Managing your reputation online

No matter the size of a business, managing its reputation online is an important element to success.

Big or small, how the public perceives a company or organization will go a long way toward the overall success, or failure, of the company or organization. A positive reputation translates to loyalty and sales. A negative reputation does the opposite.

The Harris Poll has a ranking system called "Reputation Quotient Rankings" and it consists of six dimensions:

Source: certstaff.com

So how do you do it?

First step is to see what is out there about your company or organization. You can do that by doing a Google search of your company/organization and see what pops up. Also, take a look at reviews posted on your social media channels. This falls in line with social listening.

Once you see what's being said about your company/organization online, interact with the people are leaving the messages, reviews, etc. Thank them for their insight and opinion (good or bad). If there is a negative review, address it immediately. When there is a negative review, view it as a chance to rectify the situation. Sometimes people will be stubborn and not return the favor. However, if addressed immediately, the person may add a review saying they were appreciative that their matter was addressed and rectified. Then, you have a positive experience. Remember, positive experiences lead to brand loyalty.

Managing your reputation online can be a daunting task. But it doesn't have to be. You can set up notifications to if and when a review is posted either on social media or on Google or elsewhere. You can see that in real time. You should address any feedback within 24 hours.

New metric added on Facebook

About a year ago, Facebook introduced a metric called the "Distribution Score." It could be found with video posts on a Facebook business page.

Facebook appears to have expanded that.

Facebook has now offered that metric to non-video posts.

According to the Facebook Business Help Center, "The Distribution Score in Creator Studio shows you how each post on your Page is performing on metrics that are important for reaching more people with your content on Facebook. The higher the score, the more your content organically appears within feeds across the platform."

Here is more about it: About Distribution Scores | Facebook Business Help Center

The average distribution score is -1.3 to 1.3.

Facebook announced several weeks ago it will be eliminating its Analytics tool option. That is due to go into effect June 30. This could be an offering to help people who may still want access to that data (such as me).

Here is that article: Facebook Analytics going away June 30

Facebook/Instagram algorithm changes rolling out

For years, we've wondered how Facebook, which also owns Instagram, sets up users' newsfeeds. Recently, Facebook has been a bit more transparent in informing users on how they see their newsfeeds and why they see certain posts when they do.

A lot more of that transparency, coupled with several changes, are becoming more clear than ever before. It's good and bad from a marketing standpoint.

In an article that posted on techcrunch.com in March, "Facebook denies its algorithms are a problem, but launches a tool to more easily view a non-algorithmic News Feed," it says, "Following years of backlash over its algorithms and their ability to push people to more extreme content, which Facebook continues to deny, the company (March 31, 2021) announced it would give its users new tools to more easily switch over to non-algorithmic views of their News Feed."

When Facebook initially announced nearly 20 years (Yes. That's what I said. It launched in 2004), posts were seen by users in the order of which posts were made chronologically. That held up for several years until Facebook changed that. What was set up was a algorithm formula that calculated how users engaged with posts and pages, and used that data to organize users' newsfeeds.

That practice has been heavily scrutinized in recent years with arguments including swaying elections, pushing agendas and so forth.

Like the article said, Facebook has decided to not only make changes, but also be transparent into what the changes are and what can be expected going forward.

Facebook is focusing on giving the users more control of what they see or don't see in their newsfeed, rather than a computer calculation. Facebook is enhancing the user experience. That's good for users, worrisome for marketers. Among those changes is the creation of a favorites option in your newsfeed settings.

Users are able to set up to 30 favorites of either friends or pages that they want as top priority in their newsfeeds.

Here are some other changes to be aware of:

• The feed filter bar on mobile will be more accessible.
• Give users information about why they're seeing the posts they are.
• Opportunities to reach more people than just your followers organically.
• Users may see suggested posts or business pages based on where they are physically located in real time. (I'm researching how Apple's privacy setting and other cookie tracking changes impact this)
• Suggesting posts and pages to non-followers who have friends who interact with business pages.
• Removing 'like' button to just 'follow'.
• Increased reliance on hashtags in Facebook posts.

These are some big-time changes for Facebook, which also includes Instagram in some capacity. Giving the user more control will be a win for users and their trust in Facebook. As noted in previous blog posts, trust in Facebook is dwindling and doing so rapidly. This is certainly an effort to address that by Facebook.

