actual release date and your niche target group will have the information they need in advance.
3. Twitter gives you another tool you can use to build your company’s brand.
4. If your company already has a formal blog Twitter will give you the tools you need to further extend its reach. You can post links to your blog updates on Twitter as well.
5. Twitter followers may appreciate special deals or discounts. You can use the fan base you’ve created to offer loyalty discounts not found elsewhere – thus increasing your sales while keeping your fans happy.

These are, of course, only a sampling of the things you can do with Twitter. They key is to ensure you are networking with people who are really interested in what you have to offer – not just people who want to build up their own “friend lists” for their own benefit. More on how to do that later!

Sean

http://www.seanmcpheat.com