Local SEO

Drive Your Dealership’s Sales with Local SEO

Local SEO

Drive Your Dealership’s Sales with Local SEO

What is Local SEO?

Local search engine optimization is the process of optimizing your online presence to increase local traffic, visibility and brand awareness. Unlike traditional SEO which focus on ranking for keywords and phrases for a search term, local SEO focuses on ranking for city, state, region or local area keywords and phrases. These keywords and phrases are commonly searched when consumers are looking for local businesses on the internet.

Local SEO focuses on optimizing your business’ presence on the web so more and more people in your local area will be able to find you. It is also about making sure that your online content presents your business in the best light and makes it easy for local people and businesses to engage with you. When done properly local SEO can be a great way to reach out to more local customers.

What Does Local Search Look Like?

Local Search Results look a little different than regular search results. This is also sometimes referred to as the local pack, or the map pack when you are looking at your search rankings. When it comes to local search rankings, things like proximity matter. With 72% of consumers that perform a local search visiting a store within 5 miles of their current location, it is easy to see why you want to be easily found online.

How does Local Search Work?

When it comes to local searches, there are a few more layers in top of the regular algorithm. These are used to help the searcher find the best match for their query. 18% of local mobile searches lead to a sale within one day. With billions of search queries being entered every day, that’s a lot of sales!

Relevance: How closely related is the result to the words used when the searcher entered their query.

Distance: How far Google believes the searcher physically is when they perform the search.

Prominence: How important Google believes one business is over another similar business.

With that, you get 2 types of results for local searches. The local pack (which consists of Google Maps & Business Profiles) and Organic Results. One thing to remember, is that a user does not have to specifically imply locality, for Google to display local search results. Sometimes, Google believes that the locality is implied.

Where to locate Keywords for Local SEO

Local keyword research is essential for any business that wants to improve rank in search engines for local products or services. Targeting these keywords will result in more local traffic to your site and, ultimately, more customers.

To get started, you’ll need a short list of keywords that people can use to find your local business. Once you have your list, you can begin optimizing your website for those keywords to improve your chances of ranking in the search engines.

Check out your Competitor: One way to find keywords is to analyze the keywords that your competitors are ranking for, and work to gain some of that traffic. If your business is targeting the same keywords as your competitors, then you’re likely on the right track. These keywords are relevant to your business and will help you reach your target audience. You can add any new keywords you discover as you move through the different strategies.

Use Google Autocomplete: Utilize a variety of different local keywords and terms to see what works best for you and your business. With some trial and error, you’ll have a comprehensive list of keywords that will help bring local customers through your door. Google will automatically show you the most searched keywords for your given topic based on your location.

Optimize your Dealership for local SEO

Google Business Profile Optimization: is an important piece of the Local SEO puzzle. If you are not regularly updating and refreshing the information you provide Google, how do you expect to show up on Google Search. As previously mentioned, businesses with a GBP get preference when it comes to local search results. If you want to learn more about optimizing your Google Business Profile, read more here.

NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) Citations: It is important that your basic NAP (Name, Address and Phone Number) remain consistent and correct across the internet. Inconsistent Data can confuse Google and cause you to rank lower in the Search Engine Results Page. Submit your information to popular directories in your local area and industry as well as Google, Bing, Yelp and other popular business listing management services.

Online Reviews: It is important to manage and respond to businesses reviews that you receive online. This is part of brand reputation management. A lot of consumers use a businesses reviews (or lack therof) during the consideration stage of the sales funnel. Having a large amount of good reviews helps build credibility and gives you brand equity.

On-Page SEO: The rise in online shopping has led to a rise in search engines for local businesses and services. Though “local SEO” can be intimidating, there are some simple techniques and tips any company can use to succeed. When you are optimizing your website for local search, the most important thing to remember is to make sure your site is both relevant and detailed to your business. Whenever you’re listing your business address, make sure you have the correct address and use the city, state and zip code. Some people make the mistake of putting their address in their phone directory, but you may only be getting visitors from your area which means that you won’t get as many visitors as you could be getting.