Here are some other points to keep in mind going forward:

• Organic reach continues to drop to around 2%. Say if you have 1,000 followers (not likes) of your Facebook page, that means only 20 people are seeing your post, on average. Just a few years ago, that number was above 6%. The reason for that is because there is so much traffic on Facebook, the window to see posts is much smaller than it was, say, 10 years ago. That's one reason the algorithm model was created, to try and help users see content believed to be important to them based on engagement history.
• Using engagement-bait copy such as "like this post" or "share this post" is heavily dropping organic reach. Essentially, let the content (which includes video or photo) do the talking. Make it engaging, rather than ask for it.
• Facebook wants users to stay on platform. So, posting outbound links are diminishing a page's organic reach, too.
• When it comes to hashtagging, it appears 1-2 hashtags will be the recommended way to go. 3-5 hashtags will be sketchy. Any more than that will be troublesome and diminish organic reach. It'll be recommended to hashtag location, too.

A couple last-point statistics to keep in mind (Source: G/O Digital June Study):

• 60 percent of consumers visit Facebook page before visiting brick-and-mortar location or website.
• 80 percent of consumers are more inclined to purchase from a business if they find a credible, authentic Facebook page as associated with a business.
• 62 percent of consumers say Facebook is the most important and useful social media channel to research small businesses.

Here is a handy reference guide from Facebook.

Understanding site navigation on your website

Say you want people to review the services you offer on your website, but the traffic to that page on your site is not where you want it to be.

So, you establish a goal to increase web traffic to your services offered page. How can you track it?

If you still have Google Analytics 3 or Universal Analytics, this is quite simple to find and track.

Log in to your Google Analytics account and make sure you're looking at your GA-3 or UA set up.

• Click on "Behavior" in the left-hand column

• Click on "Site Content" then "All Pages."

• Click on "Site Navigation"

From here, you will see two sets of data charts. The one on the left is previous page. The one on the right is next page.

As you see in the above image, you can set the page that you want to review with how users are getting to a page and what their next navigation is. If it's "/", that represents the home page. If there's text after the "/", that is the subpages of your site. Example: www.mywebsite.com/contactus. "/contactus" is a subpage.

Once you understand your data, you can review your website to see what the flaw might be. In the example of wanting more people to review your services offered, you may need to adjust the site to make the services offered spot more visible or a more obvious call to action (CTA).

With any website, the most important element is to be able to create a positive user experience. Bad experiences will lead to lost sales opportunities and in most cases the user won't return to your site.

Make your website clear and concise. I always have believed a simpler website that has the bare bones of what you want people to find on your site and do on your site is more effective than having several animations that slow down website speed or doesn't help the customer. Or even worse, frustrate the potential customer.

Remember. Use data to make informed or data-driven decisions.

Careful if using Messenger in email marketing

Email marketing is a great way to connect with customers or stay connected with customers. It is also necessary to maintain relationships and loyalty to your brand.

However, if done incorrectly, it can turn people away.

Recently, I've had friends on Facebook send me messages via Messenger asking for their support to buy tickets for an event for an organization they represent. BE CAREFUL DOING THIS!

In 2003, the Controlling the Assault of Non-Solicited Pornography And Marketing (CAN-SPAM) Act of 2003 was signed into law by President George W. Bush. CAN-SPAM established the United States' first national standards for the sending of commercial email. It's overseen by Federal Trade Commission (FTC) to enforce its provisions.

Here is more on the law.

Here is a snippet from the FTC's website:

"Despite its name, the CAN-SPAM Act doesn’t apply just to bulk email. It covers all commercial messages, which the law defines as 'any electronic mail message the primary purpose of which is the commercial advertisement or promotion of a commercial product or service,' including email that promotes content on commercial websites. The law makes no exception for business-to-business email. That means all email – for example, a message to former customers announcing a new product line – must comply with the law."

It's unclear if Facebook Messenger fits into this category. I did a lot of research and digging, and asked some experts. One told me, "It's misguided, but doesn't seem malicious."

One thing it can be is highly annoying.

An email is defined as "messages distributed by electronic means from one computer user to one or more recipients via a network."

The general rule of thumb, in many or most cases, is people have to voluntarily opt-in to an email newsletter database. Then, they have to be given opportunity to opt out whenever they want, and that request must be granted in adequate time.

Sending a message to friends via Facebook Messenger as a representative of a company, business or organization, can qualify as spam if the person didn't request that information to be sent to them. When you're in an email newsletter database, you are giving the sender (in most cases a company, business or organization), permission to send you emails about anything from exclusive offers, specials, news updates, ticket sales, etc.

