Running a small business is tough. You juggle customer service, manage inventory, and wear countless hats. But in today’s digital age, there’s one crucial factor you can’t ignore: Google reviews for your business. These online ratings can make or break your success, influencing local customers and impacting your bottom line.
So, how do you get more 5-star google reviews for your business and build a stellar online reputation? Here are five proven strategies you can implement right away:
1. Capture Feedback While It’s Fresh
The key to exceptional service is understanding your customers’ experience. But how do you get honest feedback after a busy day? Customer surveys are your secret weapon. Send out quick surveys (think text messages, not emails) after each purchase or interaction. Ask simple questions about their experience and how you can improve. This valuable feedback allows you to identify areas for improvement and ensure consistent quality.
2. Turn Happy Customers into Google Reviewers for your Business
Once you’ve identified a delighted customer, don’t let their experience go unnoticed! Here’s where the magic happens – turn those happy customers into reviewers. Send a personalized text message thanking them for their business and gently nudge them to leave a Google review (or your preferred platform). Keep it simple, offer clear instructions, and watch those positive reviews roll in.
3. Respond to Every Google Review Every Time
Every single review you receive deserves a response, both positive and negative. This shows potential customers that you value their opinion and take feedback seriously. Responding consistently builds trust and demonstrates your commitment to customer satisfaction. But who has the time to write individual responses?
Here’s where things get interesting. Imagine an automated system powered by AI that handles this task for you! This system can send personalized thank-you messages for positive reviews and address concerns raised in negative ones. Suddenly, responding to every review doesn’t seem so daunting, does it?
4. Amplify Your Success on Social Media
Positive reviews are like gold – don’t let them gather dust! Share your best reviews on your social media platforms. This showcases the fantastic experiences your customers have had, attracting new customers and encouraging more Google reviews. Imagine the power of a glowing review seen by hundreds of potential customers in your local area!
5. Showcase Your Wins on Your Website
Your website is a prime real estate for displaying positive reviews. Wouldn’t it be amazing to have a constant stream of 5-star reviews automatically updating on your website? This is where a seamless integration with your website comes in. Imagine a system that automatically pulls your best reviews and displays them prominently – building trust and solidifying your reputation as a local favorite.
The Secret Weapon: Automation is Key
Now, imagine these five strategies working together seamlessly, all automated for maximum efficiency. That’s the power of a reputation management system. By automating these tasks, you free yourself up to focus on what you do best – running your business and creating fantastic customer experiences!
Ready to Take Your Local Business to the Next Level?
While these strategies are effective on their own, implementing them all consistently can be a challenge. EZtransition’s reputation management system takes the hassle out of the equation. It automates all five steps we discussed, ensuring a consistent and impactful approach to building your online reputation.
Join hundreds of other local business owners who have boosted their customer base with EZtransition’s easy-to-use system. Contact them today and see how automation can help you unlock the power of positive reviews! Learn more about our services at EZtransition’s Online Reputation Management: https://www.eztransition.com/online-reputation/ or schedule a free consultation with Darren to discuss your specific needs: Book a Call with Darren: http://book.eztransition.com/darren
Hi there, eztransition.com customers! Ever wondered what happens to a domain name after you register it? Like anything else, they have a lifecycle – from sparkling new and available to, well, gone forever. Let’s take a quick tour to understand what happens behind the scenes and how to keep your precious domain safe!
Stage 1: Shiny and New Domain Name (Available)
Think of your domain name as a vacant plot of land waiting to be built. It’s available for anyone to claim, just like searching for the perfect address for your future dream home.
Stage 2: Building Your Dream (Registered)
Congratulations, you’ve registered your domain! It’s yours for a set period (usually 1-10 years), like securing the foundation and blueprints for your online masterpiece. But remember, like any property, it needs upkeep.
Stage 3: Time’s Up? Renew or Risk Losing your Domain Name (Expired)
Whoopsie, forgot to renew? Your domain enters a grace period (30-45 days), like a friendly reminder to pay your property taxes. Renew on time, and it’s business as usual. But neglect it, and…
Stage 4: Second Chance Saloon (Redemption Grace Period)
This is your last shot at redemption! The domain is locked away for 30 days, with a fee to get it back. Think of it as an auction to buy back your neglected property.
