Manipurated

Daniel Lemin

Description

“Manipurated” is a manifesto for business owners struggling against an online ratings and reviews industry that is holding their businesses hostage through manipulative practices. “Manipurated” uniquely combines an exposé of the shifty inner workings of this industry with a step-by-step playbook to empower the 30 million American business owners desperately trying to fight back. In today’s hyperconnected world, business owners are confronted with the challenge of managing their online reputation right out of the gate. The first weekend for a new deli, salon, café, or boutique store can be make-or-break with online reviews. Few business owners understand that amazing businesses can be permanently damaged with a few bad reviews. Managing a reputation online requires skills and tactics that are not always intuitive to business owners. “Manipurated” gives business owners an insider’s view of how the multibillion-dollar ratings and reviews machine systematically stacks the cards against them — and more important, empowers business owners to fight back with a six-step playbook to defend, control, and enhance their business’s online reputation. Both a warning and a call to action, “Manipurated” is a must-read for all small business owners who depend on online reviews.

Sujets

• Marketing digital
• Digital Marketing
• Marketing et communication
• General officer
• Economics
• Business
• General
• Marketing
• Communication digitale

Informations

• Publié par: Linden Publishing
• Date de parution: 01 décembre 2015
• Nombre de lectures: 10
• EAN13: 9781610352734
• Langue: English

