Navigating Reputation Management: A Guide for Entrepreneurs

Published March 15, 2024

With information easily available on the Internet and social media, it is crucial for your business to look at its current reputation. What are customers saying about you? Are they happy? Do they have criticism or feedback? All it takes is a few negative comments or reviews for other prospective customers or clients to disregard your business. By responding to reviews, comments, and messages, you can ensure your customers feel seen and supported.

What is Reputation Management?

Reputation management involves overseeing how a business is perceived by the public, including reading and responding to online reviews and comments. Having an online presence is a must in today’s day and age. With over 53% of customers turning to search engines, such as
Google, as sources of information for new products, it’s increasingly important to monitor reviews customers may be leaving for your business.

Why Should I Implement Reputation Mangement for My Business?


75% of customers state that they “always” or “regularly” read online reviews, and just 3% of consumers “never” read them. It’s clear how integral online reviews are in a customer’s research journey! With brands becoming more accessible via the Internet and social media, consumers expect these businesses to respond to their online feedback in a timely manner. Replying to reviews, comments, or direct messages will make your customers feel seen and heard. After all, they are the ones keeping you in business by purchasing your products or services!

How Do I Develop a Reputation Management Plan?

First, ask yourself what your business’s current reputation is. Be honest with yourself! Do you have a loyal, happy customer base, or are you experiencing negative feedback? Then, decide what your tone will be when responding to customers. You want to be professional whether you are responding to encouragement or criticism. Make sure you are looking at all facets of your brand’s reputation. This includes reading reviews on Google, Yelp, or other search engines, as well as comments on social media platforms like Facebook and Instagram.

Know How to React in a Crisis

While we all hope that we never find ourselves in this situation, it’s wise to have a plan in place should things go sideways. In the event that a particularly unhappy customer leaves an unpleasant review or comment, decide what tactics your business will take to mitigate the situation in a timely, professional  manner. Consider hiring an agency to help you develop this plan.

Protect Your Business

You believe in what you do. Protect your business’s reputation by taking a close look at your current perception and if there are ways to improve it. Develop a plan for how you will handle feedback, both positive and negative. If you’re feeling stuck, don’t hesitate to reach out to a professional agency to help your business shine online! Our team at Triple-Nine Digital can help.

Social Media Mastery: Tips for Small Businesses to Stand Out

Published March 1, 2024

In today’s day and age, social media is more prevalent than ever. Almost every business is on at least one social media platform, and the everyday consumer often turns to their favorite apps to find new products or services. It can feel overwhelming and hard for your business to stand out, but we’re here to share our top social media tips and best practices to help your small business flourish online.

Know Your Target Audience

When it comes to growing your social media presence, building an audience is key. The first step is to understand who your target customers are. What is their age range? What need does your product or service solve for them? Asking questions such as these will help you put your content in front of the right people. The Rule of 7 in marketing states that a potential customer must see or hear an advertisement seven times before they decide to take action and try it. Ensuring that your content reaches the right people at least seven times is key when converting customers.

Research the Right Platforms

With a plethora of social media platforms popping up constantly, it’s increasingly important to know which platforms your audience is actively using. Are they primarily on Facebook? Do they use Instagram? What about TikTok? LinkedIn? To avoid spreading yourself thin by trying to post on every single platform, focus your efforts on two, three, or possibly four different apps that your audience is most active on. Pro tip: repurpose your content to be used across multiple platforms, but make sure that it’s optimized for each one! For example, consider taking an Instagram Reel and posting it to YouTube Shorts if your audience is active on both. You could also reshare a LinkedIn post to Instagram with cohesive images. Don’t be afraid to double-dip when it comes to your content!

