Search Results for: customer reviews

Top 3 Online Marketing Changes You Need to Know in 2018

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

New year, new internet?
Well, the internet’s changes may not be quite that dramatic. However, as we always say at the beginning of a new year, it’s smart to look ahead and see what you need to watch out for. The surest way to succeed is to prepare, after all.
From far-reaching Google updates to online behavioral trends, 2018 will see some major shifts that business owners will want to be aware of. While Prospect Genius doesn’t have a crystal ball and can’t make any guarantees, we’re pretty confident in our predictions for online marketing changes you can expect in the coming months.
So, ready to dive in? Read on for our list of the top three online marketing changes coming in 2018!

1. Google Launches Its Own Lead Generator for Local Services

Google has launched its own version of pay-per-lead directories like HomeAdvisor, Thumbtack, and Angie’s List. It’s called Local Services.
When a service provider signs up for Local Services, their listing is displayed at the top of search results pages. A user clicks on the service provider’s name, and they see a profile page complete with contact details, customer reviews, and other pertinent details. Then, when a user decides to call or message the service provider, the service provider is charged for the lead. If you’ve ever used a platform like Thumbtack or HomeAdvisor, then you can probably visualize how Local Services works.
But how do budgeting and ranking work on Local Services? According to Ginny Marvin’s article on Search Engine Land:

Advertisers set a weekly budget determined by the number of leads they want to receive. Google won’t say specifically what factors go into the rankings in the ad unit, but [Product Director for Small and Medium Business Ads Kim Spalding] said there’s a focus on quality (ratings and reviews), the ability to connect right away, location and a number of other factors.

Currently, there are 17 confirmed cities with access to Local Services. Google announced plans to expand that number to 30 by 2018. The current 17 cities are:

Atlanta
Boston
Chicago
Dallas
Detroit
Los Angeles
Miami
New York
Philadelphia
Phoenix
Riverside, CA
Sacramento
San Diego
San Francisco
San Jose
Seattle
Washington, D.C.

And the service categories that have access to Local Services right now are:

Locksmiths
Plumbers
Electricians
HVAC
Garage door services
Handyman services
House cleaning services

Why you need to know about Local Services:

If you’re in any one of these service categories, your competitors might take advantage of Local Services and get more visibility on Google’s search results pages. Moreover, pay-per-lead services like Thumbtack and HomeAdvisor are about to take a huge hit as Local Services siphons off their user bases. Therefore, if you rely heavily on one of these services for the majority of your leads, you’ll need to diversify your marketing approach. Focusing on Facebook and SEO will be crucial.

2. Google’s Mobile-First Index Means Mobile Optimization Is a MUST

True, we’ve been saying “mobile optimization is a must” for years now. However, that’s because it’s been true for years, and the urgency just got a lot more real.
You see, Google has been slowly working on what it calls a “mobile-first index,” wherein Google ranks webpages based on the mobile version of their content, even when searches are performed on desktops. As Barry Schwartz, a renowned web consultant, explains, this is due to the majority of searches happening on mobile devices these days:

As more and more searches happen on mobile, Google wants its index and results to represent the majority of their users — who are mobile searchers.

Furthermore, Google won’t add pages to the index until its mobile and desktop versions are a 100% match in terms of content, links, schema, etc.

Why you need to know about Google’s mobile-first index:

This all means you not only need a mobile version of your website, but you need one that doesn’t lose any of your site’s content or usability. While the roll-out of the mobile-first index is expected to go “very slowly,” you’re better off optimizing your mobile site sooner than later. After all, Google is known to implement sweeping updates seemingly overnight, so Google’s idea of “very slowly” could mean anything. Your best bet is to make your mobile site a major focal point in 2018.

