Help your favorite store
Good Deeds and Attaboys
12/11/13 22:07 Filed in: Helping out
As consumers we play an important role in the American economic ecosystem. We determine what is the best value for us and reward the winner with our dollars. But if we really like a company we can go beyond and positively impact their success.
The other day I stopped into my favorite Burger King for lunch. It's the one on Stark St in Gresham, by the Home Depot. Why is it my favorite? Don't all Burger Kings have the same menu, the same basic decor, etc? Well, yes, but this place is different. Oh, they have the same menu, but the service is amazing! We were greeted with a "Welcome to Burger King!" when we entered, but more than that, the people who waited on us smiled and were friendly! Our meals were hot and fresh from the grill. It was a wonderful meal.
When we left, I made a point to compliment the servers, asking them to pass on those compliments to the managers. In turn they asked me to fill out their survey on the back of the receipt. I knew that was a way I could really recognize their efforts. So, I plan to do just that.
How do you recognize the efforts of the people and companies you deal with and like especially well? Perhaps you've never given that much thought. In this digital world, feedback can really assist your favorite companies to flourish.
When you spread the good word about a place onLine, the search engines notice. They all rank websites by "Authority" and that comes from mentions, #hashtags, back links, reviews, and myriad other sources that are considered when deciding on which page the website shows up in a web search. When they land on the front page, others can discover them, too. And more customers means a stronger more stable organization. That’s good for the company, but also for the client because our favorite place will be more likely to be around when we need them.
Let's take a look at a few ways you can contribute to that stream of data:
Reviews:
Yelp , Google Places, and Angie's List are just 3 of the dozens of great places to put in a good word. Tell people what you like and dislike about the place and give it a rating. The more ratings a place gets the more attention it garners!
twitter:
Even if you only have a few followers on twitter, you can reach a lot of people by using the # sign to create a "Hashtag". By using the # symbol along with a word or phrase that others might search for, your tweet can be seen by many folks you don't know. For example the above experience might carry a hashtag of #great_burger or #Burger_King.
Facebook:
Like their company pages. Share their posts with your Facebook friends.
Blogs:
If you write a blog, mention the company's website and provide a link. These are called inbound links and are incredibly helpful to a site's ranking.
Website:
If you have your own website, consider "trading links" with your favorite suppliers. If you mention them, they often will return the favor, thus helping to build your presence and authority as well.
Newsletters/email "blasts":
If you have a newsletter or send out some other regular eMail, tell your subscribers about your favorite suppliers!
Word Of Mouth:
Tell your friends! The oldest and best way to help your friends in business!
The other day I stopped into my favorite Burger King for lunch. It's the one on Stark St in Gresham, by the Home Depot. Why is it my favorite? Don't all Burger Kings have the same menu, the same basic decor, etc? Well, yes, but this place is different. Oh, they have the same menu, but the service is amazing! We were greeted with a "Welcome to Burger King!" when we entered, but more than that, the people who waited on us smiled and were friendly! Our meals were hot and fresh from the grill. It was a wonderful meal.
When we left, I made a point to compliment the servers, asking them to pass on those compliments to the managers. In turn they asked me to fill out their survey on the back of the receipt. I knew that was a way I could really recognize their efforts. So, I plan to do just that.
How do you recognize the efforts of the people and companies you deal with and like especially well? Perhaps you've never given that much thought. In this digital world, feedback can really assist your favorite companies to flourish.
When you spread the good word about a place onLine, the search engines notice. They all rank websites by "Authority" and that comes from mentions, #hashtags, back links, reviews, and myriad other sources that are considered when deciding on which page the website shows up in a web search. When they land on the front page, others can discover them, too. And more customers means a stronger more stable organization. That’s good for the company, but also for the client because our favorite place will be more likely to be around when we need them.
Let's take a look at a few ways you can contribute to that stream of data:
Reviews:
Yelp , Google Places, and Angie's List are just 3 of the dozens of great places to put in a good word. Tell people what you like and dislike about the place and give it a rating. The more ratings a place gets the more attention it garners!
twitter:
Even if you only have a few followers on twitter, you can reach a lot of people by using the # sign to create a "Hashtag". By using the # symbol along with a word or phrase that others might search for, your tweet can be seen by many folks you don't know. For example the above experience might carry a hashtag of #great_burger or #Burger_King.
Facebook:
Like their company pages. Share their posts with your Facebook friends.
Blogs:
If you write a blog, mention the company's website and provide a link. These are called inbound links and are incredibly helpful to a site's ranking.
Website:
If you have your own website, consider "trading links" with your favorite suppliers. If you mention them, they often will return the favor, thus helping to build your presence and authority as well.
Newsletters/email "blasts":
If you have a newsletter or send out some other regular eMail, tell your subscribers about your favorite suppliers!
Word Of Mouth:
Tell your friends! The oldest and best way to help your friends in business!