Keep Up with Trends, but Don’t Overdo It

Trends come and go faster than ever before. It can be overwhelming to try and keep up with each one, but don’t sweat it! Following trends on social media is a fantastic way to expand your reach and expose your content to more users, but it’s not a guaranteed way to build and sustain an audience. Social media users want to see content that provides value; this could mean sharing relevant tips, things they might not know about the industry, or answering common questions. Consider posting one or two pieces of trendy content for every nine or ten pieces of valuable, unique content. This ensures that when new users find your page from something trendy, they will also find a plethora of content that provides value and is unique to your business.

Make Sure You Have S.M.A.R.T Goals

S.M.A.R.T. goals refer to those that are Specific, Measurable, Achievable, Relevant, and Time-Bound. By adhering to these pillars, you are ensuring that your goals will be reached in a timely manner. The landscape of social media changes quickly, and new trends are popping up left and right. However, it’s important to know what your intentions are with social media. Do you want to reach new potential customers? Are you working to build an audience of loyal followers and customers? Are you trying to drive more people to your website? Putting a plan and goals in place will help you keep your focus on what is most important to your business in the future

A Website Isn’t a Business Expense – It is a Business Investment

Published July 19, 2021
a website isn't a business expense

The main purpose of a website for your business should be to turn website visitors into customers, otherwise known as conversion. We live in a digital world where people no longer pick up the Yellow Pages to search for information on a business. Instead, they go to their computer or mobile device and perform a search on a search engine, like Google, to find what they are looking for. The customer is then tracked as they search through thousands upon thousands of results on their screen, choosing the right website to visit to eagerly find what they are looking for. Hopefully it is your website. And hopefully they purchase your product or service. But if you don’t have a website, you are missing out on potential business opportunities and immediate sales. Here is why a website isn’t a business expense but instead, a business investment and why you need a web presence.

The Bare Minimum of an Online Presence

According to the eCommerce Foundation, 88% of consumers will research product information before they make a purchase online or in the store. That research is happening on the Internet. It doesn’t matter if your business is a huge company with hundreds of employees and a storefront, or if you are a small one person gig operating out of your garage. A website is necessary for all businesses and should be tailored specifically to your business and your customer’s needs. If you don’t have a website, potential customers won’t be able to find your business, products and/or service and you won’t be taken seriously. It is as simple as that in today’s world. Unfortunately you could have the best product in all the land, but if people can’t find your website online, you just don’t seem legitimate.

At the bare minimum, a business should have a website and a social media presence online. It doesn’t have to be all of the social media networks. We suggest starting with Facebook because it is still the largest and most powerful network for most businesses, and Google My Business, because it has Google power, and going from there.

Your Website Sells for You

Let your website be the backbone of your online presence. It will be online 24/7, weekends, holidays and when you are sleeping and others are awake. When you are sharing information, whether it be a social media post or an email to your potential customers/current customers, you’ll just send them to your website (the backbone). With every advertisement piece that you create, send them to your website. Drive the consumer to your website and let your website do the selling.

If your business is one that sells a physical product, then an eCommerce website would be a great fit so that you can sell 24/7. If you are a service provider, then a website that describes your services, how a potential customer can benefit from them and how someone can contact you to obtain those services, that would be perfect.

No matter what you are selling, always have a way for customers to contact you and for them to provide you with their information. Just because they visit your website but don’t make a purchase today doesn’t mean they won’t return tomorrow after you send an email and buy something else!

A Website is a Great Marketing Tool

We’ve already mentioned that with a website, you can sell your products and services around-the-clock. You don’t have to be actively engaging with leads on a constant basis because they are able to get the information they need from your website. But your website itself can accomplish many marketing strategies to help your business grow even more. With a website, you can accomplish other low cost marketing possibilities like search engine optimization, search engine marketing and email marketing, just to name a few big ones. Your website is the perfect place to guide your email subscribers to when you want them to learn more about a product or even make a purchase.

Additionally, by researching something on the Internet before making a purchase, your potential clients are going to see reviews and ratings. Your website can serve as a platform to share the good reviews and fix the bad ones.