3. Live Chat and IM Will Be Everywhere (Thanks to Millennials)

You might have already noticed platforms like Facebook and Google My Business placing a larger emphasis on instant messaging. For example, Facebook’s business pages allow “Send Message” as a call-to-action option. In fact, it will even add a badge to your page if you have a fast response rate to messages. You can expect instant messaging and live chats to gain even more prominence in the coming year.
Why? Because this is how millennials prefer to communicate, and millennials are gaining more and more purchasing power. You may still think of millennials as a bunch of young, broke college kids, but the truth is, the oldest of them are actually in their early 30s now. This means they’re established in their careers and starting to own homes.
As they gain more influence as consumers, businesses must adapt to their preferred methods of communication. And, considering they grew up with the immediacy and convenience of email, AOL Instant Messenger, and texting, these are the types of communication methods they prefer.

RELATED: “Why You Must Market to Millennials (And How to Do It)”

Why you need to know about live chat and instant messaging:

Millennials are currently the largest living generation. You can’t neglect or ignore them. Therefore, make it a priority this year to reassess the media you’re using for communication. Have some sort of instant alternative to the phone available for convenience. Whether it’s an active Facebook page that you use for direct messaging or a live chat plug-in on your own website, it will greatly improve your appeal to millennials. Plus—let’s be frank here—millennials aren’t the only ones who appreciate convenience!
Interested in adding a live chat tool on your website? Let us know! Lots of small business owners and service providers enjoy how easy these tools are to use. Prospect Genius can install and implement a live chat plug-in on your site for only a small setup fee (with zero charges after setup).
Our clients may also like to know we’re currently developing texting capabilities via CallTrax™ lines. Stay tuned!
So, be on the lookout for these major online marketing changes coming your way in 2018! If you have any questions or concerns whatsoever, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Happy New Year!

3 Errors New Businesses ALWAYS Make (And How to Fix Them)

Last Updated: November 16, 2017

For new businesses, there’s a lot to do when you first set out on your venture. Unfortunately, there’s no book or step-by-step guide that tells you everything you need. Sure, there are countless articles and e-books about the fundamentals, but the nitty-gritty stuff you have to do for your web presence often remains a guessing game.
That’s why it’s so easy for new businesses to make mistakes when putting your company out there on the web. You’re bound to hit some stumbling blocks as you go. However, Prospect Genius wants to help you correct those mistakes so you can keep forging ahead.
In this blog post, you’ll discover three of the most common, yet easily fixable, errors we see new businesses make. Are you guilty of any of these? Let’s find out!

1. Using Your Personal Cell Number as Your Company’s Primary Phone Number

When first starting out, many small business owners, particularly local service providers, use their cell phones as their main business phones. This seems logical when you first think about it. After all, you always have your cell phone with you, and it’s the easiest way to answer calls when you’re on the go.
However, as you continue on your journey as a business owner, you’ll come to realize how important it is to have well-defined boundaries between your company and personal life. Unfortunately (and, perhaps, inconveniently), using your personal cell phone as your business phone blurs these boundaries quite a bit. For example, you feel pressured to answer your phone when you’re out with your family because a customer might be calling.
Also, to be a little more frank, it creates a nuisance. Do you really want your personal cell phone ringing at all hours of the day and night? The answer is probably no—especially when you consider that a lot of those phone calls are spam.
You see, when you use your personal number as your business number, it will appear everywhere your business does. This means your personal phone number is all over the internet (on your website, Google, Facebook, Yelp, Bing, and dozens of other platforms). This also means the National Do Not Call Registry no longer applies to you. As a result, you’ll be getting solicitor calls nonstop.
Importantly, using your personal cell phone for business also prevents you from hiring a receptionist or answering service to assist you with incoming calls.

How to Fix It

As we see it, you have a couple of options. You can:

Go to your preferred wireless retailer and get a new cell phone dedicated exclusively to your business.
Add a separate, company landline for your home office (if you have one).
Get a metered, VoIP line (like our CallTrax service or something similar). This kind of phone line enables you to track all of your incoming leads, and it also comes with spam-blocking technology to limit how many telemarketers get through to you. Best of all, you can forward this line to any number you like at any time. This means you can forward calls to your personal phone, go on vacation, scale up your business, add more phones to the line, and so on.