Backlinks: Having a backlink strategy is crucial to any online marketing campaign. A backlink strategy is a specific blueprint used to manage the number and type of backlinks you are obtaining from sources that point to your website. Having a good backlink strategy will help you in the long run build an online reputation, increase your online presence, draw in more potential customers and generate more revenue.

Just One Piece of the Puzzle

There are a lot of pieces to each part of the marketing puzzle. By optimizing for your dealership, one channel at a time, it’s certain you will see an increase in sales. Are you too busy running your dealership to handle your search engine optimization, local or otherwise? We can help! Contact us for more information on how we can help direct traffic to your store! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all the latest news!

Email Marketing

Supercharge Your Email Marketing

Email Marketing

Email Marketing

Supercharge Your Dealership’s Email Marketing Strategy

Email Marketing can be daunting! What strategy to use, how to format it. Where to find and how to build your email list. Where to come up with content, the list goes on and on. Although it may be a little scary, email marketing is one of the best ways to connect with and build relationships with customers as well as push them through the marketing funnel. It is key to have a strong strategy in place or you can waste a lot of time creating content that people wont open or not have subscribers to send your emails to.

What Makes Email Marketing Worth the Time and Effort?

Think about how many emails you read and send in a day? Chances are, it’s more than one. There are more than 4 billion daily email users. That is a lot of emails! On average, email has an ROI of $36 for every dollar spent – higher than any other channel. With 50% of people buy from marketing emails at least once per month. So, if you’re not using email to market your business, you’re missing out on a huge opportunity!

Components of an Explosive Email Strategy

It is important that you follow a process rather than just skipping ahead to creating content to ensure that you hit all your marks and create a successful strategy.

  • Set Goals and Success Metrics: You will need to create goals for what you are trying to accomplish with your email marketing strategy. Use SMART goals. SMART goals are specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and time sensitive. An example of a SMART goal is; By the end of the quarter, you want a 5% higher click-through rate on your emails. It is also important to decide which metrics you will use to determine success or failure. In the example above, your click through rate would be your Key Performance Indicator or Metric.
  • Target Market Research: You will need to research your target audience. You want to gain as much information as you can about them. The more you know the better you will be able to understand your target audience, and ultimately, create the type of content they will care about.
  • Review Previous Years End of Year Data: Using insights from this data, you can figure out which are your most effective email tactics. Your year end data will also show where your customers were engaged across all channels. By taking a look at the whole picture, you can keep yourself from having to start from scratch, or make the same mistakes.
  • Segment Your List: This is a vital part of a winning email marketing campaign. This is where you start personalizing based on each clients need. Segments allow you to send more personalized messages, and you meet your customers at different points along their journey. This can increase your open rate, help you to become more authoritative and improve your lead nurturing efforts.
  • Start with Federal Holidays and Important Business Dates: For each of your key dates, you will need to decide how far in advance you need to start marketing for it. This will give you a good start and make sure that you are hitting important events your customer’s lives.

Grow Your Email List

A growth plan for your email marketing is essential to success. Growing your email list allows you to have a greater reach with your marketing efforts. There are many ways to grow your email list. For example, you can offer an incentive for signing up for your emails, like a coupon or access to exclusive content. This will motivate people to give you their email address because they will be getting something valuable in return.

A well-designed landing page on your website that is dedicated to driving email signups is a great way to increase your list. You can use social media platforms and PPC ads to boost traffic to your signup page. Another variation of this is to add a pop-up to your website. This way, when a customer is browsing your site, the pop-up will appear and request their email. They must then interact with the box to remove it, which in turn can help motivate people to sign up for your email list!

Create Killer Content

The last thing that you want to do is over promise and under deliver. You must provide content that your subscribers want to see, or they won’t be your subscribers for long! Utilizing your target market research, you know more about what your customers like and do, so you can create your content, centered on what your ideal audience cares about.

It is also extremely important to be consistent. Your audience will get used to seeing your dealership’s name and logo. This helps to keep you top of mind when your audience needs a product or service you offer and increases the likelihood they will use your dealership.

