Sometimes your company’s expertise, history, industry, location or size just don’t matter to a customer. How they were treated during their most recent experience at one of your locations, however, does.

…And you can be certain that they’re going to make their opinions about your customer service known to others -especially online.

We have all seen the consequences of a company poorly managing their online presence (ahem, cancel culture). And although negative Google, Facebook and Yelp reviews are inevitable (transparency is key and people have the right to share their thoughts) tracking the presence of each of your storefronts individually is pivotal to the success of your overall digital marketing strategy.

Here’s how:

1. Identify Strengths And Weaknesses

Tracking each location allows you to build benchmark data that is individually catered to that storefront’s market. This gives you a first-hand look at what your brand identity is in that area.

And by reading through your mentions per location, you get will get insight into what internal processes may or may not be working for each store and can adjust where necessary.

2. Keep Your Location’s NAP(E) Up To Date

NAP(E) is a popular SEO acronym for Name, Address, Phone and {Email} and having any of these (in addition to your hours, website, etc.) listed inaccurately online for any of your locations can really put a burden on your overall search rankings and even more importantly annoy your customers. 

Just think about the last time you Googled a business and the hours listed on their Google My Business listing for the location you were visiting showed that they were opened only for you to find out when you arrived in person that they were actually closed – THE WORST! 😤

3. Customize Your Customer Experience 

Each of your locations have their own customer base in person, so why not match that energy online? By tracking the digital perception of each of your locations and learning their strengths and weaknesses (see #1 above) you can use this data to further build on the direct relationship that you have with your customers.

BOTTOM LINE

Your company’s appearance on and offline is a direct reflection of your customer service. The rise of the Internet (especially social media) has given you a direct path to what your customers are saying about you as well as an avenue to join in on the conversation.

Take advantage of this, listen to them, respond to them and include them.

After all, the customer’s perception is your reality and people want to work with people, not businesses. // So, don’t forget to keep the you in your business.