2. Setting Up Facebook Incorrectly

If you’re not already an avid Facebook user, the platform can be confusing. Often, we see novice Facebook users accidentally put their business name on a personal Facebook profile, instead of creating an official business page. In doing so, it’s as if their account is for a person named “Mike’s Plumbing” (for example) rather than a verifiable business.
Why is this a big deal? It matters because Facebook treats personal accounts and business pages very, very differently. So, if your company is limited to a personal account on Facebook, it won’t have the same capabilities that most other businesses have. For instance:

Personal profiles don’t give you insights into your page’s performance, such as audience engagement with your posts and visits to your page.
Personal profiles don’t include important business information. People won’t be able to see vital details like your industry/category, phone number, street address, “About Us” description, products/services, and customer reviews.
Personal profiles don’t allow customers to leave reviews of your business. Without customer reviews, your business won’t have a star rating or any way to demonstrate value. People like to read reviews before choosing a business for their needs.
Personal profiles can only have up to 5,000 “friends.” If you want to grow beyond that, you need a business page.
Personal profiles can’t advertise with Facebook Ads. Therefore, your reach will be limited and you won’t be able to boost any of your posts, promos, or coupons.

Above all, having a personal profile for your business looks highly unprofessional. It instantly tells people you don’t know what you’re doing on social media. This doesn’t exactly instill confidence in your other skills.

How to Fix It

Thankfully, this mistake is easy to fix. There’s no need to delete the personal profile you accidentally created. Instead, you can follow the steps outlined here in Facebook’s Help Center: “How do I convert my personal account to a Facebook Page?”
If you’re confused by Facebook’s guide, you can always ask your marketing team for help. Prospect Genius offers assistance with this, as well.

3. Having an Unprofessional Email Address for Your Business

Are you using the same AOL address you’ve had since the early 2000s for your business? We hate to break it to you, but you need a new business email ASAP.
Your company’s primary email address must look professional. This is for two reasons:

Prospective customers want to know you’re a legitimate operation. So, if you list a wacky, personal email address under your company’s contact details, you might lose some business. Generally speaking, most people would rather do business with “mike@mikesplumbing.com” than “sk8rd00d99@aol.com.”
Dealing with Google is much easier when you have an email address on a corporate domain (like “mikesplumbing.com”). Whether you’re claiming a listing or assigning a new manager to your listing, the whole process is streamlined when you can email your authorization from a corporate domain (because Google sees this as a verification of your identity).

We understand the desire to simplify your life and only have one inbox to check, but having a separate, professional email address for your business is an absolute must.

How to Fix It

You have a few options here:

If you have your own website and domain, the process for setting up an email address on your domain is relatively easy. This is the ideal move because you’ll appear super professional and official. At the same time, it will make all your dealings with Google much easier in the future.
If you have your own website but can’t figure out how to set up your address, your advertiser should be able to do it for you. (For example, Prospect Genius offers this service for a small fee.)
Don’t have your own web domain? You can sign up for a Gmail address, instead. It’s 100% free, and the whole process is fairly simple.
For any of the above solutions, you can set your new business address to forward all emails to your personal inbox. This way, you don’t have to check two separate accounts, which makes life a lot easier.

Don’t Be Discouraged

For new businesses, getting yourself online for the first time without a single error would be unheard of. The opportunities for mistakes are endless. So, please, don’t feel discouraged if you’ve made any of these missteps. All that matters is you fix your mistake in a timely manner, learn your lesson, and keep moving forward. And if you ever feel lost or confused, reach out for help! Prospect Genius is here to answer any questions or concerns you might have.
Now get to work!

Why You Must Market to Millennials (and How to Do It)

Last Updated: October 19, 2017

Another day, another article about millennials, right? We get it. You’re sick of hearing about them. However, we ask you to bear with us this time—because this is directly related to your small business’s marketing efforts.
Millennials are the largest living generation today. According to the 2015 U.S. Census, our country has more than 83 million millennials right now, compared to 75.4 million baby boomers. That’s a lot of purchasing power! And thanks to rapid changes in technology, we’re seeing a sharp difference in the way they prefer doing business.
This means you’re going to have to adapt to millennial preferences soon, if you haven’t already. They’re becoming the next generation of homeowners, and therefore your target customers for things like electrical work, plumbing, home remodeling, appliance repair, and the like. So, if you’re a local service provider specializing in any of these services, you have no choice but to get on board with how millennials operate. That’s just reality.
Obviously, this begs the question: How, exactly, do millennials operate? And what will you need to change in order to accommodate them?
Keep reading to find out!

