Fanminder Blog

Customer reviews can be a very important and key element to your e-commerce site, no matter how large or small the business is. Customer reviews provide an engaging read for browsers because it give a different perspective for them when evaluating a buying decision. It is not always easy to get people give reviews once they have made a purchase; it is more often that they buy and forget it. If you are looking for a nice step guide to get more customer reviews after someone has made a purchase, check this out.

1. The first step is to send a confirmation email to your customer after their purchase to inform them that their order is processed. Along with this confirmation email you want to send an additional email asking for a review; this can be set up to automatically send after the confirmation.

2. Now that you have contacted your customer, try enticing them to leave a review. You can entice your customers in a number of ways, including special offers, special recognition, or anything else that would appeal to your target audience.

3. Make sure your point is clearly stated. If you are asking for a review in your email, add the keyword ‘Review’ in the subject line, along with other keywords. You want to make sure that your customers know what they are receiving and understand why they are receiving it, this is why it is important to send the review request close to confirmation email.

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If you are a small business, you should understand the importance marketing has on the success of that business. More likely, you understand how expensive, time consuming, and confusing marketing can get. Here are 10 powerful marketing tips to help with the success of your small business.

1. Print your best small ad on a postcard and mail it to prospects in your targeted market.
People read postcards when the message is brief. A small ad on a postcard can drive a high volume of traffic to your web site and generate a flood of sales leads for a very small cost.

2. No single marketing effort works all the time for every business, so rotate several marketing tactics and vary your approach.
Your customers tune out after awhile if you toot only one note. Not only that, YOU get bored. Marketing can be fun, so take advantage of the thousands of opportunities available for communicating your value to customers. But don’t be arbitrary about your selection of a variety of marketing ploys. Plan carefully. Get feedback from customers and adapt your efforts accordingly.

3. Use buddy marketing to promote your business.
For example, if you send out brochures, you could include a leaflet and/or business card of another business, which had agreed to do the same for you. This gives you the chance to reach a whole new pool of potential customers.

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With restaurants feeling the effects of the recession, it has gotten harder for small restaurants to spend on marketing. If your restaurant cannot afford expensive advertisement or an over priced marketing consultant, you can start building your restaurant by using these 8 simple marketing tips.

1. Talk to Your Customers. Ask how they found you. If it’s not your usual source, follow up to see if you can connect with that niche market.

2. Don’t Play by the Rules. Think outside the box to come up with ways to create buzz for your restaurant or an attractive offer that is considered too good to be true. For example, honor your competitors coupons; this is a great strategy because you are essentially creating a coupon campaign and avoiding the print and setup costs.

3. Use Technology. Make sure you are connected online through the many different channels, such as Facebook, Twitter, and others. Start a blog about your restaurant, filled with news about your food. Technology is a great way to stay connected to your visitors.

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Social media is a great way to get marketing exposure to your small business. It is an easy and affordable way to connect to your clientele. Check out these 4 simple social media tips for your small business:

1. Start a Blog. Blogging is a great way to personalize your business and connect with your clientele. Blogs may be a bit time consuming; however, they offer a way for you to manage your brand, seem as an expert in your industry, and connect with your audience.

2. Create a Twitter Account. Twitter is gaining popularity in the social media realm. If you want to be able to send your target audience a continuous feed of updates and news about your business or business blog, use a Twitter account. Twitting allows readers to feel like they are in the loop with your business.

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On Sunday, our friends at American Express Open Forum, the guys with millions of Small Business cardmembers and one of the best brands in the world, have decided to deeply honor Fanminder by sending out an email to ONE MILLION Cardmembers featuring, well, umm, errr, us.

Woohoo! Again: Wooooohoooo!

The reason they’re doing this is because I’ve been using the new Amex Open website to find new business partners and customers. And I’ve found it absolutely invaluable as a tool to grow Fanminder by building new relationships I otherwise never would have been able to secure. I’ve met business partners, signed up customers, new friends, and people who now re-sell Fanminder as their main career. Isn’t this simply incredible?

In short, Amex Open Forum works for Fanminder and they want to tell our story. I feel quite privileged nevertheless, that they chose us out of everyone they could have selected, and can’t wait for all our new Amex small business owners to stop by the site and say hello. If nothing other than wonderful exposure to Amex’s audience results, I’m already thrilled. But just in case new customers start ringing our doorbell, we’ve been sprucing up our “house.”

Funny thing how opportunities have a way of focusing the team. We have to put new “try us now” buttons on our website that for the first time, expose our free trial, ensure both our application and marketing sites won’t crash if we receive a crush of traffic (ummm, it might), schedule us to be available on Sunday, add a new Prices page and generally put the laundry away, empty the sink, and make the beds.

In this instance, I hope the house guests stay for a really long time.