Get Help from the Website Experts

There are many websites that allow you to use their platforms to build a website, but most business owners will tell you that those were fine in the beginning. They will also likely tell you that after working with professionals, they now have a website built to their own business goals and it is much better! Go straight to the experts for website design help. From the ground up or somewhere in the middle, Triple-Nine Digital can help you out when it comes to ensuring your website is optimized for your business goals.

The Cookie Conundrum

Published July 6, 2021
The Cookie Conundrum

There’s no question that more needs to be done to protect privacy across the web but what’s the best way to do that without significantly crippling the ad industry? Everyone has an opinion on the matter and Google has decided they need more time to find the right solution for the Privacy Sandbox initiative.

What is the Privacy Sandbox Initiative?

According to Google, “The Privacy Sandbox initiative aims to create web technologies that both protect people’s privacy online and give companies and developers the tools to build thriving digital businesses to keep the web open and accessible to everyone, now, and for the future.”

Privacy online is a big deal for everyone. From the everyday users just browsing the internet to the biggest corporations, privacy is a much discussed topic. It is hopeful that the Privacy Sandbox will provide the best privacy protections for everyone.

In Google’s latest announcement (June 2021) they stated they will be postponing their plan to phase out support for Third-party cookies until mid-2023. They need to slow things down a bit and allow for more conversation on this particular subject.

What This Means for Marketing Agencies and Advertisers

Work still needs to continue toward alternatives for sure. For the time being, we continue business as usual with a bit more effort to build first-party data. There’s also the ability to target on a broader spectrum through interests and general groups. So, let’s not panic just yet but keep a watchful eye out for more forward progress from the major players.

Google My Business – What Is It and How Does It Work?

Published June 6, 2021
google my business what is it and how does it work

Launched in 2014, Google My Business became a business’s best friend for online searching. Google My Business is an online business directory that lets you manage how your business appears on Google Search and Maps. If you skip out on using Google My Business, you potentially will miss out on customers and sales. Why? Well let’s dive a little deeper into what is Google My Business and how it works.

What is Google My Business?

In simple terms, it is a business profile within Google. But it is not just your Business Profile, rather a tool by which you enhance your Business Profile to boost its visibility and effectiveness. Business Profiles appear in Google Maps and in the local results of Google search. A listing on Google My Business can be an amazing marketing tool for search engine optimization (SEO). Obviously Google has some power on their search engine, but now it has allowed businesses to have their search space as well.

All that Google requires within the business profile is the business name, location, and category. Once it is confirmed that the business is not a duplicate, Google will create the business profile for that location. You can have multiple location profiles per business if you have separate addresses. For example, a doctor has two offices. The doctor can have two business profiles for the business with two separate locations.

Is Google My Business Free?

YES! And it isn’t a scam. Google doesn’t charge to create a Google My Business profile. Plus, Google My Business does not operate on a pay by service level, like free, super, premium, etc., business model. This means that your business has the same level of access as your competitors. However, this could all change and it could become a paid service and eventually upsell the account levels. But for now, June of 2021, it is free.

Why Should I Use It for My Business?

Google always favors Google My Business profiles with extra information and user engagement, especially recent engagement. If your profile is up to date with a business image, hours, location, and services/products, Google will know that it is relevant information and will know to show it to someone searching for something similar.

Additionally, your business profile is open to people to leave reviews, add their personal pictures, ask questions and even answer others questions. Google might also populate your profile for you from information that it finds online. Of course that can always be edited to make it fit to your business standards. You know your business best!

How Do I Set Up A Google My Business Profile?

Yay! Glad you’ve made it to this point of wanting to set up a Google business profile. It is the right thing for your business.

To get a Google My Business account, go to google.com/business and click “Manage now,” which will take you through the steps of creating an account. Enter all of your information. Google will then need to verify the business location is actually yours. You’ll be sent a postcard by mail that will have a code on it to confirm it is yours.

In the meantime, optimize and nurture your profile. Add your business hours, ask your best customers to add in some pictures and reviews, add your own pictures and make sure the other business information like location and contact information are correct.