How Millennials Approach Local Businesses

A recent Goldman Sachs report calls millennials “the first digital natives.” That’s a fitting description, to say the least. Millennials spend a lot of their time online. Like, a lot. Here’s what you need to know about their digital habits and how they deal with businesses online:

They browse the web on their smartphones and tablets daily. Consumer Barometer (a Google partner) reports that 75% of millennials go online via smartphone at least as much as via computer. Moreover, roughly 33% access the internet on smartphones more often than on computers.
They Google *everything*: 55% of millennials use search engines to research products they’re interested in buying. More than 40% do this research on a smartphone. They demand and expect information on the spot.
Once they’ve heard about a local business, they typically look for its Facebook page to check out reviews, posts, photos, and more details.
They rely on customer reviews and recommendations more than other generations. They use social networks to get advice twice as often as Gen-Xers and baby boomers.
They don’t like making phone calls. In many cases, they’ll go out of their way not to talk to someone on the phone, even if that means working with a different company.
Their preferred methods of communication are text, email, and IM/chat. According to Forbes, 68% of millennials say they text “a lot” throughout the day. Compare this to just 47% of Gen-Xers.

The gist? Millennials love using their phones for everything except talking. Go figure.

How You Can Appeal to Millennials

Taking all of the above into account, you get a strong sense of what appeals to millennials. So, in your own marketing efforts for your local business, apply these three rules:
1.) Look good on their smartphones.
The majority of millennials are glued to their smartphones. They search Google, watch videos, go on social media, and text. If you want to appeal to millennials, your business has to be easily discoverable and accessible on their smartphones. This means having a strong Google Maps listing and an attractive, mobile-optimized website.
2.) Meet them on social media.
Social media is where millennials are spending their time. It’s how they connect and interact with the world. They rely on social media for recommendations, advice, and general information. If you don’t have an active page that millennials can check out, you’ll miss out on tons of business.
3.) Think beyond phone calls.
This one is huge in terms of closing jobs. Even if you have an attractive mobile site and engaging Facebook page, you could lose a millennial’s business simply by not having an email form or messaging option. You must provide a way to contact you that doesn’t require a phone call.
And if you DO have an email form set up, make sure it actually works! We can’t tell you how many businesses have an email address on their website and just never check their inbox. It’s as if all their prospective jobs jump straight into a black hole. Along those same lines, if you do have a Facebook page with Messenger enabled, make sure you’re receiving notifications so you don’t miss any messages.
Pro tip: Always respond in kind. In other words, if someone messages or texts you, use that same mode of communication when you reply. Do not return a text with a phone call, unless the customer specifies otherwise.

Resistance Is Futile

There’s nothing easy about upending the way you’ve done things for years. However, if you want your local business to continue to grow, rather than shrink, you must adapt to the youngest generation with the strongest purchasing power. That means you have to make it easier for millennials to find your business, learn about your services and reviews, and contact you—all from the smartphone in the palm of their hand.
By following our recommendations in this post, you’ll be well equipped to meet the expectations of millennials and turn them into your newest customers. Good luck!

Could You Be Targeted Next by Google's Aggressive New Filter?

Last Updated: February 15, 2024

Raise your hand if you wish Google would stop making secret updates already! Just when you think you’ve mastered local search, Google launches a change that turns everything on its head. This time, it’s the Hawk update.
This latest update has serious, wide-reaching consequences for small, local businesses like yours. It’s crucial you understand the impact this update could have on your business. That way you can take steps to protect yourself. Keep reading to find out everything you need to know.