Stage 5: No Man’s Land (Pending Delete)
Still no action? The domain enters a 5-day waiting period before vanishing forever. Imagine the “for sale” signs going up; anyone can claim it!
Stage 6: Gone But Not Forgotten (Deleted)
Poof! Your domain is gone and available for the next person. It’s like your dream home being demolished, leaving an empty lot.
The Key Takeaway: Renew, Renew, Renew!
Don’t let your domain become a digital ghost town. Set up reminders, automate renewals, and do whatever it takes to keep your online space thriving. Remember, a domain is your foundation online, so treat it with care!
Email marketing is a great way to stay in touch with your customers and promote your business. But if your emails end up in the spam folder, all your hard work is for nothing. So, how do you avoid landing in spam? Here are a few best practices:
1. Set up a dedicated email sending domain
A dedicated email-sending domain is a private domain you use to send and receive emails. It is different from the shared domain that is provided for all users.
Why is a dedicated email-sending domain important? Because if you don’t have one, your emails are more likely to go to spam, even if you follow good email practices. When you have a dedicated email-sending domain, you can control your reputation and email deliverability. This means that you can work to get all of your emails delivered to the inbox instead of the spam folder.
How to set it up: We need access to your domain provider, and we will set it up for you.
2. Enable email validation
Email validation checks if the email address you are sending to is valid. Sending to an invalid email address can negatively impact your email deliverability.
Why is email validation important? Because if you send emails to invalid email addresses, it harms your domain reputation and can lead to your emails going to spam or not being accepted into the mailbox.
How to enable email validation: We can add this upon request.
3. Enable “Mark Email Invalid from Hard Bounce”
An email bounce is when an email is not delivered or rejected by the recipient’s email provider. There are two types of bounces:
Hard bounce: This occurs when an email address does not exist.
Soft bounce: This is a temporary failure caused by the recipient’s servers being down or their mailbox being full.
Why is it important to enable “Mark Email Invalid from Hard Bounce”? Because too many bounced emails will harm your domain reputation, and can lead to your emails going to spam.
How to enable it: Go to your Business Profile and scroll to the “Mark Emails as invalid due to Hard Bounce” checkbox.
4. Add your DMARC record
A DMARC record tells receiving servers how to handle incoming mail. Messages must pass DKIM and SPF alignment checks to be delivered, according to the requirements set in the DMARC policy. Messages that fail DMARC checks can be rejected, reported back to the domain owner, or quarantined.
Why is it important to add a DMARC record? Because not having one can negatively impact your domain reputation and email deliverability. Mailbox providers often count it against you when DMARC records are not set up properly, and your emails may end up in spam.
How to add a DMARC record: We can add this for you on request.
If you want to do this yourself, here are the instructions:
Add a TXT record to your DNS settings for your DMARC policy.
Type: TXT
Name: _dmarc
Content: v=DMARC1; p=reject
5. Use the proper “From email”
The “From email” is the email address that the recipient will see when they receive your email. For example, your sending domain might be m.eztransition.com, but you can send your “From email” as [email protected]. It is even better to send from [email protected]. Do not send from a personal email address like [email protected].
Why is it important to use the proper “From email”? Because using a “From email” that does not match the primary domain you are sending from can result in poor email deliverability. Email providers see this as “spoofing” your address.
How to set it up: Whenever you are sending from EZMS, be sure that your “From email” has your primary domain in it. For example, if you set up replies.yourcompany.com, you can send from [email protected].
What is it? An unsubscribe link is like an exit door for your email recipients. It allows them to opt out of receiving further emails from you if they choose to do so.
Why it Matters? Not having an unsubscribe link can severely dent your email deliverability rates. In fact, it’s more than just a best practice – it’s a legal requirement to include an unsubscribe link in every marketing email.
How to Set It Up? There are two user-friendly ways to get an unsubscribe link within EZMS. Your first option is to use the default unsubscribe link that we’ve conveniently set up for you. Alternatively, you can take matters into your own hands and manually add one to the footer of each email you create.
