Siri? Where's the best place in my Town?
I was thinking back about 100 years and what modern communication was like. No, I wasn’t there 100 years ago, I’m not speaking from personal experience, just using a little imagination.
I preach the advantages of networks and being on line where everyone is going. Why market to the empty room, right?
What many (without help) don’t get, or don't want to get is the fact that “social media” means just that, social. In this realm the laws of attraction rule. It far outweighs advertising and/or any kind of push marketing. We are searchers (and that's all of us who get online.)
Social is about you. I want to get to know you first and I want to know what others are thinking and saying about you before I buy whatever it is you’re selling. Yet, I’m not here, online, to be sold. I’m here to discover and find what I’m looking for.
I can’t tell you how many times (and I emphasize many) I've had this conversation with agents and brokers and it goes a little something like this...
I need to grow my business, this recession has taken its toll. I know I need to be online, I should probably blog, but I don’t want to meet people, nor engage them because I don’t want to waste my time. I just want to put “this” out there on a website, have someone build and monitor it for me, and create leads.
Really?
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A hundred years ago Siri would have been your local phone operator. Your town was most likely small, she probably knew almost everyone, and because of her position she was very aware of who wanted what and what they thought about it. If you were business savvy in those days, you would have had a great relationship with her. Fast forward to today... Everything has changed, and yet the principles of our human behavior have not so much. Get over to Yelp.com and write reviews. It connects you to your business community and gives you great “Google Juice”. Anyway, Apple adopted Yelp as Siri’s local business directory of choice. |
It’s important to have your referral network structure online. Yelp is one great place to create that structure with the business community and you have a direct connection to the public!
I wrote this post 3 years ago... With a Little Yelp from my Friends. Yelp is one of the things I do online to be a connector in my community. I share my observations and views about the businesses that matter to me. It's some of the best ROI you can get online. Word of mouth is the most powerful form of marketing and Apple thinks so too!
Siri? Where’s the best Asian Fusion food in Renton, Washington? I’m hungry!
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