What if the information about your company on the internet is wrong?
We have all shown up at a closed business, but your smartphone says it should be open.
We have all been directed by smartphone GPS to incorrect business addresses (either the business has moved or closed permanently).
We have all read horrible reviews about a restaurant, but give it a try and have a fantastic experience.
Incorrect information about your company online costs you money.
It’s not your fault.
If your company information is not locked down with LOCALSYNC, the nature of data aggregation and the constant, automated updating of your company information online with incorrect information can lead to lost sales and irritated customers.
How do you keep up with the speed of digital and synchronize your local business information with your online presence?
How can you keep up when your unlocked company information is being changed every day by someone else?
With LOCALSYNC’s digital information management, there’s a better way.
What is Digital Information Management?
Digital Information Management (also known as local directory marketing) is the process of:
- Synchronizing your company information across all of the information sources on the web (also called “publishers”) lead customers to your front door.
- Maximizing the information about your company that each of these online business directories contains.
- Presenting your business information to the public through these business directories in the best possible way with pictures, videos, and custom content.
- Interacting with customers with both positive and negative reviews to protect your company’s brand online.
- Locking down and securing your company information to prevent customers from editing your profiles, data aggregators from overwriting correct information with old information, and ensuring your company’s SEO is not negatively affected by incorrect information.
Why is digital information management important for my business?
%
Year over Year Growth in Location Search with "Near Me" Searches
%
Percentage of Users that Make a Location Search that Visit a Local Business Within One Day
%
Percentage of Those Location Searches that Result in a Purchase from a Local Business
According to Google, location search has grown over 146% year over year with “near me” searches.
Google further analyzed these searches and found that these types of “near me” searches directly impact the bottom line, with 76% of users that make a location search visiting a local business location within one day.
What’s even better?
28% of those location searches result in a purchase from a local business!
Your customers are nearby and are searching with their mobile devices for the nearest places of interest. Don’t miss your opportunity to potentially capture 28% more sales just by helping your customers find you.
Do people really use online local business directories?
You bet.
People look at Yelp reviews before visiting a restaurant, consult the Yellow Pages online, and check out locations on Trip Advisor.
Did you know that on average, business listings in local directories get an average 174% more search impressions than web pages?
That statistic even includes wbesite store pages, website directories, and geo-locator traffic.
Managing Your Company Information Online Matters.
Don’t think online listing accuracy and completeness matters to your customers?
Let’s take a look at what your customers say:
%
Companies with complete online listings are considered 270% more reputable than companies with incomplete listings.
%
Customers are 50% more likely to actually buy from a company with complete online listings.
%
Complete company listings get 600% more clicks than companies with empty listings.
Companies with complete online listings are considered 270% more reputable than companies with incomplete listings.
Surprisingly, this statistic isn’t even higher. When presented with something that appears “better” right from the start (in this instance a fully completed company profile), the majority of people will choose the perceived “better” choice.
Customers are more likely to visit companies that have complete online listings.
Actually, this makes a lot of sense as customers consider these companies more reputable than companies that have incomplete listings online.
Customers are 50% more likely to actually buy from a company with complete online listings.
Perception of quality starts with your customer’s first impression. If you cannot take care of your own company (by at least having complete and correct information about how to find your store), how can you take care of your customer?
Complete company listings get 600% more clicks than companies with empty listings.
Would you go into a store with boards covering all of the windows? Unless a hurricane has just blown through town (something we see in Florida a lot), the answer is no. The right first impression makes all of the difference in customer choice.
What about reviews?
Do they matter to your customers?
Did you know that:
%
91% of consumers read online reviews.
%
Mobile searches that include the word “best” have grown 80% over the last two years
%
52% of the time a customer switches brands the reason is related to the customer experience
%
67% of businesses experience an ratings increase of a half star simply by incorporating review responses
%
Only 40% of businesses respond to reviews today
91% of consumers read online reviews.
(Brightlocal 2016)
Customers read reviews of other customer experiences to learn more about your business and get a jumpstart on whether or not they should become a customer (or stay a customer).
Mobile searches that include the word “best” have grown 80% over the last two years.
All consumers want the “best”. The “best” accountant, the “best” pizza, or the “best” eye doctor. Who makes that decision?
Your customers.
So it makes sense that their reviews of your product and services (especially reviews that contain the word “best”) will help propel you to the top of search results.
52% of the time a customer switches brands the reason is related to the customer experience.
(Gartner/CEB)
This statistic is astounding.
Businesses lose over 50% of their migrating customers due to the customer experience. Considering the fact that it costs 6-7 times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing customer, why don’t these businesses proactively address customer concerns and save the relationship?
Understanding customer reviews and proactively refining business practices can help you keep your existing clients and attract new ones.
67% of businesses experience an ratings increase of a half star simply by incorporating review responses.
(Harvard Business School 2011)
Why?
Customers like to be heard, especially when they have a problem. They want to feel that their partner (you) is listening and is responsive to their issues.
Only 40% of businesses respond to reviews today.
Another astounding statistic.
60% of businesses are ignoring their customers. These companies aren’t thanking customers for their reviews (70% will leave a review if asked) or dealing with customer complaints or issues. 60% of companies are not controlling their message to their customer in the one area that plays an integral part in future customers choosing to use their product or service.
Don’t be part of that 60%.
What are the different ways businesses can manage their digital information online?
There are several ways that you can manage your company’s online presence in local business directories:
Manual Directory Submission
Manual directory submission is physically creating an account (or claiming a listing on a directory listing site) in a non-automated way.
Some manual directories are free to use (other than the cost of the manpower required to execute the strategy.) Note that most of the best niche directories are manual submissions only.
Some business directory websites do not allow you to claim your business listing manually. You must contact the website operator and get approval before claiming your listing. In addition, some directories manually review your listing profile before making it “live” for their audiences. This is to ensure the appropriateness of the listing and protect the integrity of the database.
All the LOCALSYNC Professional directories (legal, dental, accounting, for example) are manual only. Claim requests are verified, and profiles are reviewed and approved before going live on LOCALSYNC directory listing websites. Most of the premium profiles on LOCALSYNC directories are created by the LOCALSYNC team, so they are optimized to get visitors to contact you to make an appointment.
LOCALSYNC avoids many of these issues by building and managing its niche directories and delivering the best results to visitors searching for professional help. LOCALSYNC is constantly building and launching new professional directories in the legal, accounting, and medical fields.
Here are some below:
LOCALSYNC API (API Submission)
An API submission is a method of sending your company data to the online business directory. Your company information is being sent, but not it is not being correctly matched or locked down.
API submission does not guarantee control; your business information is still at risk of being changed by user-suggested edits.
With LOCALSYNC API, we constantly resubmit your data to the data aggregators to ensure they get our clients’ latest data. This doesn’t prevent other submission types from attempting to overwrite the data, but the consistent resubmissions keep the latest data being the data we submit.
Here is more information on LOCALSYNC API:
LOCALSYNC PRO
We manage and update your business data across Google, Facebook, Yahoo, Bing, Yelp, Foursquare, and about 40+ additional publishers.
We employ lockdown technology and automatically scan, locate, and claim your existing business listings on sites across the LOCALSYNC Pro Network. We scan every publisher’s database and locate the listing your want to control. Once we identify that listing, the LOCALSYNC team locks down your listing, preventing changes.
We work with you to select the best enhanced content for your business listings on these directory websites, building your company profiles to present you in the best possible light.
We also work with you to construct the best local SEO content within these different business directory websites, optimizing your profiles to stand out in search results.