But here’s a pro tip: If you opt for the default list-unsubscribe-header, it’s the preferred method for many email providers. However, it comes with a caveat – it conspicuously marks your email as promotional in Gmail, consigning it to the “promotions” tab. Plus, it features a user-friendly unsubscribe button right at the email’s top. Be prepared for more unsubscribes, but that can be a blessing in disguise – these folks might not have been engaging with your emails anyway, and culling them can improve your long-term deliverability rates.
Now, there’s talk that industry requirements may eventually favor Option 1. But for now, Option 2 is your go-to. This involves manually embedding an unsubscribe link in your email footer. We recommend creating a standard template with this link and duplicating it for every new email. The bonus? It automatically marks users as “Do not disturb” for email only, ensuring they won’t receive further messages. If you need assistance setting up this template, just let us know, and we’ll take care of it for you.
7. Maintain an 80:20 text-to-image ratio
Maintaining an 80:20 text-to-image ratio in your emails is essential for several reasons:
Spam filters: Spam filters often flag emails with heavy images as potential spam. This is because spammers tend to use images to hide their text. To avoid being marked as spam, it’s best to keep your text-to-image ratio balanced.
Image blocking: Many email clients block images by default, requiring users to click to display them. If your email is image-heavy, there’s a risk that recipients may not see your content at all until they take action to display the images.
Accessibility: Emails should be accessible to all users, including those who use voice assistants to read emails. Voice assistants may not recognize alt text, so emails with heavy images may appear blank to these users. Additionally, text within images won’t appear in email search results.
Reader preferences: Some readers disable image visibility in their email clients. Without alt text for imagery, these emails may not convey any message and can appear broken.
Overall, maintaining an 80:20 text-to-image ratio can improve email accessibility, engagement, and deliverability.
8. Use double opt-in
Double opt-in is a process where you ask subscribers to confirm their email address before they start receiving emails from you. This is done by sending them a confirmation email with a link that they need to click on. Only after they have clicked on the link will they be added to your email list.
Why is double opt-in important? Because it helps to ensure that your email list is full of engaged subscribers who actually want to receive your emails. This is important for several reasons:
It improves your email deliverability. Spam filters are less likely to flag your emails as spam if they know that your subscribers have explicitly opted in to receive them.
It reduces the number of unsubscribes. Double opt-in helps to weed out people who are not interested in receiving your emails, which can reduce your unsubscribe rate.
It improves your reputation as a sender. When people know that they can trust you to only send emails to people who want to receive them, it makes them more likely to open and click on your emails.
How to set up double opt-in: Send us an email we can create an automation with a custom double optin flow
9. Stop sending to unengaged emails
Unengaged emails are emails that do not open or click on your links. When you send emails to unengaged subscribers, it can harm your email deliverability. This is because email providers like Gmail and Yahoo see it as a sign that your emails are not relevant or interesting to your subscribers.
There are a few reasons why you should stop sending to unengaged emails:
It improves your email deliverability. Email providers are more likely to deliver your emails to the inbox of subscribers who are engaged with your content.
It reduces the number of spam complaints. If your subscribers are not opening or clicking on your emails, they are more likely to mark them as spam. This can damage your reputation as a sender and make it more difficult for your emails to be delivered to the inbox.
If you have been sending to the same person who has not taken action for weeks, send to them less frequently or not at all.
10. Send regularly… but not too regularly
How often you send emails is a delicate balance. You want to send emails often enough to stay top-of-mind with your subscribers, but not so often that they start to ignore you or mark your emails as spam.
A good rule of thumb is to send emails on a regular schedule, but to vary the frequency depending on your subscribers’ engagement levels. For example, you might send a daily email to subscribers who have opened and clicked on your emails in the past week, but only send a weekly email to subscribers who have not been engaged with your content in the past month.
It’s also important to consider your subscribers’ expectations. If you only send out a monthly newsletter, your subscribers may be surprised and annoyed if you suddenly start sending them daily emails. It’s always a good idea to let your subscribers know how often they can expect to receive emails from you.
11. Email warmup
When you first start sending emails from a new domain, it’s important to warm up your domain reputation. This means gradually increasing the number of emails you send over time. This will help to ensure that your emails are delivered to the inbox and not marked as spam.
Here are some tips for warming up your email domain:
Start by sending a small number of emails to opted-in subscribers.
Gradually increase the number of emails you send each day and week.
Avoid sending too many emails at once.
