Loyalty in a business has several different components. You have customer loyalty, staff loyalty, and perhaps even supplier loyalty. When it comes to an online business, you can have social media loyalty, and for some businesses, affiliate loyalty. That’s a lot of loyalty that needs managing, yet it only takes one of those loyalty areas to unravel, and your whole businesses reputation could be down the drain.
Managing that loyalty is not as difficult as it sounds. If you take the top three components for most online businesses – staff, customers, and social media – they all cross paths at some stage. Here are a few suggestions for managing each component.
- Staff Loyalty – Staff loyalty requires both a firm hand and good management skills. Providing fair work conditions is always a good start. Having social media policies in place that are fair but firm are also a necessity. If you manage those two areas carefully, then staff loyalty need not be an issue, even if one employee leaves and tries to bad mouth your business.
- Customer Loyalty – Customer loyalty comes to the basics of good business. Provide a good product at a fair price and back it up with a good customer service policy and you should have customers coming back time after time.
- Social Media Loyalty – Social media loyalty is perhaps the hardest of the three to manage. However, if your social media approach is social and less marketing, and your communication is honest two-way communication, then you have a good start. Understanding why users are connecting with you through social media and feeding that motive in a positive way will seal their loyalty.
Loyalty is not that difficult to attain if your approach is positive and honest. With a strong loyalty base, you have a rock solid reputation management foundation. If anyone does try to undermine your business, those loyal to you will stand up and defend you without having to be asked.
Testimonials are a very important part of any business. Make people happy and they’ll tell you about it. They may even tell their friends.
Well, Reciprocal Consulting has some great customers and we’re proud to announce that we’ve made them very happy. Here are 5 customer testimonials just for your eyes:
RP is the only company we’ve found that we can trust managing our PPC. Their intensive and consistent work building and maintaining our account stands out from the numerous providers we’ve wasted time and money with.
Thanks, Michael. And now here’s one from 3D Video Ultrasound:
“Jacob,
You are dominating my industry in Southern CA on Google. I could not be any happier! We are creating a banner that will state anyone driving over 40 miles to our facility will receive an automatic 25% off any package. That should help with the further clicks. Great job Jacob…Thanks again”
3D Video Ultrasound, PPC Lead Generation
Of course, we do more than PPC and video marketing consulting. Let’s hear from an SEO client:
“…the day we signed our contract with Reciprocal Consulting the leads started comming in. They know what they are doing and they care about our bottom line. What else can you ask from an Internet Marketing Company?”
Real Estate Agency, PPC & SEO Lead Generation
And website development:
“Hey Jacob:
You did it. I got a nice couples lead today and will be seeing them this evening. GREAT JOB….keep tweaking whatever you are tweaking. Hoping I get more over the weekend.”
Marriage Therapist, PPC Lead Generation & Website Development
And we’re capable of helping people in any industry, even travel:
“Hi Dan:
Yes, things this month are great – and I like the most that the overall cost is down – thus far I am at $2400+/- and last month this time I was already over $3000 – keep up the good work!!! Thanks for checking in!”
Travel Website, PPC Lead Generation
Check out more great customer testimonials on our website. We love our customers.
Who are you conducting competitive intelligence for? Are you doing it for you or for your customers? Or maybe for your stockholders?
Competitive intelligence should be seen as an asset. Whether you are a corporation or a small business, you have competition and if you expect to remain competitive within your niche then you need to stay on top of what your competition is doing. Your stockholders expect it. Your customers will appreciate it (even if they don’t know you are doing it). Your employees need it. And you have a responsibility to each of them.
Competitive intelligence is something that must be done for your company’s survival. Without a good idea of the competitive landscape within your industry you will likely not survive. That will place your stockholders’ investments at risk, your customers could end up doing business elsewhere, and your employees may lose their jobs. A good competitive intelligence strategy is a necessary part of doing business.
It doesn’t seem possible, but this is one of those zen aphorisms that rings true because it’s so contradictory. Give up control and gain more control. That’s how search engine marketing works.
Typically, small businesses start off building their website knowing just where they want to go. And that’s the problem. They do the keyword research. Narrow down the list of keywords to target. Write great content for their website. Do the requisite promotions. And no one shows up to buy anything. Why?
The problem is you have too much control. Give it up.
And here’s how you give up control. You simply let the customer have it. They know what they want. They’ll search using the phrases that are important to them, not the ones you’ve picked out of a line up. Your customers will purchase what you have to offer if you offer what they are looking for. So quit guessing and ask what they are looking for. Then provide it.
The way to be successful at search engine marketing is to give up control and to let your customer have it. When you do that, you’ll gain control over your success in the best kind of way.