Now What Do I Do with My Google My Business Profile?

Post to your Google My Business listing at least once a week. Think of it as an additional social media post. Make the Google My Business post something specific to your business and link to your website. Hashtags won’t matter for this post. If you have an image that you took, post that instead of one that you create and is just a general image. When you use a picture that you took at the business, it has location tags within the file that Google will recognize. We don’t have to get deep into how that works. Just think of it as picture magic!

Being active on your listing is always a good idea. Manage reviews, good and bad, add events that are happening for your business, add a new picture of a product or someone doing your service, or add in an offer that you want to share with your potential and current customers. If Google releases updated information grabs, a new item where it already shows the things mentioned previously, this should be posted about. At the time of this blog (June 2021) there is a Covid-19 update area where businesses can post Covid updates, like if they are closed or the rules have changed. There is a good chance that this particular information will be ranked better than others. Update your profile to match whatever Google is suggesting.

Good luck with your Google My Business profile! If you have any questions or would like help setting up or managing your profile, contact us.

A Blog on Why Video Marketing is Important. Isn’t that Ironic?

Published May 6, 2021
why video marketing is important

Here we go. A blog about video marketing. It is so ironic, yet, we are still writing about it. Thinkabout the last time that you were on Facebook, Instagram or Twitter. How many videos did you see in your feeds? How many did you watch? Did you share any of them or tag someone in it?

As our Triple-Nine Digital team scrolls through their own social media feeds right now, there are a ton of videos that pop up. Some are just for entertainment purposes, some are just friends, kids and animals, but others are for business purposes. The common theme? We are watching them! Video content marketing is at an all time high because people being online is at an all time high. But why should a business use video marketing?

According to Makenzie Walker of topfloortech.com…

1. 97% of marketers claim that videos help their customers better understand products.
2. 81% of businesses are now using video as a part of their digital marketing strategy.3. Live videos account for 13% of total traffic.
4. 90% of consumers claim a video will help them when making a purchasing decision.

Video Sells

How many people still watch commercials on television? Where are people watching  “commercials”? From the early ages of commercials on television, to the late night infomercials, to the daytime talk shows, video has always been used to sell in many ways. Except in today’s world, commercials are fast forwarded through and popular streaming services offer options to purchase packages that don’t even have commercials. So where is video supposed to sell now? Online…on your computer and especially on your mobile device. Video is viewed more on mobile devices (phones) than television now than ever before. According to JWPlayer, more than 75% of worldwide video viewing is mobile. As a business, you have the ability to market your product or service directly to your customers on their social media, in their search engines, and directly on your website in front of their very eyes. You don’t have to make “commercials” in the dictionary term of it, but instead you can make videos that interest and interact with your potential customers. Get those shares! Get those likes! It all matters.

Is Video Marketing More Important Than Other Forms of Marketing?

Video isn’t necessarily more important than other forms of marketing, but it sure helps that video can be used in a variety of ways. Video comes in many different forms like webinars, live streams, courses online, and of course published on YouTube or other social media platforms. It can also stop you in your tracks, well scroll, if you see something moving and interesting. The longer someone watches a video, the longer they are on your website or social page. This means the viewer is now engaging more with your business/product. Did you know that when this happens, whatever social media platform they are on gets notified of the amount of time the potential customer viewed your video and the platform keeps pushing more of your business posts to them? This is because the social platform knows the person viewing the video for a longer period of time is interested in whatever you are showing. Now your other marketing content, i.e. blogs, articles, images and other social posts, will be shown on their social feeds more than before, allowing your product to be front and center, just waiting to be bought.

