As a small business owner, you know how crucial online reviews are for attracting customers and building your reputation. Among the many review platforms available, Google Reviews holds significant influence over consumers’ purchasing decisions. In this article, we will explore the importance of Google Reviews for small businesses and discuss strategies to leverage them effectively.
Why maps marketing matters to get local / walk-in business.
It is important for businesses to have positive, attractive and visible map Google My Business and Apple Business profiles to attract customers and drive walk-in traffic. Local search / maps search results have become the most prominent and influential content on search results pages (SRPs) in the last few years. Even the top organic search result-previously the holy grail of online visibility-has fallen in visibility and credibility to business / map profile results.
Local searchers are ready to buy, they are known to be in the area (or planning to travel there) and have explicitly requested options related to your product or service. If they don’t find you, they’ll find someone else…
While everyone is focused on “stopping the scroll” now is the time to remember to keep “turning heads”. Reality is the new virtual reality! Take advantage of the full spectrum of sensory experiences to get your message across and send ripples or shockwaves across the social seismic system!
Destination Campbell River brought the beach to the peeps
Recognizing that beach fires are a cherished activity for Campbell River locals and the First Nations people that have lived in the area for centuries, there was a huge opportunity to bring that experience to visitors even if they were in the town square, nearby campgrounds or local hotel.
The Beach Fire Sessions but warm, music, games, storytelling and S’mores all on the back of a mini truck and brought the Campbell River experience on the road.
It was great to see post-Covid restriction tourist visits trending up on Vancouver Island. From what I saw-certainly in and around Tofino and Ucluelet-folks are back out adventuring and resetting.
As a marketer and designer working in the area I created some materials to help local businesses increase walk-in traffic, prompt social sharing, and get more online reviews, all cost effective ways for tourism business to get additional customers. Here are some examples of my recent work. I have recently invested in a decal cutting machine and look forward to getting some great graphics up for businesses that are missing out on interest from passersby and their wandering eyes.
Window Decals and Signs – Cameron Ocean Adventures
With a new storefront leased just up from where they dock their covered whale watching vessel, Cameron Ocean Adventures asked COFFEE Business Stimulus (me) to help them capture more attention and get return on their location and visual real estate.
Window decals invited folks exploring the aquarium and public dock to tour or fish with COA. Unique selling propositions like a comfortable heated craft with washrooms were shared and the social proof of positive reviews were front and center.The COA logo previously crafted by COFFEE informed the design system for store signage. The objective was to visually communicate professional and comfortable access to adventure on the water and in the wild.
Promotional Postcards and Bookmarks
The best way to stimulate social sharing and to get Google Business reviews (THE most important way to make your business visible in Google Maps) is to ASK FOR THEM. And you might as well ask in a memorable and amusing way.
COFFEE created promotional postcards and bookmarks to help staff prompt guests to share their experiences and submit reviews.
I was craving burgers while in self-isolation and while I’m normally a pretty big carnivore it seemed like a great opportunity to try something new and clean out the pantry a bit. If you notice any atypical ingredients that was out of necessity. The goal was to make the best burger with what I had without running to the store. I dug deep into the freezer as well. It all ended up pretty tasty.
Over the last decade consulting hundreds of businesses and communications professionals on digital and social media communications – “What are hashtags and how should I use them?” have been two of the most common questions people ask. It has also become clear that many businesses that think they understand hashtags are actually not using them to their full potential. For that reason I put together a short and sweet summary to help you understand hashtags and how to use them to get more customers while engaging your current audience.
I wrote this article when I was working at Destination Think! consulting dozens of tourism businesses across North America on how to improve their products (services) and promotions for “connected customers”. I have decided to republish it here for 2020 as it seems more relevant than ever. I hope you enjoy it and please contact me with any questions or for a personal ideation conversation.
My marketing and branding company COFFEE was excited to get the nod to create the logo for Ucluelet Brewing Co. – BC’s newest craft brewery (slated to open early 2020).
An expression of asymmetrical balance, strong but feminine, adventurous and stable.
Logging in to check some GoDaddy domains this morning I was surprised to see serifs where once there was none. While the usually login screen which has featured a smiling GoDaddy call-center rep for several years was also gone, (perhaps they realized people buy the hole not the drill, or that positioning themselves on service was not exactly putting their best foot forward) the simple change to the font let me know something big was afoot. GoDaddy has been Wix-Space-ified.
Creating communications content requires a significant investment of your time and effort. It is unwise to neglect the techniques available to you to maximize your audience and the potential impact of your message.
Tourism Marketing and Socialgenics. 