Send high-quality content that your subscribers will find engaging.
Monitor your email deliverability and make adjustments as needed.
Here is a specific email warmup schedule that you can follow:
Week 1: Send 100 emails per day.
Week 2: Send 300 emails per day.
Week 3: Send 500 emails per day.
Week 4: Send 750 emails per day.
Week 5: Send 1,000 emails per day.
After five weeks, you should be able to send emails at your regular volume without any problems.
Drip mode in EZMS
Drip mode in EZMS allows you to send emails to your subscribers over a period of time. This can be a great way to warm up your email domain or to send a series of emails to your subscribers about a new product or promotion.
To send emails in drip mode, simply create an email automation and select the “Drip” option. You can then specify how often you want to send emails and how long you want the drip campaign to last.
12. Cold Emails: A Cautionary Tale
When we talk about cold emails, we’re referring to emails sent to individuals who haven’t willingly opted in to receive your messages. These lists are often acquired through purchases or scraping.
Why You Shouldn’t Use EZMS for Cold Emails: The short and clear message here is this: Please refrain from sending cold emails using EZMS. It’s not the right tool for this job. In fact, using it for cold outreach may lead to your emails being marked as spam, which could result in providers banning your domain.
Alternative Solutions for Cold Outreach: Cold emailing is its own unique skillset, and this blog post isn’t the place to delve into it. There are dedicated tools and systems designed for cold email campaigns. If you’re considering cold outreach, it’s worth exploring these specialized solutions to ensure your campaigns are both effective and compliant with email best practices.
Conclusion
By following the email best practices and email sending recommendations in this blog post, you can improve your email deliverability, reduce unsubscribes, and protect your domain reputation. This will help you to reach more of your subscribers and achieve your email marketing goals.
Here are some additional tips for successful email marketing:
Create high-quality content. Your email content should be informative, engaging, and relevant to your subscribers’ interests.
Segment your email list. This will allow you to send targeted emails to different groups of subscribers.
Personalize your emails. This will help to make your emails more relevant to your subscribers and less likely to be flagged as spam.
Test and optimize your email campaigns. Track your email deliverability, open rates, click-through rates, and unsubscribe rates. Use this data to improve your email campaigns over time.
Email marketing is a powerful tool that can help you to reach your target audience and achieve your business goals. By following the tips in this blog post, you can create and send effective email campaigns that will help you to grow your business.
Are you a restaurant owner struggling to increase your profits? Do you find it challenging to get more customers, increase repeat purchases, and encourage your existing customers to spend more with each visit?
If so, you’re not alone. Many restaurant owners face these challenges, especially in a competitive market. However, there’s a proven way to overcome these obstacles and grow your restaurant business: a simple, effective restaurant marketing system.
Here’s how it works:
Step 1: Grow Your Customer List
The first step in this marketing system is to grow your customer list. The more customers you have, the more opportunities you have to generate revenue. Here are some ways to do it:
QR Codes Everywhere: We’ll generate QR codes you can put all over your restaurant tables, inviting your customers to opt-in for amazing deals.
Import Leads from Your POS: Names, phones, and emails on your POS are pure gold. Import them into your growth system once a month and automatically ask them to join your loyalty program, starting with your best offer.
Google Review Management: Get more reviews on Google. Our system can automatically ask everyone who has purchased to leave you a Google review. It also makes it easy to respond to these reviews. This is probably the easiest way you get new customers in your doors and ultimately on your list.
Facebook, Instagram, and Google Ads: We’ll create a funnel with an offer and a way to collect names, phones, and emails. We can use Facebook Messenger, lead forms, or a landing page. Even if they don’t buy anything, they are officially loyalty members when they respond to your ad and will get your texts weekly.
Bonus Features: Web Chat Widget and Missed Call Handling: We’ll add a web chat widget to your site that collects names, emails, and phones and doubles as a Bot that answers questions Frequently asked questions like “Are you open today.” We’ll provide you and your staff with a mobile app where they can quickly answer any other more complicated questions that come in through text, email, GMB, FB, or IG. This app will also handle any missed phone calls for you as well. This can add up to a treasure trove of new contact data that we can ask to opt-in to your loyalty program.
