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Welcome 👋
A hearty welcome to the new people joining this week.
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Now let’s get on with the show. 🚀
Local search: You control 91% of post-review customer journeys 🔍
Local search is an important lever to success for most local small businesses. Local search in this context is using the Internet to find nearby businesses providing a desired service or product. This means conducting a local search is an early step in the customer journey.
A local search often results in the reading of third-party reviews on Google, Yelp, or Nextdoor. The data indicates that 96% of adults read local business reviews.
Unfortunately businesses have limited control over the platforms (Google, Yelp, or Nextdoor) serving the reviews. If incorrect or harmful information is posted, platforms may be slow to resolve the issue or unresponsive to requests for help.
But there is 🎺 good news 🎺 for local small businesses.
“You (local small business) control 91% of post-review customer journeys”.
Let’s dive in.
First, let’s define customer journey.
Awareness: Customer becomes aware they have a need or problem.
Research: They research to determine if solutions exist.
Consideration: Consideration is given to local (or remote) businesses providing possible solutions.
Purchase: A purchase is made.
Support: Support may be needed after the sale in the form of questions, repair, or installation.
Within this journey we’re focused on the post-review portion. For me this would apply to parts of the Research, Consideration, and Purchase phases. Those are post-review to my mind.
“You (local small business) control 91% of post-review customer journeys”.
What then lies within the 91%? What does a local small business control?
After reading reviews 91% of potential customers visit a space owned by the business.
51% visit the website (full control)
27% visit the place of business (full control)
13% contact the business (full control of phone and text lines, email, forms, and live chat)
8% move to profiles on Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, etc. (limited control)
With potential customers visiting spaces under full control the burden for businesses becomes converting visitors to buyers. To increase conversions consider the following.
Local business website 📲
Does the site include the information a customer needs to take further steps toward a transaction?
Is contact information highly visible? Phone, text, email, forms, hours of operation, maps, and written directions.
Are customer reviews listed? This is further social proof supporting the business. The reviews can be an alternative to third-party reviews when those platforms are not working.
Place of business: this can be the physical location of the business or at a client’s location 🏬
Exceptional customer service
Quality products
Accurate online local business listing
Contact options 📞
Can phone hold time be reduced to a minimum?
Are all customer-facing personnel trained and proficient at helping customers?
More good news for local small businesses is that the process is really the same as it has been since the dawn of commerce.
People want to know what others are saying about a business
People want to connect with a business for a possible transaction
People tell others about what they experienced with a business
Rinse and repeat. Satisfy and profit.
How does this apply to you? To your business? To your non-profit organization? To your favorite local small businesses? I’d love to know.
Source material 📚
Renting vs. Owning the Post-Review Local Consumer Journey: Local SEO (Moz.com)
The Impact of Local Business Reviews on Consumer Behavior | SEO Industry Report
What I’m Enjoying 💖
Darebee. Since before the pandemic I’ve used this ad-free, non-profit service to help me stay physically active in my home office. They provide a phenomenal range of workouts, programs, and challenges. (The RPG (role player game) programs are especially cool.) If you have a body, they have ways for you to train it. Go here to start.
Feedback 🤩
Got feedback? Use the Comment button below (or reply to this email). I’d love to hear from you. Which tech tool is your favorite? What do you want more or less of? Other suggestions? Please let me know. Leave a comment with all the juicy details.
Share with a friend 💌
If you found value in reading this issue, please share with a friend.
In Case You Missed Recent Posts 📰
📧 Email: Past, Present, and Future/Writing/Organizing & Optimizing
🤖 Google Business Profile, Delete Online Accounts, AI and ChatGPT
🗄️ Visit the archive
Mission 🧾
To provide valuable, actionable information about tech tools to small business owners, entrepreneurs, and organization leaders. I’ll look for the tastiest morsels of useful news and notes to share while you focus on the success of you, your business, your organization.
Until next time.
Take care and be well,
Rob
Tools used to create this post
Notion (information gathering)
Substack (newsletter publishing)
Emojipedia (yes, emojis)
Google Chrome (Internet browser)
Feedly (news reader)