Choose a Platform That Best Suits Your Needs

There are many email marketing platforms out there, as well as many all in one marketing platforms as well. A few favorites are MailChimp, Constant Contact and DealerAmp.

  • Mailchimp– with both free and paid options. Mailchimp gives insights into ways to get more opens, clicks and sales. The free option allows use of free email templates and is relatively user friendly.
  • Constant Contact– They offer a free trial, however there is not a usable free option after the free trial. There base plan starts at$9.99 a month and includes email templates. Sign-up forms and Posting to social media. Constant contact is a little more user friendly, but that does come at a price.
  • DealerAmp– is built specifically for Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships. It is a one stop marketing automation and messaging platform that takes your dealership marketing to the next level. DealerAmp manages your dealership’s follow up, two-way texting, sales pipeline, scheduling, social media, email marketing, and so much more. This software is packed with features specific to the green industry and will replace all your current marketing tools with just one platform. Schedule a Demo to learn more!

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Recession Proof Your Dealership

Recession Proof Your Dealership with These 5 Tips!

Recession Proof Your Dealership

Recession Proof Your Dealership

Recession Proof your Dealership with These 5 Tips!

There has been a lot of discussion about a recession being on the horizon, and with inflation rates at an all-time high, it’s understandable to be worried. Recessions can be devastating, and many businesses never recover from the financial loss. So how can you make sure that your business makes it, regardless of the state of the economy?

Lead by Example

As the leaders within your organization, you can stabilize your work environment and maintain health and balance within the workplace. You do this by leading by example. Show your employees that you are all on one team. And lastly, cut costs where you can but don’t sacrifice quality or your employees’ livelihoods. Your morale will be easier to maintain, and you will have a greater capability of responding to crisis. People want to do business with those they know, like and trust. By ensuring customer excellence is achieved in all interactions, you increase the likelihood of creating a loyal customer. Trust becomes even more important at economic downturns occur.

Targeted Marketing

Promoting your business during an economic recession might seem counterintuitive, but it’s actually essential to surviving tough times. To be successful, you’ll need to be tactical in your approach. The best way to reach your customers is by meeting them where they are – whether that’s online, in-person, or through word-of-mouth. Hyper targeted marketing is a low-cost way to reach your consumers. A few ways to utilize targeted marketing are listed below:

  • Content: Good content is essential for SEO success, and it’s also key to attracting organic traffic to your website. When creating content, make sure it’s high-quality and targeted to your audience. Relevant content will not only help you rank higher in search engines, but it will also attract more organic traffic to your website.
  • Social Media: While, like most things, you can spend money on social media. It is not necessary. You can achieve the basics of social media without spending a cent. When it comes to social media, you get what you put in.
  • SEO: SEO has the highest potential for value per dollar of any other marketing effort. The successes of good SEO will stick with your site, long after you stop paying for services. No matter how long you have been in business, your website can always benefit from an SEO update. SEO is a crucial part of being seen by your customers.
  • User Experience & Website Design: Existing in the digital world is an essential part of being a business today. The success (or failure) of your online efforts can often be determined by the appearance and usefulness of your site.

Recession Proof 2 Stay Ahead of the Curve

Talk to your partners and suppliers now. Do not be surprised by supply chain or staffing shortages. Be aware of trends for your industry and allow yourself to anticipate not only business needs but also the needs of your ideal customers. There is a good chance that other companies in your industry are dealing with the same obstacles, so communication with suppliers and customers is not only crucial but can be game changing. You want everyone on your team to be on the same page. This can help you to identify pitfalls before they even happen.

Think Twice About Big Investments

It becomes even more important to manage your cash flow when you are in the throes of a recession. Looking at your finances and projections can help you anticipate where cash flow might get a little tight so you can prepare solutions and adjust ahead of time. Do everything you can now to evaluate your operations and trim the fat to strengthen your cash position prior to entering into a recession.