Video Versus Written Text

While articles, blogs and other written text serve a wonderful purpose, videos allow the viewer to comprehend the message much faster, especially if your product is in action. Customers will only buy your product/service when they understand what it does and how it will help them. Sometimes that product or service needs to be shown in action! But with action comes text. The written text is still important for search engines. According to Moovly, a brand is 53 times more likely to show up first on Google if you have a video embedded on your website. And with video comes the video title and the description, which you may also use on your social media post – all written text. So video and written text go hand-in-hand! Additionally, it may take many different forms of marketing to make the final sale. So a video, followed up with a blog, followed up with an image, followed up with a different video may all come together to entice the final sale.

Video is Personal

There are a lot of great writers in this world who have the ability to speak directly to the reader. But video allows the viewers to have a deeper glimpse inside your business world. Whether it is a video about the owner’s story, or a hands-on video about the product, viewers will get a front row ticket to whatever you are talking about, potentially from a familiar voice of the company. Video makes the product/service and business even more real than it was before. Additionally, pulling at the heartstrings or a feel good video hits home for a lot of people. Making your business or product relate back to your potential customer’s needs can help make the sale. Sometimes a relationship starts with a video. Say a potential customer saw your video about why you sell a certain product. They then came into your store and found you, the person in the video, and said that they really resonated with the reasoning for your business to sell this product. Now they are interested in the product and you can grow that personal relationship with them. What a win! And all because of a video.

Don’t Miss Out

Videos aren’t the one stop magical solution to a marketing plan. It is necessary to be realistic about your goals when it comes to planning, producing and sharing out video content. Always be thinking about who should view your videos (and at what point in the buying process they are in – i.e. they don’t know anything about you, they are aware of your brand, or they are already a customer), where you can find those people and how should you speak to them. Do they like funny videos or do they like more serious, informational videos? Do they want to see the owner or another familiar face like a mascot, or does the voice not matter at all? If you aren’t creating video, you are at risk of missing out on one of the most popular ways that people consume content. Video does not have to be boring or long. You can have fun images and graphics incorporated, a spunky voice or a voice of an angel, engaging music (but always be careful of copyright!), or whatever you can think of. The possibilities are endless.

Need help on where to start with planning a video? Triple-Nine Digital is here to help! Contact us to discuss your ideas and how we can best serve you.

Google Changes (Again) – Modified Broad Match is Out the Door

Published April 21, 2021
Triple-Nine - Blog Header - Google Update - Modified Broad Match is Out the Door

In February, Google announced yet another change to the structure of its keyword match types. Modified broad match is going away. This is the 5th time Google has made updates to the keyword match types. Some are saying these changes are positives and others are looking at them in an unfortunate negative light. What does it mean for you, your business or your clients?

What are Match Types?

There are (well were) 4 kinds of match types within Google Ads. These deal with how your keywords can trigger an ad to show:

1.Broad Match
2.Modified Broad Match
3.Phrase Match
4.Exact Match

For the purpose of this blog, just know that each type has their own stipulations as to which words are focused on within a search query. You may not have even differentiated much with your keywords especially since users said that modified broad match and phrase match were often interchangeable and served the same purpose. Not that it matters now, but within modified broad match keywords, you would choose specific keywords that are required for your ad to show, through the use of a plus sign. The ads would only show for queries that contain all of the words you used with a plus sign in your keyword or phrase. Order did not matter.

Why This Matters

The big takeaway right now is that order will matter for how you place your keywords. Google will treat keywords as a phrase match type, but will expand it to cover the modifier traffic. In Google’s example below, the updated phrase match will not show ads for search queries in the opposite direction.

+moving +services +NYC +to +Boston may show up for the search query “moving services NYC to Boston.” Previously, the ad may also display when someone searches “moving services Boston to NYC,” which won’t help the advertiser because the searcher is moving in the opposite direction.

This change could save you time in the long run as it eliminates a step in building out an ad. It is time-consuming to put together all of the different keyword requirements per ad. But it could also cause an issue in that your keywords may not mean the same thing as what you want searched. An example provided by Allison Day, WordStream’s Lead Acquisition Specialist, is that “get more Google ads” does not mean the same thing as “get more conversions on Google ads.” Additionally, due to the change, your traffic could fluctuate. This is to be expected. Just keep that in mind and make adjustments to your new ads moving forward. We are all dealing with the same change so more information will surely come out about new strategies.

