Today, your local consumers are largely internet-dependent – even if they are shopping locally in-store. And businesses need to consider reputation management and marketing services to compete where their next customers are looking to online.
Where we were once dependent on ads and the word of friends and family to find a business, the internet has changed everything. Consumers now look online first for products and services to buy, researching the best options for their purchases, and posting reviews online near anonymously with little regulation.
As you build and protect a positive online presence for your clients, the value of their reputation increases – that is reputation management.
Higher conversions on the digital marketing services they already have in place is an easy sell to clients who recognize the value of a highly visible and persuasive online reputation – that’s reputation marketing.
You better serve your clients by offering the benefits of both.
THE WHY of Selling Reputation Management and Marketing Services
We optimize websites to rank high in search results and increase visibility. We use ads to find and retain customers. We use social media to grow an engaged audience and stay top of mind. There are several digital marketing services we can sell clients. But getting more clicks and eyes on a business with a poor online reputation or no online reputation could be a huge waste of money for your clients.
STATISTICS TO SHARE WITH CLIENTS
From the 2019 BrightLocal Local Consumer Review Survey:
- 90% of consumers used the internet to find a local business in the last year, with 33% looking every day
- 82% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses, with 52% of 18-54-year-olds saying they ‘always’ read reviews
- The average consumer reads 10 reviews before feeling able to trust a business
- Only 53% of people would consider using a business with less than 4 stars
- The average consumer spends 13 minutes and 45 seconds reading reviews before making a decision
- Among consumers that read reviews, 97% read businesses’ responses to reviews
- 67% of consumers have now been asked to leave a review for a local business – with 24% of these being offered a discount, gift or cash in return
According to the most recent survey, “Across every age group, those that do read reviews are doing so far more regularly – with one-third of consumers searching for local businesses every single day. And, even more, consumers told us they ‘always’ read online reviews – including a huge 93% of consumers aged 35-54.”
It’s too easy, and now second-nature for most, to “Google” any business that has caught your attention by showing up in search results, chased you down with retargeting or presented a promotion on social media. Why would a customer spend their money on the unknown when a few clicks (or voice search) on any preferred device shows what other people felt about spending money with a business.
When conducting a non-branded local search for a product or service, Google is happy to provide side by side comparison of top results in the local pack where consumers see star ratings and reviews are just a click away. A positive and highly rated reputation is necessary for your client to be the top choice when customers are researching where they will spend their money.
Website design, SEO, and even PPC are all important and impactful parts of a digital marketing strategy that will grow your client’s business. Reputation marketing amplifies the results of well-managed digital campaigns giving your clients a higher return on investment for their marketing dollars.
ALSO READ: The Art of Prospecting
THE HOW of Selling Reputation Management and Marketing Services
Selling reputation management and marketing services is simple when clients know the value of their online reputation. Luckily, you have the information at hand to educate current and future clients of the benefits and what results will look like for their industry in their particular market.
But how do you package your reputation services so clients are eager to buy?
What’s the best model for your agency for increasing revenue and gaining new clients?
There are three main ways to sell reputation management and marketing services that serve both you and your clients.
Foot in the Door Reputation Services
Reputation marketing is a great foot in the door service when you want to attract clients who demonstrate a need for other digital marketing services your agency provides.
Any business that believes your reputation services can positively impact their growth and revenue has some understanding of digital marketing processes such as search engine ranking, social media promotion, and digital advertising.
By providing easy and affordable reputation services that deliver results, you reporting, notifications, and data tracking as selling points to demonstrate what your agency can do and show how reliable your services are. As a proven digital marketing service provider, they will trust your recommendation for other services available from your agency.
Add-On Reputation Services
Agencies looking to increase revenue from an already packed portfolio of clients should offer reputation services as an add-on or complementary service. When you handle most or all of the digital marketing services for a client, reputation marketing gives you another income stream to complete their digital marketing package.
When your client is getting good results from your SEO and PPC services, they may think that they don’t need anything else. Add-on services usually have the smallest markup, but you just need to show them what role their reputation plays in the actual purchase decision.
Primary Reputation Services
Selling reputation marketing as a primary service is a popular method because it allows for higher markup on service packages. Even though you have tools to manage your client’s reputation, having a positive online reputation is so important to a business that despite how little actual work you need to do, it’s a service that is very valuable to a local business.
When selling as a primary service, your agency must be skilled at taking your knowledge of reputation management and the benefits of reputation marketing and explaining it to customers in a way a business owner understands.
Educate prospects on how impactful their online reputation is and why they need to take control, and you can sell reputation services as a primary service with premium pricing.
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