Stay on Top of Accounts Receivables

During a recession, everyone struggles financially. Your customers may start paying more slowly and you may have a more difficult time collecting receivables. Evaluate your customers paying habits and make adjustments now, to save you lots of time and headaches later. Stay on top of collections. Offer additional ways for clients to pay: such as, electronic payments. You can also stop working with clients who are reluctant to pay or stop extending credit if your cash flow can’t withstand it.

work smarer, not harder Work Smarter, Not Harder

There is nothing you can do to control the economy. It is important to focus your attention on what you can control, and that is how you run your business! A recession will bring countless struggles and challenges for your company. Knowing your numbers and leaning into smart changes will help you to lead your company with a fearless growth mindset and allow you to overcome and emerge a leader in your industry.

If you find that you don’t have the time or expertise to handle your dealership’s marketing, we can help! Dealers Digital has a proven track record of helping Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships maximize their online reach. With over 20 years of digital marketing experience, we know  your market and we know how to reach your customers! Contact Us for more information about how we can help your Dealership turn those clicks into cash!

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Google Business Profile: 8 Absolute Best Ways to Optimize

8 Tips to Optimize Your Dealerships Google Business Profile

What is a Google Business Profile?

A Google Business Profile helps your dealership get found online. According to Google, “with a Business Profile, you can manage how your local business shows up across Google products, like Maps and Search. If you run a business that serves customers at a particular location, or you serve customers within a designated service area, your Business Profile can help people find you. Verified businesses on Google are twice as likely to be considered reputable.”

With Google boasting 92% of the world’s search traffic, it’s easy to see why it is important to optimize your Google Business Profile.

Benefits of Creating & Maintaining Your Google Business Profile

With a Google Business Profile you can maintain accurate information about your business online, interact with your customers, and attract new customers.  When your dealership shows up at the top of the search results page; it is much easier to make a positive and professional impression, which will result in a higher CTR, or click-through rate on your website.

An active Google Business account is a powerful tool that can help you improve your website’s ranking in Google search results. Your Google Business Profile is the first thing a lot of internet users see, and sometimes, the only thing they see. It is important to make sure that Google can find you and that it has the right information.

It’s important to remember that potential customers will be comparing you to your competitors. That’s why it’s essential to have a complete and optimized listing. By making a good first impression, you’ll increase your chances of converting those users into customers.

Google Business Profile Optimization

Google Business Profile Optimization

Key Elements to Optimize:

  • Use your actual business name. Stuffing your listing with too many keywords is not only against Google’s Terms of Service, but it can also result in your listing being penalized.
  • List a local phone number. If you want to rank high in local search results, it’s important to have a legitimate local phone number. If you’re using a call tracking number, make sure to enter the tracking number in the primary slot. This is the number that will show up to users. Put your actual local number in the secondary slot.
  • Make sure your hours of operation are correct.
  • Write a compelling description. Make sure your business description includes information about who you are as a company and what you stand for. You don’t want to stuff this section with random keywords just to try and boost your ranking in searches – that won’t work. The description on your GBP won’t affect your ranking, but it will give potential customers and partners a good idea of what you’re all about.
  • Upload lots of high-resolution photos. This includes exterior, interior, and product shots. This will help the customer feel more familiar and comfortable should they visit in person.
  • Upload videos, if you have them. Videos must be 30 seconds or shorter and smaller than 100 MB.
  • Be Consistent. One of the most important aspects of digital marketing is staying consistent. You must post and update regularly to stay front of mind with your ideal customers and to remain an authority in the Outdoor Power Equipment world.
  • Get reviews from happy customers. A large ranking factor for Google is customer reviews. Businesses that have more reviews tend to seem more credible and reliable to consumers. Asking for review should be ingrained into your sales process. Why? 71% of consumers will leave a review, if asked. This is why it is important to have a strong brand reputation management strategy in place as part of your overall marketing objectives.

This Seems Like a Lot of Work – Is it Worth it?