What Do I Have To Do?

Nothing right now if you are comfortable with that. In July, after this change has rolled out worldwide, advertisers won’t be able to create new modified broad match keywords. The current ones that are used will basically be grandfathered into the new behaviors. But really, keep alert to how this change does affect your ads and keyword searches in the coming months. Continue to use those negative keywords to block out bad traffic. You can also take the time now to revisit your account structure and potentially move around your ad spend budgets to make sure you aren’t focusing on modified broad searches.

Does this change make a difference for you, your business or your clients? If you aren’t sure or have questions on how to make sure your keywords are spot on, you can always ask us as we try to stay on top of all changes that affect our clients best interests.

Another Social Media Platform – What is Clubhouse?

Published March 19, 2021


We know what you are thinking. Another social media platform! Are you saying that with excitement or negativity? Anotherrrrr – yay! Anotherrrrrr- ugh! Clubhouse is different from the other social media platforms that are out there currently. Our team believes that right now, it is extraordinarily rich in content (audio) from industry experts, leaders, business owners, and professionals. It seems big name artists, celebrities and athletes are also on the platform, but we are not sure if names are currently verified (think of that blue checkmark!) It has the feel of an educational tool and a place to learn from others without Googling or picking up a book. Almost like a round table discussion, but virtually. So what is Clubhouse?

Clubhouse Overview

Clubhouse is a live audio app (right now only available for iPhone or iPad users – March 2021). It’s like a never-ending conference that you don’t have to pay to attend and you can listen from anywhere, including the comfort of your own home! The app has a podcast feel to it, except you can chime in and potentially speak during the discussion (if the moderator allows).

Here’s the kicker – or the bonus: Nothing is recording. There’s no chat feature, no videos, no way to upload files, just plain old audio. There is a real sense of FOMO (Fear Of Missing Out) if you don’t join a room when a speaker is on (AKA – when a conference is happening).

TIP: Recording and transcribing conversations in Clubhouse rooms without every participant’s permission is strictly against the platform’s Terms of Use. The work around is that you can start a room (conference) for the purpose of obtaining information or content by adding your intentions to the room’s public title and description. Then you can use a room to ask questions, interview other members, or gain insight for whatever you need and can then use that information however you wish. We do recommend giving credit where and when credit is due.

Clubhouse Rooms

Clubhouse rooms are where all of the magic happens on the app. The content (the audio) is within the rooms. This is where you host a discussion, listen to people speak, see who else is in the room and chime in when allowed. You literally can listen to people live from all over the world. This is your chance to actually talk to your favorite author, the company CEO, or the marketing director from a Fortune 500 company. Just some examples.

You can add your friends into the rooms you are currently in if you think the discussion is something they would be interested in too. When you search for your friends, the people that have your phone number in their phones are the friends on the app that are going to show up first (creepy or not?).

Creating your own room starts your own conference. You are the host! Open rooms are for anyone, social rooms are only for people within your network, and closed rooms are only for people you follow (but you can change the setting when you start the room).

TIP – The name of a room can’t be edited after it has started. Choose the name wisely!

You can ask people to come up to the stage from the audience so you can work with others to add more content to the room. So really you could plan to start a room and have your business partners join in and speak! When users raise their hands, that means they would like to speak. There is a mute and unmute feature as well.

Clubhouse Clubs

This made our team think back to high school when there were after school clubs that you could be a part of. Clubhouse Clubs are groups that you can join and follow create a better experience and are tailored to your specific interests. Sports clubs, acting clubs, food clubs, the list goes on. Search for whatever you are interested in to see what comes up! The possibilities are already endless.

