A primary function of HR is to instill process and compliance in a complex world of regulations, vendors, process and internal people. They will be a key advocate of your culture, need to be approachable in sensitive situations and must know how to tow the line absolutely in difficult situations. — Trevor Sumner, LocalVox
Type in a generic search term for nearly any local service and you’re likely to see listings for national brands and retail chains. Local businesses have largely been pushed out of the first page of organic results for generic product/service keywords. Although Google displays a higher percentage of local search results for generic search terms than Bing or Yahoo, non-local, non-SMB websites still take up roughly 50% to 65% of the page-one space, according to a study by BrightLocal.
Mobile apps are more difficult than the web for quickly engaging customers. To overcome the additional friction of app downloads and installs, grease the virality with incentives for sharing and purchase. Turn your active consumers into marketing advocates. – Trevor Sumner,
Read the full post on The Next Web.
Avoid Too Much Tied to Performance-Based Financial Incentives
“Once you sell your company, you are no longer in control. With every founder I have talked with, performance-based incentives have gone sideways. Timelines get thrown off by longer than expected integration, revenue targets didn’t take into account sales ramp and organization change, etc., and all create perverse incentives for the acquirer. Value your business for what it’s worth now.” ~ Trevor Sumner, LocalVox
Sometimes, openness and opportunism lead to success for startups. But more often than not, it’s as much about the opportunities a company declines than than those it pursues, that determines whether company succeeds or fails. That’s particularly true in a local marketing industry where timing and distribution can be as important as the product itself.
“You’d be surprised how different the same content looks with a few simple font changes. Make an update. Go modern. Websites are trending more toward a brochure style. Up the font size, and use a Google Web font to expand your options. It’s a simple change that yields a big effect. The same content will stand out in the crowd.” — Trevor Sumner, LocalVox
As the publisher of the largest local business newswire, I know there is a great and growing demand from organizations, businesses and community leaders seeking to push their messages out to a largest possible audience. Why not? 78% of CMOs think that custom content is the future of marketing.
Will you join our customer advocacy council?
Get your happiest and most engaged customers to help give feedback on your roadmap, marketing and support by inviting them to join a small advocacy council. Getting direct feedback channels to your customer is invaluable, and they will love being involved in shaping your company's future.--Trevor Sumner, LocalVox