A solid marketing strategy includes social media, brand reputation management, business listing management, dealership SEO, plus many Outdoor Power Equipment Dealerships also employ paid advertising in the form of Pay-Per-Click Advertising, Display Advertising and many other digital advertising strategies. With so many options, it can be daunting! At Dealers Digital we know what it takes to maximize your online exposure and boost your sales! Our focus is on the Green Industry. We know your market, we know your customers, and we know how to reach them. Whether you are looking for a do-it-yourself platform, (Here’s looking at you DealerAmp), or want someone to handle all of your marketing needs, we have a solution for you! Contact Us to start the conversation about upping your marketing game!

Organic VS Paid Search Engine Results

Unraveling The Mystery of Lawnmower & Tractor Dealership Search Engine Ranking

The Mystery of Lawnmower & Tractor Dealership Search Engine Ranking

Google Search Engine Ranking Factors

Search Engine Factors for Google

What is a Search Engine?

A search engine is an application designed to search for information on the internet. Google, Bing and Yahoo are examples of search engines. A search engine will look for information and index it based on what it finds. It will also assign each page a PageRank score. PageRank is a score that Google assigns to each page. The PageRank is based on the number and quality of other sites that link to the page and the importance of the sites that are linking to it.

It is key to understand how search engines work to fully understand how to optimize for them.

The search algorithms used by Google and other search engines are large collections of other algorithms and formulas, each with its own purpose and task. These algorithms work together to produce results that a user will be satisfied with.

In fact, there are algorithms in place specifically to monitor the satisfaction of users with the results they get, and to make adjustments where necessary.

Paid Search Results

Organic VS Paid Search Engine Results

Organic VS Paid Search Engine Result Page

Organic search results are not a means of generating revenue for search engines like Google, but they do have other powerful uses. If there were no organic search results, paid search results would become less relevant, reducing views and clicks in the process. While organic listings may not generate revenue for Google directly, they do indirectly contribute to the company’s bottom line by keeping users engaged with the search engine.

Why does this matter? The layout changes, existence of search features and click through rates of organic results are all driven by this. By displaying a featured snippet, Google allows users to find answers to their questions without having to leave the site. For commercial intent questions, Google adds an additional paid search result. This is due to these driving factors.

Search Engine Optimization is the process of making your site more visible to search engines and ultimately, customers. By doing everything you can to be visible, you can increase the amount of visitors to your website. This leads to increased sales for your dealership.

How do search engines rank pages?

Before we think about how, lets think about why. It would be a lot cheaper and easier for search engines to display pages randomly, by word count, freshness or any other variable or easier sorting systems. They don’t do this because no one would want to use the search engine if they did it this way.

First, search engines classify the query that is coming in. This gives the engine the necessary information to perform the rest of the steps. For example, is the query local, a question, etc.

The next step is context. This is where the search engine relies on any relevant information they have on the user entering the query. This could be the location of the search or many other factors. This is where historical and environmental data comes into play.

The search engine then weighs different factors in importance relevant to the query. (Authority, how recently it was published, etc.) The layout of the page is then created based on the context gathered. What is important to remember here, without getting too technical, is that the different elements of any given search results page are determined almost instantly.

Finally, ranking can take place. After all the information is gathered and analyzed, the search engine can rank sites based on the criteria determined in the previous steps. This is an extremely simplified version of how search engines work- machine learning is also a huge part of Google and search engines as well. For more information about how search engines work, check out this guide from Search Engine Journal.

With so many factors at play- how will I ever get my site to rank?

You can use the machine learning systems of the search engines to assist in your content development strategies. With Devices and technology changing rapidly, keeping up with what is happening with search engines can give you clues to how your consumer interacts with content and what types of content they expect.

Search Engine Optimization, also known as SEO, is the process of optimizing a website for search engines. This has become more important than ever for small businesses who aren’t able to spend millions of dollars on advertising. Ranking at the top of search engines is what will get your business noticed.

Search Engine Results Google

Google Search Engine Results

A Few Tips to Help Your Rankings

NAP: Make Sure that your Name, Address, and Phone Number are correct across all listings. When this information remains uniform, it tells the search engine that this is the correct information. Make sure you spell your name the exact same way across Facebook, Google, LinkedIn or other social media as well as business listings such as Yelp and the Yellow Pages.

