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Overview:The easiest, most cost-effective way for local businesses to attract new customers is to get your business listed in free online directories.

Every day, consumers use the Internet to get advice before making purchases. They’re getting a lot of this advice through reviews found on local business directories like Google Local™ and Yelp®. If your business isn’t listed completely and accurately on as many sites as possible, you’re missing out on a big opportunity.

Get Found Online - An Example

Local businesses listed in Google Local are prominently displayed.

These reviews matter to both consumers and businesses. Consumers value reviews – a study done by Nielsen showed that 92% of people trust word-of-mouth, while only 33% trust online ads**. It's critical that your business is not only listed online, but also has word-of-mouth credibility online.

Claim Your Business' Listings

The fact is, many free online business directories might be displaying your business reviews today without you even knowing it, and often, the information is inaccurate. Your customers might already be writing reviews about your business on these local review websites and potential customers are reading them. You need to find, claim and verify your business information on these directories.

Another great benefit from business listings is that you can increase your rankings on search engines like Google®, Yahoo!® and Bing®. For example, Google favors small businesses that have detailed profiles on Google Local.

Search engines typically pull information from business listing sites – Yelp, TripAdvisor®, and others — and display them under your website address for local search results.

Getting Your Business Listed

So now you know what these websites are and why they're important. What's next? Let's find out which sites are most important for you, and start managing them.

Search for your business online and see what comes up. Look at which business listing sites that search engine pulls reviews from.
Visit those business listing sites, create an account, and either claim yourself as the business owner or create a complete and accurate listing for your business. By claiming the business, you can leave comments on customer reviews. This is especially important for managing negative reviews.
Start asking your customers to leave a review of your business. When a customer gives you good feedback, ask them to share their experience on a local review website. The more reviews you have, the stronger your reputation is. That can equal more business.
Don't be afraid of a bad review. If you come across one, leave a comment and invite the customer to contact you so you can have a chance to win back their business. This shows the customer you have integrity and shows a potential customer that you care.

Keeping track of all of your reviews and comments can be time consuming so consider using a program that monitors these reviews for you like Search Engine Visibility. When you have a new comment to review or a new listing to create, the program can walk you through the process and you can set up automatic alerts.

Your customers and potential customers are already using local reviews to find businesses so jump in and take advantage of them. You will get honest feedback on what your customers appreciate about your products and services and you can build your brand at the same time.

* BIA/Kelsey User View Wave VII Survey
** http://www.fi.nielsen.com/site/documents/NielsenTrustinAdvertisingGlobalReportApril2012.pdf
http://www.randombyte.com/ranking-high-in-google-local-business-results

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Overview: Tips to use Facebook® for business to engage your customers and create loyal fans.

There are hundreds of millions of people using Facebook®, and half of them check it every day. Your customers and prospects are on Facebook, you should be too. And what's even better…it's free!

Let's take a look at how you can use Facebook to create a loyal customer base that can lead to repeat sales and customer referrals.

Why Facebook?

First off, it's free -- there are millions of users -- take advantage of this.
Most of your customers are probably already using Facebook. Go where they are.
When people "like" your page, it shows up on their Facebook profile and gets shared with their friends. This gives your business "soft" referrals and potentially new customers.
Unlike a business website, which is focused on promoting products and services, Facebook helps you create a personal relationship with your "fans". People use it to share their thoughts, opinions and experiences.
Use Facebook to make meaningful connections and build trust. Building these relationships fosters loyal customers.
Facebook gives you instant feedback from your customers.

Tips for using Facebook

Create a "Business" Facebook page: First, you need to set up the right type of Facebook page. There are two types of profiles on Facebook: individual (for personal friends) and business pages. Businesses cannot set up individual profiles.
Brand Your Page: There are a few customization you’ll want to make after you set up your page. You’ll need to add a “cover” to your business page which is the large banner image across the page. This is where pictures of your products and storefront come in handy. Your “profile picture” displays in the lower-left corner of your cover picture and is also the image that your customers see on their Facebook news feed. Most businesses use their company logo as their profile picture to help build brand recognition.
Engage … Don't Hard-Sell: What should you post? Remember, this is about creating a relationship with your fans. Post pictures of you and your staff at work or a work-related event, share funny stories or ask fans their opinions. A great way to talk about your business in a social way is to highlight your customers. Find out how your customers are using your products and services, and share it with your fans. The key is to not hard-sell your fans. However, you should promote events, share special discounts and deals, and keep your customers current on the latest trends in your industry.

Quick Solution: Use a social media manager, like Express Email Marketing®, to schedule your status updates. These applications let you manage your Facebook, Twitter® and LinkedIn® posts all in one place.

Tips to Increase Fan Engagement

Most effective call to actions: These are the five top ways Facebook fans like to interact. Post content that asked them to do these things:

"Like" something
"Caption" something
Share this
Yes or No
Thumbs up

Best day to post: Although it does vary by industry, in general weekends have the highest rate of people interacting with posts, with Wednesday having the lowest.
Best times to post: Between 8 p.m. and 7 a.m. – these are your fans' non-busy hours.
Keep it short: Shorter posts (80 characters or less) get 23% more interaction than longer posts.
Post pictures: Fans interact with post with pictures the most.
Ask questions: Questions generate the most comments.

An effective social media strategy is one that is active and up to date. When you share engaging, interesting content with your audience, you establish your brand as a leader and create loyal customers that help attract more business.