Your website and social media pages are important to building your online presence. But don't forget the local destination and review sites! Use them to benefit your business

1. Digital Assets:Digital Assets:
Take Care of YourTake Care of Your
Online Real EstateOnline Real Estate

2. Your Online Presence
You take care of your Social
Media posts and Twitter feed, you
update your blog and tweak your
website - all to maintain your
online presence.

3. 1/28/17
But are you forgetting something?
Chances are, they didn’t forget you!

4. Local Destination and
Review Sites
Your business is probably already
listed on local destination sites. But
HOW is it represented?
You need to claim this virtual real
estate and plant your flag. Add your
company and contact info. Describe
your business in ways that will entice
locals to stop and make a purchase.

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Stake Your Claim!
Take control of ALL listings about your business – Yelp, TripAdvisor,
FourSquare, Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Amazon, Bing, Yellow Pages –
all have business reviews and recommendations – and probably have
your business listed already.

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Follow the Rules
Each network has its own rules. It’s important that you follow them so that
you don’t get banned or do anything to harm your standing with the network.
You want to represent your business in a good light always!

7. Make the Space Yours
Don’t rely on a Google Streetview
photo! Upload a GREAT photo of
your business. Images of your
business shown online represent
your brand. They are often your
first impression. Upload a high
quality shot of your storefront.

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Link over to Your Own Website!
Any place where you can put a profile online, be sure that you’ve filled it
out! Include any the images that you can. Update the hours. Share any
pertinent information. Make sure all the information is always accurate
and up to date …and most importantly … link over to your own
website!

9. Always Link to Your Own
Site
These review sites and social media
pages are extremely important but they
do not take the place of your own
website.
Every business should have it’s own
website. No matter what kind of
business, not having a website makes
you appear unprofessional in today’s
world.

10. Provide Top-Notch
Customer Service
Under promise and over deliver,
blow people away with your
service and you will inspire the
best reviews and ratings.

11. Reviews Matter
Don’t set it and forget it!
Monitor and nurture your review
sites. Remind customers to give
you a review. Respond to reviews
if you can.

12. Stay Positive
You will never please everybody.
But remember a positive response to
a negative review can have a lot of
power in the eyes of potential
customers.
Always, always stay positive!

13. Don’t Ignore Negative Reviews
It’s important to take any negative
reviews and try to turn them into
positive reviews.
Phrase a response that is kind,
generous, and helpful.
Also contact the customer privately
to fix the issue.

14. Check the Filters
Some rating sites have filters to
prevent false reviews. Like any
spam filter, sometimes they filter
out correct and good reviews.
Be sure to check those filters to
ensure that the real reviews are
getting through.

15. Ask Loyal Customers to Help
When someone has purchased
from you, simply follow up with
them and ask them to give you a
review.
Make it easy for them by giving
them a link to the places you want
them to leave a review.

16. Remove Obvious Spam
The one exception to ignoring a
bad review is when it’s obvious
spam. The best course of action
for spam is to simply delete it
without comment and if possible
block the person.

17. Social Media Is Fickle
It’s important to use social media
accounts but it’s best to have the
main focus be on your website.
Social media should be an
amplifier, not the end-all-be-all.
If all your social media accounts
were shut down tomorrow, what
would you do without a website?

18. Social Media Is Fickle
Review sites, local destination
sites, social media sites and other
online directories are very
valuable pieces of online real
estate as well. Make sure to
nurture them all and keep your
reputation online flawless.

19. Position Your Brand for
Success
When your website works
together with these other pieces
of digital real estate, you position
your brand to be much more
successful. It’s YOUR brand, so
take charge of it and secure your
digital real estate.

20. Need More Info?
Other helpful for small business and online marketers on
Patt Timlin Online
Check out blog post: Your Online Presence!