Getting the Word Out

Are you good at your job? Did you start your own business to fulfill a life long dream you had? No matter how good you are at your job or how much passion you have in your business, you need to get the word out so others know how great you are. Having third party referrals like your customers sharing the good about you is an ideal way to get business. Even if you have the best pastries in town, the most unique and varied stock of wine, are the best dentist that works great with kids and are the hardest working mortgage broker, customers won’t be beating down your door if they haven’t heard of you and don’t know where to find you.

Getting the word out is a must. Spreading the word about your great business online is even more crucial in this ever so connected world we live in. “Googling it” has replaced “getting the phone book”. There are more than 160 million searches performed on the internet daily, and 38 million people use search engines daily. So not only is getting the word out important but trying to do it with a minimized budget in this economy can be frustrating. eCompliments can be a great inexpensive solution for any professional or business owner. We give you the tools to give to your current customers who already love you to “share the good” about you online.

Review sites are very much mainstream these days. However, eCompliments is the only review site that is focused on the positive and let’s you truly get involved. It’s about giving you, the business owner, tools to get your customers involved. It’s also about you being proactive and asking them to get involved! If they already love shopping with you or working with you they will happily go to your profile on eCompliments and pay you a compliment. At eCompliments we can show you how easy this is. So how does all of this help you get the word out?

First let me give you some stats. In a recent Nielson Study Survey it showed that 70% of consumers trust consumer opinions posted online over all other advertising methods and that 90% trust positive word of mouth by people they know. So, by utilizing your eCompliments PRO profile and getting your customers involved you will increase your search engine optimization (SEO) – which basically helps your profile be found on the first few pages when people are searching online, help strengthen your brand and credibility, gain a competitive edge, enhance customer experience and increase customer loyalty, establish a web presence, and help you manage your online reputation.

Positive word of mouth gives you instant credibility. People think, if it's written it must be true. As more and more customers pay you compliments online you will become the place everyone wants to try or the person they want to work with. We are all busy these days, that’s why you need a simple, easy and inexpensive way to get with the times and help your business thrive in this economy.

Remember, word of mouth is still the most powerful marketing medium as shown in the Nielson survey. And now with the Internet where there are millions of daily searches performed it can start a viral marketing happening for those who are plugged in. It’s time to get involved.

Posted by Angelica Michaels

A Creative, Free but yet Meaningful Idea for Valentine’s Day!

In this economy there has been a lot of talk about what do to do for that special someone in your life on Valentines Day without breaking the bank. From one morning show to the next they talk about staying in and having a romantic dinner at home or drawing a bath for your sweetie with rose petals and wine. I even read on a website how one woman’s husband got a red can of spray paint and out in their pasture, he wrote his Valentine message to her. What a lovely gesture! To me, the old saying still holds true…”it’s the thought that counts”.

As simply put on Wikipedia; Valentine’s Day held on February 14 is celebrating love and affection between intimate companions. Valentine’s Day to me has never been about going out to the most expensive restaurant, or getting fabulous jewelry. I don’t know, I just never expected that. Yet, I never liked the cliché of getting flowers and candy either. To be honest, a beautiful heart felt card and the chance to spend quality time with my loved one is perfect for me.

However, after reading the story of the woman’s husband who spray painted his message of affection to her, I thought the most romantic thing that anyone can do is to publicly profess their love to their Valentine. But many of aren’t going to spray paint our lawns, and putting something in the newspaper still costs money and may be too late to do so this close to Valentine’s day anyway.

This is yet another example how eCompliments is so different than all the other review sites. We provide the platform for anyone to post a compliment to any one, person, place or thing, not just businesses or professionals. So why not this year, when you are thinking of what to do for your loved one, create a profile on our site for them and post a compliment telling them how wonderful they are, how much you love them and what they mean to you! It’s free!

Honestly, if I saw that my sweetheart did that for me, it would be much more meaningful than any bouquet of roses or box of chocolates. I may just have to send this blog post to my honey! (LOL)

Happy Valentine’s Day to all of you from eCompliments, may it be as sweet as your heart.

Posted by Angelica Michales

Freedom of Speech

With every civil right there has to be a corresponding civil obligation. ~Edison Haines

We have great freedoms in the United States of America. The right to vote and to have a political opinion is our greatest freedom and one that was purchased for a heavy price. No other country in the history of mankind has influenced the way human beings govern themselves. Democracy certainly is not perfect but is comes closer than any other time-tested method of rule. Our right to have an opinion and to voice that opinion takes on the largest stage with our right to vote politically. We vote for the candidate that we feel represents our values and most importantly will uphold the office for which he or she is running with competence and integrity.

Today there seems to be a great deal of healthy debate. Issues from healthcare, military defense and economic growth and stability are the focus of much debate in Washington. Our responsibility as a registered voting citizen is to educate ourselves on the issues and voice our opinions and eventually cast a vote for our representatives that we feel will represent our values and beliefs the best. Like I mentioned earlier, it is not perfect. But we the people have a say in our future. If we have a politician in office that the majority of citizens don’t agree with there is a process through our vote to remove that politician. That is a power not shared by the average citizen of China, Venezuela, Cuba, or Russia. Having an opinion and being able to do something about that opinion is powerful.

Freedom of speech is a great citizen right that we have. That’s the great idea behind review sites such as eCompliments. You have the opportunity to cast your opinion (whatever it may be) about any person, business, place or thing. That includes politicians. Search our site for your favorite (or not so favorite) politician and practice your freedom of speech on the issues that are important to you in the day and age we are living in now.

~Angelica Michaels