Extrait

MANIPURATED
How Business Owners Can Fight Fraudulent Online Ratings and Reviews
by Daniel Lemin
Manipu rated How Business Owners Can Fight Fraudulent Online Ratings and Reviews
Copyright 2015 by Daniel Lemin. All rights reserved.
Excerpt from Tripadvisor.com , 2014, TripAdvisor, LLC. All rights Reserved. Used with Permission.
Published by Quill Driver Books, an imprint of Linden Publishing 2006 South Mary, Fresno, California 93721 559-233-6633 / 800-345-4447 QuillDriverBooks.com
Quill Driver Books and Colophon are trademarks of Linden Publishing, Inc.
ISBN 978-1-61035-262-8
Printed in the United States First Printing
Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data
Names: Lemin, Daniel, author.
Title: Manipurated : how business owners can fight fraudulent online ratings and reviews / by Daniel Lemin.
Description: Fresno, California : Quill Driver Books, [2015] |
Includes index.
Identifiers: LCCN 2015034210 | ISBN 9781610352628 (pbk. : alk. paper)
Subjects: LCSH: Internet in public relations. | Customer relations. | Public opinion. | Reputation. | Internet marketing. | Business enterprises--Ratings and rankings.
Classification: LCC HD59 .L46 2015 | DDC 659.2--dc23
LC record available at http://lccn.loc.gov/2015034210
Contents
Foreword
Introduction
Part One: Getting the Lay of the Land
1. Main Street Under Siege
2. The Rise of Ratings and Reviews
3. The Business of Cyberbullying
4. Manipurated: Where It Went Wrong
5. The Choice Is Yours
Part Two: Tools and Tactics
6. Business Owner s Toolbox: How to Win
7. Where to See and Be Seen
8. Good, Bad, or Ugly, Make Every Review Count
9. The Fresh Factor
10. Be a Peacock: Boldly Show Your Feathers
11. Seeking a Higher Power
Conclusion
Quick Start Guide
Index
Acknowledgements
About the Author
Foreword
We believe each other.
Research from Nielsen shows that 91 percent of Americans trust recommendations from friends and family members. 1 That statistic is remarkable and makes me think, Maybe other people have a more discerning group of friends and family members than I do.
But even more shocking is that 88 percent of consumers trust anonymous reviews as much as they trust personal recommendations.
Reviews.
Not from a friend, nor a family member, but from a stranger. Some guy who just happens to also like lattes and uses the same ratings website or mobile app that you do.
We believe him. We put our faith in his latte critiques. His rating -combined with our belief in it-has a material and measurable impact on the success or failure of the business that made that latte.
If it feels sometimes as though your business is a marionette being made to dance by customers holding all the strings with their ratings and reviews, you re right.
Public customer feedback is more important than ever, and there s a lot more of it as well. In the United Kingdom, complaints about businesses in social media nearly doubled between 2014 and 2015. 2
It s hard to run a great business when you have to spend so much time monitoring and defending its reputation. You know that. I know that. And my friend and colleague Daniel Lemin, the author of this exceptional book, certainly knows that.
But the proliferation of ratings and reviews and their burgeoning ability to drive customers through your door-or away from it-are actually good news.
Most customers don t expect you, the business owner, to play this online game. They don t expect you to pay attention. They don t expect you to care about ratings and reviews-not really. In fact, research that I conducted for my book Hug Your Haters found that less than half of the consumers who complain on a reviews site expect a response. Less than half! With just a little bit of effort you can blow their minds and win their hearts.
There are smart businesspeople like you who understand how important consumer feedback can be. This book is for you. This book is for the people who want to master the nuances of the reviews landscape and use that understanding as a massive competitive differentiator.
But it isn t easy. The investigations and interviews Daniel Lemin conducted for this book opened my eyes, and they ll open yours, too. The rating-and-review ecosystem combines the best (and worst) of the Wild West, Las Vegas, and direct democracy, where every citizen has a voice.
Can you keep and create customers by getting more good reviews, and reducing bad ones? Absolutely. But to do so, you need to understand what s really going on with ratings and reviews. And as this book demonstrates, the inner workings are more complex, and at times nefarious, than we think.
What I love most about Manipu rated is that even though it shines a bright spotlight on the tricky and troubling elements of ratings and reviews, it recognizes the inevitable importance of consumer feedback.
Daniel and I have worked together for many years. He is a straight shooter and a truth teller. In these pages, he shows you exactly how to succeed in this crazy, modern world where every customer has an opinion and the opportunity to share it in an instant. But he also shows you how to not get manipurated, and that s advice and counsel needed by every business, everywhere.
-Jay Baer Digital business expert, global keynote speaker, and author of Youtility
1 www.nielsen.com/us/en/insights/news/2009/global-advertising-consumers-trust-real-friends-and-virtual-strangers-the-most.html
2 www.telegraph.co.uk/news/shopping-and-consumer-news/11398974/British-shoppers-complain-more-than-ever.html
Introduction
I feel like they ve stacked the cards against me, bemoaned Bobby Boas. Like you, Bobby is a business owner, and you will find his story (which is detailed in Chapter 1 ) hits close to home.
Bobby wasn t talking about negotiating his lease, drumming up financing, recruiting staff, or teaching himself business tax rules. He d conquered all that. What exasperated him most about running his business was the ongoing uncertainty of his online ratings and reviews.
For business owners like Bobby, the online rating-and-review playing field feels like a pinball machine where you and your business are the pinball. Whether you wish to play or not, you re unwittingly thrust into a minefield designed with hidden traps and loops, your reputation batted around by random pushes of a button, and your emotions and business prospects erratically teetering in the wake.
Managing your business reputation didn t always feel so frenetic and out of your control. Before the rise of online ratings and reviews (ah, the good old days), customer feedback-good and bad-was a mostly one-on-one affair. Customers communicated complaints or praise to you directly, giving you the chance to respond appropriately.
With the rise of online ratings and reviews, businesses now confront websites that allow virtually anyone to say anything about your business to everyone on the Internet, regardless of truth or fairness. Though the discussion is about you, you re left feeling shut out of it.
And what if the comments are unfair, damaging, or even untrue? In cases where your business is threatened or harmed by such comments, there s little the rating-and-review industry will do to help you, even though it is making billions of dollars off the backs of businesses like yours.
You ve picked up Manipu rated , so I know you relate to what I m talking about. You re probably facing your own crisis with the online rating-and-review industry-be it addressing bad reviews, figuring out how to manage your online rating-and-review profile\, or better yet, planning a strategy for turning the tables to make the platform work in your favor, not against you.
In this book, I ll show you how to achieve all of this. I have worked in the search and technology industry since 1999 and spent a considerable amount of time early in my career at Google. I ve seen businesses like Bobby s and yours be continually challenged and threatened by the fast-evolving and mercurial rules of the technology industry. Those who figure out the rules and adapt early are apt to succeed; those who adapt slowly face tougher prospects.
In Part One of this book, I teach you the key players and rules of online ratings and reviews, how this platform developed, and the inner workings of this murky industry. This understanding helps you play the long game.
In Part Two , I outline an insider s toolkit packed with effective, practical, and actionable steps that you can implement right now to gain the upper hand.
Manipu rated will show you how to transform the rating-and-review platform to your advantage by robustly inserting the needs of your business into the online conversation. No longer will you feel powerless!
Getting Back to Your Passion
As a small business owner like Bobby, you started your business to pursue a passion-whether it s cutting hair, feeding people, grooming pets, or providing a service for your community. The chances are that for most of you, that passion is probably not online rating-and-review marketing.
Helping you understand this industry is my passion. I have used the knowledge and techniques in this book to coach some of the world s largest brands. The investment you make now in learning how to skillfully navigate this industry will reward you and your business forever.
My goal is for you to experience successful results and peace of mind when dealing with online ratings and reviews. Ultimately, I hope this confidence will empower you to get back to your passion of building the business that inspires you.
Part One: