Technology Start Ups in New York
See the full map of 400 technology start-ups that have raised money from investors in the last two years. Google bought their building to be over the fastest internet pipes into the city. Twitter and Facebook sit in midtown, which is filled with advertising and publishing partners. The cool kids (newest startups) hang out around Union Square and General Assembly. Or check-out Etsy on the Brooklyn waterfront.
Creating Negative-Cost Marketing
Would you rather be the ad next to an article in the New York Times or the topic of the article? Would you rather buy ad spots on TV or be the TV show? These are the questions that Tom Szaky, CEO of TerraCycle, asks business owners to consider. TerraCycle recycles traditional trash into a large variety of consumer products. They make thousands from a self-published book, average 17 articles a day in various publications, and were the focus of a short-lived National Geographic Channel series.Mr. Szaky contends that creating the content, instead of marketing next to other people's content has saved him thousands and had a much larger impact than traditional marketing. My experience a previous supports his theories. I publish an eighty-page pocket guide to using your computer, which costs us fifty cents per piece to print but is more valued by our customers than any other promotional piece we've created. It saves our employees & customers time by being a great reference for common questions while advertising our expertise to the world.In the new age of marketing, trustworthy content will bring you more customers at a lower price than traditional ads ever could.Read TerraCycle's Quest to Create 'Negative-Cost' Marketing on the New York Times website.
Why Occupy Wall Street, When You Could Start Your Own Company?
Over a few weeks, the awfully-organized anarchists (if they were really well organized, would they really be anarchists after all) have turned Zuccotti Park into a real camp that they intend to occupy through winter. Although I can't disagree with their motivations, Jason Calacanis argues that their techniques are outdated. Why protest on the street when you could do something truly disruptive by starting a company?[quote]The Airbnb kids created a billion-dollar business that has made it possible for anyone to stay on another person's couch or in their guest house. They've royally screwed big corporations -- the hotel chains -- by democratizing travel while giving individuals the ability to make extra money.Airbnb is a much more effective protest than shutting down the Brooklyn Bridge.Airbnb is radical.Sitting in a park waiting for RadioHead is not radical.Selling your company for a billion dollars and having RadioHead play your birthday party, which is also a fundraiser for education? That's radical!...Protesting in the streets is outdated in an already free society like ours. In Egypt with a clear-cut message like "Mubarak step down?" For sure, protest away. In America with a clear-cut message of... ummm.... what is the message of OWS again? OWS really needs a mission statement!It's lame to protest for more jobs when you will so easily create them by starting a company....Now get out of your tents, learn to code and make something that changes the world.You're 100% right that the system is rigged and the opportunity to be disproportionally rich has never been so easy.So go get that money that is so easy to acquire and use it to make the world a better place.Time to pack up your sleeping bag and find a co-working space and build something methinks. Or, heck, stay in the park and build a company down there--it's cheaper and I'm sure there are a couple of dozen awesome UX designers and sysadmins down there right?[/quote]Read the complete post on Launch - Be the 1%: Chamath, Airbnb, Occupy Wall Street and the Choice Millennials Should Make.
50 Things Your Customers Wish You Knew
No matter what type of business you run, this list by Sonia Simone is required reading. Keep these in mind whether you’re writing web copy or dealing with a customer service issue.A few of my favorites were:
- My life is really stressful. If you can reduce that stress, you become immensely valuable to me.
- Your employees treat me about as well as you treat them.
- Telling me what you don’t know makes me trust you.
- The wealthier I get, the more I like free stuff.
- A lot of the time, I secretly feel like a lost little kid. I don’t admit it, but I want to be taken care of.
- I don’t understand how to use your Web site, but I can’t admit that because it would make me feel dumb.
- I want to buy your product, but I need you to help me justify it to myself.
- I believe that most of what’s wrong in my life is someone else’s fault. Let me keep that cozy illusion and I’ll believe anything you say.
Best Practices for Responding to Yelp Reviews for Business Owners
Here’s the top tips you should know from Yelp’s Join the Conversation About Your Business webinar on June 22, 2011, along with my insights from managing client customer reviews.
YELP MYTHS
The Majority of Reviews are Negative83% of reviews on Yelp are positive. From my work on CitySearch and Google Reviews, overall our Yelp audience is more fair.Yelp Doesn’t Do Anything To Protect Businesses from Questionable Reviews
- Consumers can remove review themselves, if the situation was corrected by the business owner
- Reviews that violate Yelp guidelines will get removed by the customer support team.
- Reviews can’t represent a conflict of interest. If a competitor is writing a review it will be removed.
- Reviews must be a first-hand experience. Something that a friend told you about a business will be removed.
- Lewd and offensive language gets removed.
About the Review FilterAn automated filter suppresses some reviews. Typically short or intelligible reviews. You cannot manually add or delete reviews from the suppression filter. Yelp is tight lipped about how this works so that no business can abuse or benefit from it.
CONTESTING A REVIEW
There are two methods to contest a review.
- Go to yelp.com/contact and select “Questionable Content”. This may take longer but you’ll get an email response back from customer support.
- Flag the review on the business page. This will be reviewed faster but you will not get an emailed response about the resolution.
TALKING TO YOUR CUSTOMERS
There are two methods to respond to reviews posted on your business page: Private & Public. Once you are logged into your http://biz.yelp.com account and uploaded a human photo to your account you can:Private Messages
- A private message is typically the best first step when you receive a negative review.
- Thank the customer for the review.
- Recognize any positive aspects of the review.
- Apologize for the issue.
- Let the customer know how you’ve followed up on the issue to resolve their concerns.
- Welcome them back to give the business another try
Public Review Comment
- Thank them for the feedback.
- Address the issue and let them know how you’re fixing it.
- Let the world know that you always endeavor to resolve problems like that your business. “Your experience wasn’t our intention.”
- Call out anything that might have changed in your business since
RESPONSE TIPS
Don’t Freak Out
- Consumers look at the big picture. No business is made or broken in one review, they’re looking at the overall rating.
- Potential customers will see you lashing out against your customers which will do more harm than good. The Yelp community may punish you for abusing Yelp users.
- Don’t encourage a back-and-forth. Take the high road. Something like: “We’d love to work with you to resolve this situation. If that’s not possible, we respect your opinion and wish you well.”
Should You Respond to Positive Reviews?If you have time, it’s great to compliment positive reviews as well. Thank the customer for their positive review and let them know you appreciate it.
GETTING MORE REVIEWS
Don’t Ask for ReviewsYelp recommends letting reviews accumulate organically. This is why companies like Review Boost don’t deal with Yelp, I believe the automatic filter will suppress obviously solicited reviews. Tell customers you’re on Yelp without telling them to give you a 5 star review.Tell People Your Business Is On Yelp
- Post a “Find Us On Yelp” Badge on your website. Check out Yelp’s Flickr page for badges and logos.
- Place Yelp a check-in table topper or check-in card at your business (download from Yelp’s Flickr page).
- Add your Yelp page URL to your email signature.
- Yelp mails out "People Love Us On Yelp" window clings a few times a years to top reviewed businesses but they are scarce.
MORE RESOURCES
- Yelp’s Responding to Reviews Best Practices
- Yelp’s Business Owners Blog
Interview with Wendy Lea, CEO
Wendy Lea has worked as a bootstrap entrepreneur, corporate executive, and angel investor over the last 25 years. She recently joined GetSatisfaction.com as CEO. She shares her advice about when to admit that you don’t understand, raising capital, and how female leaders can authentically manage effectively.
Check out our latest interviews on the Women 2.0 website.