Backlinks: Pages with more backlinks tend to rank higher than those with fewer backlinks. A backlink is a link from another website to your site. You should always work to add more of these to your site. A simple way to do that is to sign up for all the free listings you can, Yelp, Google My Business, Bing, Yahoo, Yellow Pages, and any other niche/service pages to which your services are used. Links from more authoritative sites are also weighed more heavily than from lesser sites. There are multiple strategies you can employ to help add backlinks. Link building campaigns focus on gaining high authority links back to your website.

Good Quality Content: Google wants to rank sites that are worth ranking. Having a customer first mindset when creating content versus stuffing for keywords will get you much further. Consistently providing well written, quality content, will help your overall ranking on your page.

Mobile Friendly: Since most people search the internet via their phones these days, its no surprise that mobile friendliness is a ranking factor for search engines. This part can get a little technical, so it may be advised to use a professional for this. The main goal is to ensure a smooth experience regardless of where the web page is being used.

There are many other ranking factors and the ranking factors can vary from search engine to search engine. If you keep the basic idea in mind that you are creating content that will be useful for your target audience, it is relatively easy to employ some of the basic SEO principles.

You don’t have to know it all! Your customers are looking for you online. Give them what they want and make it easy for them to find you. Let Dealers Digital help you maximize your online exposure and boost your sales.

Contact Us now to learn more about how we can help your business grow with Search engine optimization, Dealer Websites, Digital Advertising, Reputation Management, Social Media and more!

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Social Media Marketing

Social Media Marketing & its Impact on Your Dealership

Social Media Marketing + Your Dealership = <3

It seems there is always some new Social Media Trend or Controversy. Social Media dictates how a lot of people live their lives. We turn to it for attention, sympathy, support, advice, help and entertainment. We consume so much of it that we don’t event think twice about it. We use it in our personal lives as well as our professional lives. With over 3.78 Billion users worldwide, its safe to say that social media is here to stay.

If it is here to stay, then it begs the question, is it really important?

55% of consumers learn about new brands on social media! Social media has always been a place of discovery, and people are now using social media to learn about brands and companies just as much (or more) than TV or Radio Advertising. The average person spends 2 hours and 29 minutes each day on social media. That gives you lots of opportunity to get in front of the right audience.

In today’s age of streaming, we don’t need or want to watch or listen to ads anymore. We’re able to fast forward, change the channel or take our pick from infinite libraries of ad-free content. However, on social media, ads and brand content sits next to our social streams and looks like the content that we consume from our friends, family or other connections. So, Why is this important? Gen Z and Millennials are especially likely to use social media for brand discover. As the spending power of these generations increases, so will social media usage. Your brand should be ready to capitalize on these growing networks, or consumers will most likely discover your competitors first.

Social media users tend to treat social media like a feedback loop where they are able to report an issue with a product, leave a review, or privately message the company. If your consumers can’t engage with you, they may find another company who can. Engagement is the primary goal of many marketers and drives a positive influence on customers’ decisions to buy from a brand. Responsive brands that continuously react and engage in communication with consumers are better equipped to serve their customers’ needs, dial up personalization and humanize their content in a way that forges deeper connections with customers.

What can social media do for my business?

Besides the most obvious, getting your name and brand out to more people quickly and cheaply, there are many other benefits of utilizing social media marketing for your business.

  • Helps you engage with current and potential customers
  • You can find out what people are saying about your business
  • You can advertise your business and promotions
  • Social media can help your business attract customers
  • Allows you to gain and collect customer feedback
  • Helps to build customer loyalty to your business and brand

Who are the major Social Media Players?