TIP: Creating a Club is simple, but you may have to wait for it to launch. Clubhouse has been taking special care to review Clubs before they launch.
Clubs have three types of users within them: founder/administrator, member and follower. In order to create a Club (in which you will be considered the founder), you must have already hosted a room at least three times. So don’t expect to be able to create a Club right off the bat when you join. It seems Clubhouse is really looking for users who are going to be engaging with the app and using it to its fullest potential.

You can start taking part in a Club once you’re a Club founder or member. You can create public or private rooms within your Club similar to how you can start a global room on Clubhouse. The difference between Clubs and general rooms is that Clubs will make it easier to find similar themed discussions. It is a place where people with similar interests will go to search for content. If you are a part of the Food Club (just an off the wall example), you may find a room within the Club that is specifically talking about types of cheese. Yum!

How Can Clubhouse Benefit You?

The Triple Nine Digital team sees Clubhouse having a myriad of benefits depending on what you are looking for. If you are looking to gain a following because you have information you want to share, then you have the opportunity to be a host of your own “show” and garner that following. If you are researching something, wanting to learn more about a topic, or just have a general interest in a subject matter, you can listen to people speak about it in Clubhouse. And if you have questions during the conversation, you might have the opportunity to ask it right then and there. No emailing and hoping for a reply. Instant gratification!

It is also a big player in the networking realm. You have the ability to create connections within the app by following others. You can click on anyone’s bio in the rooms so make sure your own bio is rich in content. Share your resume, accomplishments, interests, and what opportunities you are looking for. Don’t be shy. This is where you have the chance to brag and shine! Keywords within your bio will help connect you with other like-minded users. An example keyword you could use is “business owner” and Clubhouse will show you other users with business owner in their bio. Follow only people that you are genuinely interested in because Clubhouse uses an algorithm that displays content (rooms) to you depending on who you follow.

TIP: The first three lines are the most important words in your Clubhouse bio. Make that text count because it is what people will see first. Additionally, make sure your photo is clear. The only clickable links on your profile are your Twitter and Instagram profile links but you can post other links in the bio.

The focus of Clubhouse feels like more of a professional conversation platform rather than a production platform. There is a LinkedIn vibe when using it. And sure, you can plan out what you are going to say, but it is still just audio. But it does make us think back to War of the Worlds type of content. Even though it is just audio, that doesn’t mean someone can’t play their guitar or have the waves from the ocean crashing in the background.

Clubhouse is giving you the ability to make connections with people all over the world, for free! If you are an industry expert, people will look to you for information, thus potentially reaching out for your services/products, etc. in the future. If you are looking for a job, you can connect with the big wigs of whatever business you are interested in and get your name out there. Remember to always be professional and courteous.

How Can I Get Invited?

Right now (March 2021), Clubhouse is an invite only platform. If you have invitations to give out, I’ve read that you will get more invitations when you share them and are more active on the platform. So don’t be afraid to invite people. Don’t worry if you can’t find an invitation. Download the app and set up your account. Someone who knows you might be notified in-app automatically and grant you access.

TIP: Triple Nine Digital has invitations available to give to potential users. Please contact our team if you would like to try out this new platform and need an invite. Remember, this is currently only an iPhone app (as of this blog March 2021).

Is Clubhouse Here to Stay?

The chatter about Clubhouse being a big social media player is out there. It is already exploding and has only been around for a short period of time. It is also unique in that it is audio only. But the question still hangs in the air about what will happen once the app leaves private beta (invite only) and becomes public. Will marketers bombard the app pushing their clients on you constantly? Will eCommerce brands run their pitches in a room? Will the professional value and networking possibilities fade as more people get onto the app? Will it be heavily moderated? And of course, freedom of speech comes to mind with any social platform. Will you be free to say what you want and not see backlash? And who’s to say that what people are saying on the app is 100% true and fact. The conversation possibilities seem pretty open and endless at this point.

Even if you are not sure about using it, it may be a good idea to download the app (if you can) and see if you can get an invite to reserve your name/username. We are still learning about this platform and of course will share new tips as we come across them on our Facebook and Instagram.