First, a Quick Summary of Google’s Hawk Update

At the end of August 2017, local SEO expert Joy Hawkins detected a change in Google’s local search filter. She noticed that Google’s search results had stopped showing certain businesses that used to rank locally. As it turns out, Google was bumping select businesses if they shared a similar category and street address with another business that had a higher ranking.
To be fair, Hawkins notes that this is an improvement on the update immediately preceding it. The previous update (known as “Possum”) applied to any businesses that were even *near* each other. So, if two plumbers were located on the same block, one of them would be filtered out of the results. Thankfully, the Hawk update seems to have rectified that.
Now, the local search algorithm narrows its focus on businesses that share the same street address and category. The intention, Hawkins explains, is “to help ensure that multiple listings for the same company don’t monopolize the search results.” However, it’s having a massively negative effect on many legitimate businesses.

How the Hawk Update Affects You

You might think, “Well, good. That means fewer spammers and impostors.” To an extent, you’d be right. However, lots of local businesses share commercial building space. Moreover, many local service providers (like plumbers, handymen, appliance repairmen, etc.) operate out of their homes and use P.O. boxes and UPS stores for their listings to avoid advertising their home addresses. They’re perfectly legitimate businesses, but their listings are now vulnerable.
In fact, we are seeing Google auto-suspend numerous clients with virtual mailboxes (especially UPS Stores) as soon as we try to verify their listings. This tells us Google is maintaining a database of virtual addresses so it can prevent businesses from using them. Ever since the Hawk update rolled out (and even a little earlier), we haven’t been able to use a UPS Store address for a new client without the listing getting suspended.
If that all sounds too technical, let’s boil it down. Here’s what you need to know: Google’s new update poses a major threat to any business that uses a virtual mailbox. If you use a UPS Store or a similar type of virtual address, Google could bump you from local search results while a competitor remains. According to Hawkins, when there’s more than one business at the same location, “Google picks the most relevant listing of the bunch and filters the rest. It’s very similar to what they do organically with duplicate content.”
But how does Google pick “the most relevant listing”? That, in keeping with Google’s m.o., is a mystery. However, based on past and current trends, we can assume Google makes this distinction the same way it assigns ranking: by looking at a business’s website content, customer reviews, backlinks, and other supporting data.
In short, you may be affected by this latest update if you:

Rent space in a commercial building that also houses similar businesses
Use a mailbox at a nearby UPS store to avoid listing your private residence
Do either of these two things and don’t have an established web presence yet

Needless to say, this applies to a lot of businesses. So, this begs the question: How can you prevent damage to your listing?

How to Protect Your Local Business Listing

There are no guarantees when it comes to Google. However, you can minimize the likelihood of Google filtering you out by making some changes. For example:

Just use your home address. This is the best option because, ultimately, this is what Google wants. It wants every business using a physical street address. All signs point to Google only becoming more aggressive with virtual addresses in the future. Biting the bullet and switching to your home address will cause less trouble in the long run.
If you really don’t want to use your home address, choose another virtual mailbox that’s not a UPS Store. (We can help you choose one.)
Start building your web presence and get more reviews on your listing. Lead Google to view your business as the “most relevant.” This way, it will be less likely to bump you from the search results.

Unfortunately, there’s no quick or easy solution here because every case is so different. Your chances of being filtered out of local search results go up or down depending on your location, industry, and competitors. In other words, the solution can only be determined on a case-by-case basis.
For this reason, our specialists are available to help any business owner who is concerned about the Hawk update. We’ll check out your web presence, analyze your case, and provide you with a sound strategy to minimize damage. Please don’t hesitate to call or email us for help.

The Only Checklist You Need for a Winning Facebook Page

Last Updated: August 10, 2017

Sick of hearing about how important Facebook is for your local business? Sorry, but you’ll have to get used to it! We can’t stop talking about Facebook—that’s how critical it is to your overall web presence. With more than 2 billion active monthly users, Facebook is indispensable.

However, in all our talk of how important a Facebook page is, we also need to explain what an effective Facebook page looks like. To that end, we put together a handy checklist of what you need on your page. This will attract the right attention, highlight your best attributes, and convince new customers to give you a chance.

Ready to start building your local business’s Facebook page? Let’s go!