Step 2: Reactivate Your List as Often as Possible
The second step is to reactivate your list by reaching out to your contacts with enticing offers to either make a purchase, keep you top-of-mind, or move on. Here’s how our system works:
In-House Loyalty System: For a restaurant, the best way to do this is with an in-house loyalty program. Most loyalty programs are third-party; customers don’t know what they get from it and typically don’t want to install another app. We generate as many different offers as possible (15 – 30) that we will promote to loyalty members each week (or as often as you feel comfortable with) via text messages and email to keep them coming back. When we run out of offers, we start the process over (that’s why we need as many as possible). Loyal members now see real value in the program, and you start getting them to try different things on the menu that they would not have tried otherwise. That’s how you get them to buy more things and buy more often.
That’s all there is to it. It’s a one-two punch. Marketing does not have to be complicated or expensive. Notice how everything ties into growing your list and then reactivating your list. Nothing is left to chance. The best part is we will do this all for you as part of our EZMS Restaurant Growth System.
We simplify your marketing so you can focus on what you do best: running your restaurant. Our service costs $497 per month and may just replace any other marketing campaigns you are currently running.
So you’ve got a massive email list with lots of contact info. The contacts may be from a year-old campaign or one you pumped out last week. Either way, your list is full of great leads, all interested in your products/services. Some of them may already be customers.
But what about those who aren’t customers and those who never even opened your emails? For new marketers, it’s humbling to find what little percentage of your list responds to you, let alone make a purchase. Even for top email marketers, average open rates hover around 20% and are likely much lower for you.
But what if it didn’t have to be this way? What if you could recapture those dead leads and transform them into customers? Well, you can. Using EZtransition’s SMS automation software, you can conduct a reactivation campaign with one click. Let’s find out how.
Why Should You Reactivate Business Leads?
Reactivating leads means you re-ignite the spark between you and the contact. After all, they signed up for your list for a reason, right? Anyone who signs up for your list is interested in what you offer, but they may not be ready to buy, or life gets in the way.
Whatever the reason, they’re on your list, which gives you the right to contact them and connect them with your products and services. For those leads who have never bought from or responded to you, it’s time to hit them with an irresistible offer. Not through email but an automated text message.
How EZtransition Helps You Recapture Leads (SMS Automation)
1. The Offer
Cold leads need something striking to regain their interest. Start by creating an irresistible offer. Let’s say you’re a meal prep business offering a subscription-based meal delivery service. The program costs $100 per week, but you’re offering it for $50 in a “This Week Only” deal.
Now let’s say John is a member of your list but rarely opens your emails and is not yet a customer. For John, you could create a message like this:
“Hey, John, just a quick message to let you know we have a 24-hour only, 50% discount on membership this week. It’s a first come, first served offer, and spots fill quickly. If you’re in, respond with “Yes.”
An offer like this not only offers a considerable discount but creates a sense of urgency and a personal touch in the form of text, which people are much more likely to check and respond to.
2. The Follow-Up
John can either say “yes,” “no,” or not respond to your offer. If he says, that’s fantastic; you’ve netted an extra $50 in sales for the month and hopefully a recurring subscription at the full price. If he says “no” or ignores your offer, you can send a follow-up text 1-hour later.
The follow-up text: “Hey John, just a quick reminder that our 24-hour discount is expiring at midnight tomorrow, and spaces are filling quickly; let us know if you’re in”. Again, John can opt-in, say no, or ignore your message.
For instance, you send your irresistible offer to 1000 cold leads, and 1% of those opt-in on the first round. That’s ten leads, all purchasing your discounted subscription at $50 a head, totaling an extra $500 for sending a text. Not bad, huh? Then say a further 1% accept the follow-up offer; from the remaining leads, that’s another $500 for sending the second text.
Summary
EZtransition makes this process easy, with sophisticated SMS software allowing you to automate bulk SMS messages and automatically use Artificial Intelligence to respond to follow-ups. It’s perfect for recapturing cold leads like John.
If you want to maximize recapturing cold leads or small business marketing in general, check out EZtransition.com, then contact us on the chat widget on the bottom right. We are a marketing agency in Atlanta specializing in digital marketing strategy for small businesses, lead generation, and reactivation marketing. Get started with our free trial today and see how our automated SMS software helps accelerate your sales.
