Are Bloggers Driving Business Over the Cliff?
Social Media has changed the entire scene of doing business in the world.The silent majority who just went about their daily lives, now have more power than ever before, and they are using it!
Red Alert, the mommy bloggers have entered the building, and they are proving that they have a lot of influence!
So exactly what does that have to do with you and me? The fact of the matter is that each and every one of us makes buying decisions many times every day. In the “old” days, you remember way back in, let’s say, the nineties, if you bought a product from X company and it stunk, you could take it back to the store and you might be able to get a refund. There was no consideration given to your inconvenience, travel and time expense .You considered yourself lucky to get that refund. The X company was only out one sale, no big deal.
That was then. Now you can return the item to the store and maybe get a refund. Regardless, you are at least a little ticked off, and disappointed that the product did not live up to your expectations. As you walk out of the store, you pull out your phone and send out a tweet 
that company X has a crummy product. Now the whole world can read about it.
At first glance that might not seem like such a big deal. Well, we have all heard of the Domino’s fiasco. If you haven’t heard of that, in a nutshell, some disgruntled employees posted an unfavorable video on YouTube, Domino’s were not up to speed with Social Media, it cost them a bunch. Had they been in the loop, they could have jumped right in and responded, and it might have been a very interesting thing to watch.
My point here is that today we all have a voice that can be heard. Even if you are too shy to confront a company personally, now you can at least write a review on your blog. If you are a smart business owner, you will pay attention to that.
We are reverting in a big way back to “word of mouth” advertising. The era of customer ” no service” is quickly coming to an end. If you have a small business, you have a great opportunity. Pay attention to your customers, give them “red carpet” treatment. Listen to what they are saying, good and bad. Respond to each comment that is made.
That sounds like a tall order. The good news is that there are ways to put the proverbial ear to the ground and stay in the loop of what others are saying about you. The better news is that it won’t have to cost you anything. Yes, I do mean free. It is easy, get Google alerts. All you have to do then is follow the directions to set an alert for your name and have it sent to your email. While you are at it, let Google alerts help you keep your finger on the pulse of your market. Simply use the keywords that represent your business. You can sign up for Google Alerts here.
I am going to head over there and set up more alerts for myself and my business. Do you have a favorite tool that you use in your business. I would love to hear about it. Please leave a comment and we can talk about it.
photo credit: mararie
photo credit: marek.sotak