  1. Facebook is the market leader when it comes to social media with over 68% of Adults in the US using it on a regular basis. 1.84 billion people use Facebook every day! More than 90 million small businesses have Facebook pages & 67% of marketers say Facebook is the most important Social Media platform in their strategies. With such whopping statistics, it’s no wonder Facebook generated $27.19 billion from ad revenue in Q4 of 2020 alone! With so many people regularly using (and buying) from Facebook, it should be a crucial part of your digital marketing strategy too!
  2. Instagram is owned by the same company as Facebook, Meta. The difference in the platforms is that Instagram only allows you to post visual content, while Facebook allows Text Only Posts. Boasting over 1.5 billion users a day and over 200 million businesses on Instagram, this platform is known for user engagement. Engagement rate on Instagram are approximately 6 times higher than those on Facebook (81% VS 8%).
  3. Twitter has long cemented itself as the hub of political discussions, memes and the prime place to go back and forth with brands. 436 million monthly users troll on twitter. Content strategy can be a little tricky on Twitter, but it’s an important pillar of a strong digital marketing strategy.
  4. TikTok has amassed 42.4% of the adult population in users and is the fastest growing social network with 105% user growth rate in the US over the past 2 years. TikTok is giving Instagram a run for its money when it comes to Influencers. TikTok is now more popular among the Gen Z population than Instagram.
  5. Pinterest has an impressive 400 million monthly user base and has a diverse, big-spending audience that are more dedicated and engaged than any other network. 7 out of 10 “pinners” say Pinterest is their go-to place to find products and services they can trust and their shopping carts are 85% larger than buyers on other platforms. With dedication like that from your consumers, why wouldn’t you be using this platform?

What should my business be doing on social media?

  • Have complete and correct profile information. Users want to be able to find your phone number, address and website when they need it so make sure that you have added the information and that all information is correct and up to date on your social profiles.
  • Post regularly. Businesses who post consistently show consistent organic growth. Just like you would nurture any other sales lead, nurture the audience you build through social media.
  • Set aside time each week to read and respond to all comments. With so many people using social media as a way to connect with brands, it is key that you respond to each and every comment consumers leave about you or your business. Respond to negative reviews professionally and compassionately.
  • Create content that enhances your target audience’s life. Consumers are accosted with so many advertisements each day, they don’t want to see gimmicky ads when they turn to social media. Your content should resemble other content on the platform and add value.
  • Humanize your company. Have a new office manager? Do you celebrate employees’ birthdays? Document and post “fun” activities, introductory posts and other ways to share who your company is at its core is a good way to promote your business on social media.

It’s safe to say that social media is here to stay. Your customers are looking for you online. Give them what they want and make it easy for them to find you. Let Dealers Digital help you maximize your online exposure and boost your sales. Because we only work with outdoor power equipment and green industry professionals, we know what content to curate, what your customers want to hear and when they want to hear it. We also work with you to open up the lines of communication from your social channels to utilize them as sales lead funnels.

Contact Us now for more information about how we can help you and your business! Follow us on Facebook and Instagram to keep up with all of the latest news!

Dealers Digital provides brand reputation management services in Lexington, Kentucky and the surrounding areas

Brand Reputation Management: What is it & Why is it Important?

Dealers Digital provides brand reputation management services in Lexington, Kentucky and the surrounding areas What is Brand Reputation Management?

Your Online Brand Reputation is the image of your company seen by internet users. It’s how the public feels about your products and perceives your brand. A positive brand reputation- both on and offline- means that customers not only trust your business, but they are also likely to purchase your product or service.

Brand Reputation Management is the process of monitoring how consumers perceive your business and taking strategic action when necessary to improve your brands image.

The key to a winning reputation management strategy is recognizing that you don’t have to wait for people to form their own opinions of your brand. Instead, by building your brand’s experiences around your target customers’ needs, wants, values and opinions, you can also shape how they perceive your company.

Brand safety ensures advertisements, their content and any content shared by brands are appropriate and not associated with topics of consumer opinions that may be negative. By making sure your advertising is legitimate, your consumers won’t feel deceived by your brand and keeps them from having to second guess your business or distrust what you have to offer.

Various factors such as, online reviews, consumer forums, news articles, social media behavior and visibility in search results all impact your brand reputation. Your online brand reputation has become increasingly more important as the digital era continues to explode.