1. Bare Necessities

Here’s what you absolutely must have on your Facebook page:

Profile picture. Show off who you and your business are. Using a logo is best.
Cover photo. Be a little more creative with your cover photo to reflect your personality. A group photo with your whole team is a great choice.
Accurate business category. Choose “local business” if you have a brick-and-mortar storefront or office that people can physically visit. Choose “company” if you operate out of your home or aren’t open to the public.
- Accurate business subcategory. Choose a business type or description that best matches your company. Examples include “Pediatric Dentist,” “Massage Therapist,” “Appliance Repair Service,” and so on. Keep in mind, there may not be an exact, perfect match. However, there should be a subcategory that at least comes close.
Correct page name. Make sure the spelling, spacing, and punctuation exactly match how your business name looks elsewhere on the web.
Facebook web address. Create your own, custom address on Facebook’s domain. Ideally, it will be identical to your page name, minus the spaces. This makes it easy for people to find your page without having to use Facebook’s search bar.
Up-to-date contact information. You know the drill: add your phone number, street address, website URL, and email address so people know how to reach you.

2. Should-Haves

These Facebook page elements aren’t necessarily requirements, but you really ought to have them on your page:

Complete “About” section. There are several text boxes where you can write brief descriptions of your company, your mission statement, your products and/or services, and so on. Include keywords frequently so you’ll appear more often in related search results.
Call-to-action button. Add a button that will lead page visitors to take an action. You choose whether the action is to call you, email you, or visit your website. This makes visitors more likely to contact you, especially if they’re accessing your page on their phone or tablet.
Uploaded photos. People are visual creatures. If you can, upload pictures of your staff on the job, products you’ve made, before-and-after photos of projects you’ve completed, and so on. This reflects the people behind the company, and it also shows off your brag-worthy work.
Recent posts. People also want to see that you’re up to date and engaged with the world around you. They also love to see specials, discounts, sales, and upcoming events—all of which you should post about on your page.
Customer reviews. Get as many people to leave you reviews as you can. People put a lot of stock in online reviews. Reading feedback from past customers will verify they can trust you.

3. Features That Wow

These are a few, special frills that advanced Facebook users may wish to have on their local business pages to take them to the next level:

A badge that boasts your fast response time. Facebook only adds this badge after you establish an average response time to private messages within a couple of hours. Your page visitors will be impressed that you respond so promptly, and they’ll be more likely to contact you.
Engaging videos. If you want to take a step beyond photos, try uploading a few videos! Just make sure they’re brief (three minutes or less) and, most importantly, interesting. Use videos to highlight a special promo or to capture an impressive job you just completed.
Timeline “milestones.” Facebook’s “milestones” allow you to showcase significant dates and achievements. For example, let’s say you won a customer service award, hired a new team member, or were reviewed in a local paper. These are milestones you can add to your timeline. Why not brag a little about your success? It will definitely capture the attention of potential customers.
Facebook ads and boosted posts. These aren’t exactly page features, but they certainly improve your ability to engage with your audience. By creating ads or sponsoring posts, you’ll get in front of more people and spread awareness of your business. And reaching your desired audience is more than half the battle. You can learn more here: “Facebook Ads Are the Flexible, Affordable Tool You Need.”

This list is not exhaustive, either. As Facebook evolves to become more of a hub for local businesses, it continually rolls out new features and capabilities for business pages. Follow this blog or like us on Facebook to stay updated on any important developments!
Social media isn’t as easy as it looks. However, by completing the checklist outlined above, your local business’s Facebook page will be in great shape. Good luck out there!

Prospect Genius

3 Errors New Businesses ALWAYS Make (And How to Fix Them)

1. Using Your Personal Cell Number as Your Company’s Primary Phone Number

How to Fix It

2. Setting Up Facebook Incorrectly

How to Fix It

3. Having an Unprofessional Email Address for Your Business

How to Fix It

Don’t Be Discouraged

Contact Us

Business Hours

Let’s Connect!

What Drives Us?

Client Portal App

Helpful Links

Sign up for our newsletter!