Assuming your friends on Facebook wants to see something about something a company you work for or represent via Messenger is not a safe practice. It can be irritating. Most people already get plenty of unwanted emails per day. They likely won't want it in their Facebook inbox either.

If you want to use Facebook Messenger in your marketing efforts, it's a safe practice to request permission to do so to the people you plan to send it to. And do this BEFORE sending the email or message.

Social media for small businesses

No matter the type or the size of your business or organization, having social media as part of your marketing outreach efforts is a key component for success.

Wherein the trouble lies is with bigger companies, they tend to have staff designated to handle those duties. Small businesses don't often have that luxury. But the value of having social media as part of your outreach efforts is similar.

Social media can be a daunting task. But, if it's done right, it's not as daunting.

Here are some tips on how to effectively utilize social media, especially for small businesses:

Select the social media channels your target audience is on

Not all channels work for all small businesses. Your perfect channel depends on who your target audience is and what product or service you are offering. 

Create quality content; focus on quality rather than quantity

Once you have figured out which social media channel(s) will work best for your target audience, creating high-quality content is essential. Create content that centers on what you are and what you do as a business. Use a variety of media, too, such as infographics, videos, photos, etc. Data suggests social media content is more engaging if it has some form of media with it.

Be engaging

You can't just post and not do anything else. You have to be interactive, engaging. Being consistently engaging builds relationships. Once relationships are built, loyalty comes next. After loyalty is purchases.

Analyze results

Like stated previously about posting and doing nothing else, you have to analyze how consumers are engaging or not engaging with your content. If you're creating content that is not engaging with an audience and then aren't analyzing yet, you're losing out on the opportunity to build a relationship and loyalty.

A key phrase in marketing is "Make data-driven decisions." If you aren't analyzing data, you're not going to make data-driven decisions that'll meet your desired goal or goals.

Key data points include: engagement on posts (likes, clicks, shares, etc.), conversions from ads or post boostings and traffic to your website.

In closing ...

Small businesses can achieve success if they reach the right people. Social media is a great way to help you connect with the right people. To make this happen, it’s important to create a strategy that works to achieve those goals, while also being flexible.

Here is a video of a presentation I did for the West Bend (Wis.) Area Chamber of Commerce: WEBINAR: How To Make Social Media Work For You

Leveraging TikTok

The rise and popularity of TikTok has been well documented and highly publicized. But one of its biggest mysteries remain: how can businesses utilize TikTok.

In a blog post by the company, it tries to help answer that question.

PPC Protect said in the 1970s, the average person saw about 500 to 1,600 advertisements per day. Those ads were on billboards, in newspapers, and on TV and radio.

Today, it's estimated the average person sees anywhere between 6,000 to 10,000 ads per day.

With that in mind, it's easy to understand why internet users, an estimated 50 percent of them, use ad blockers. And, with Apple's latest privacy changes that allows people to disable tracking mechanisms on apps, that further complicates effective advertising.

Trust, or lack of it, is another issue. TikTok said consumer trust levels in ads are down to 37 percent.

Marketers have to think differently, test their creativity.

A blog entry from TikTok, How creator collaborations can spark online shopping sprees, outlines how two businesses are using the TikTok Creator Marketplace to collaborate with the right creators based on their target market and as a result gaining engagement with a global community. 

Create high-performing landing pages

The opportunity to capture someone's attention, let alone lead them to a conversion, is small. According to several studies, you have only a matter of seconds. That's why setting up the best landing page is key when it comes to your website.

Instapage released several examples in a report: 26 Landing Page Examples You Can't Afford To Miss

How is social media used in marketing?

Social Media Examiner, a leader in social media marketing tips and news, has released a report exploring social media trends: "How Marketers Are Using Social Media to Grow Their Businesses."

In its announcement detailing the 40-page report, which is full of information and graphics, Social Media Examiner highlighted several key points found in the report.

• Facebook declining, but dominance is still strong.
• Instagram is hot.
• Stories video use is on the rise.
• TikTok is ignored by most marketers.

A breakdown of consumer loyalty

Recently, Resonate released its National Consumer Study, which surveyed more than 200 million U.S. adult consumers to find out what is important to consumers and why they're loyal to the brands they are.

Among the areas broken down is a generation-by-generation look at what consumers are loyal to and why.

Six-page report