Building a strong brand takes a lot of work. Having a solid reputation strategy will not only help you on your goals of achieving your ideal perception but will also help when your brand inevitably must deal with a crisis.

Why is Brand Reputation Management Important?

Creates More Loyal Customers: For Outdoor Power Equipment companies, the majority of earnings come from a long and loyal customer set. When you follow a brand management strategy, you can look more closely at what avenues will attract and retain the most loyal customers. Customer Loyalty programs work because people like to do business with people they like and trust. Maintaining your brand’s reputation helps to build that trust.

Quickens Your Response to the Competition: Having a marketing strategy in place will help you identify what marketing or sales tactics you need when dealing with a competitive threat. Your Brand reputation strategy can help you decide if it’s a better idea to prioritize a new marketing campaign that focuses on selling to your existing clients, or if it’s better to narrow in on acquiring new customers in a currently under-served area.

Stabilizes Employee Growth: If you articulate the way you want your brand to be perceived, it’s much easier to identify good hires that will promote the culture you are trying to create. People look for jobs where they feel fulfilled and can make a meaningful contribution to something they believe in. Companies that have a clear brand identity and a well-founded brand reputation are the ones who offer these types of opportunities to perspective employees. With a great reputation both inside and outside, a company will have a more devoted workforce and lower levels of turnover and turmoil.

number Key Elements to a Winning Brand Reputation Management Strategy:

Build Your Brand Identity: Before you can even begin to think about a brand management strategy, you must first create a brand worth managing. Developing a strong brand identity ensures you have a clear understanding of what your company stands for and can help guide decisions in certain situations.

Your brand identity should include:

  • Logo, Colors & Imagery that are Cohesive
  • A Consistent Voice from the Brand
  • A Clear Company Mission, Vision and Value Statement

Establish Your Online Presence: Create a website that will allow visitors to experience your brand identity and form an accurate impression of your business right from the start. Setup and Manage your Google Business Profile and Social Media Accounts.

Actively Ask for and Respond to Reviews: The average consumer will read 10 reviews of your company prior to deciding they can or cannot trust your brand. Make sure to include a place for customers to leave reviews and include them as testimonials on your website. No matter the venue, make sure that you respond to every review as they come in, even the bad ones. If you address them honestly and quickly, many times you will find that you are able to turn a poor experience around and retain your customer’s business. Not only that, but it will show other people reading the reviews, that your brand cares about your consumers and that you will listen and resolve issues and complaints when they arise.

Listen to Feedback: Keeping an eye on what is being said about your brand is key to reputation management. Add a form to your website to create a place for customer feedback. The input you will receive is incredibly valuable.

Improve the Customer Experience: According to Microsoft Consumer Data, 58% of Consumers who feel like their experience falls short with a brand will sever all ties with them. It’s not just the lost revenue that you should concern yourself with. Customers who have had a poor experience are much more likely to leave a public facing review for a company than those who had a good one.

94% of consumers say a bad review has convinced them to avoid a business.

You must be ready to manage your brand reputation before others do it for you. A single bad review can deter multiple potential customers from doing business with your brand.

Company Culture Counts: Good things happen when a company promotes a healthy and positive internal environment. By giving your team members meaningful work and empowering them to take charge of their professional lives, they will become more confident and productive collaborators instead of individual contributors. This has a huge impact on your public reputation. When employees are more satisfied and fulfilled by their work, they will take pride in what they do, and as a result, do better work. Company culture also effects your internal brand reputation. The better supported your employees feel, the prouder of their work they will be which in turn will have a positive influence on your overall brand reputation.

Create a Brand Style Guide: As your company grows. You must always maintain the same identity and message across all channels with internal documentation. Creating a Brand Style Guide ensures that everything remains consistent when it comes to design choices, communication strategies, quality of customer service, etc.

Brand Reputation is critical to any growing business. A Positive brand reputation builds loyalty and increases customer confidence in your brand and product, ultimately, driving both sales and bottom-line growth.

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