#SocialMediaMarketing #Clubouse #ClubhouseApp #InviteOnly #SocialNetwork #AudioOnly

Does Your Business Have a Solid Foundation?

Published March 18, 2020
Up view in financial district

With a solid digital foundation, the sky is the limit!

Without a good business foundation online, that perfect marketing strategy you’ve created will most likely result in free advertising for your competitors. What do we mean? To answer that, let’s briefly review the consumer buying process.

When we as consumers have a need or want, we do research. Most of that research is performed online. For example, after watching a commercial or seeing an ad, we head online, perform a keyword search or perhaps visit a few websites. We read online reviews, consult friends or family, or visit groups on social media and ask questions. Once we’ve gathered enough information, we make a purchase with a reputable company – either online or at a brick and mortar store.

As one of the businesses competing in this search, you want to make sure you’re showing up as much as
possible and providing a great user experience when consumers find you. A solid marketing plan is important. However, if potential customers can’t find you online when they’re searching for your products and/or services, chances are they’re finding your competitors.

Elements of the foundation

A strong business foundation has three elements to it. These elements include business listings, a responsive and secure website, and at least one social media business profile.

Business Listings

Business listings are public profiles that you set up within online search directories. They contain vital
information about your business such as name, address, phone number, website, hours of operation, and
more. They are a way for potential customers to find you online. 80% of customers use business directory
listings to research a product or company before visiting or buying. It’s critical that your listings be accurate and available.

By creating and claiming your listings online, you’ll be able to manage reviews, both good and bad, and show your customers that you value their feedback and customer service is important to your business. It also establishes credibility and opens the door to your online presence.

A responsive and secure website

A website is your number one marketing asset. In fact, 30% of consumers won’t even consider a business
without a website (Buzzboard.) That doesn’t sound like much but would you turn away 30% of your customers before they even have a chance to see what you offer?

A website doesn’t have to be a work of art but it does need to be informative and responsive. At a minimum, it should provide basic information to your potential customers. For instance, it should include:

Safe, and secure access
Most customers prefer mobile over desktop. Your website should be mobile friendly and responsive on devices your customers are using. Work with your website manager to apply SSL Certificate to your site. When applied, SSL Certificate encrypts user information and ensures their safety while browsing your site.

An informative homepage
Make sure your customers can learn what they need to about you and your business. With an informative
homepage, you can explain what your business is about and the products and services you provide. This
establishes a human connection and a sense of trust with your audience.

Accurate contact information
Lastly, your website should have clear and accurate contact information so customers can reach out with
questions or feedback. Be sure to also have links to all social platforms your business manages for an added layer of communication.

Social Media

You’ve got your business listings and your responsive website. Now let’s talk about social media.

A good social media presence allows your customers to connect and interact with your business on a more personal level. This goes beyond just posting updates. A solid social media plan also includes engaging with your audience and looking for ways to increase your reach and visibility. You don’t have to be on every social platform but be sure to manage those you are on well.

How do you do this? A good rule of thumb is to post a couple of times a week or at a minimum of 2-3 times per month. The content you post should be relevant and engaging for your audience and should generate conversation naturally. Don’t be afraid to look at social groups or businesses like yours to see how they’re posting.

It’s also important to encourage audience growth by inviting customers to like and follow your business page. Extend your reach to as many people as possible by boosting your posts and adding paid advertising to drive additional growth and brand awareness.

We’re here to help!

The team at Triple-Nine Digital is here to help you find your starting point and make sure your brand foundation is solid in support of your advertising efforts.

Our team will help you evaluate your online brand, what is going well, where you may need some help, and how other businesses like yours compare. From there, we’ll help you create a strategy for success and prioritize it to match your budget. We are with you every step of the way. Through fully transparent
communication and reporting, we show you exactly where your marketing dollars are going, the results your efforts are producing, and plan for continued growth. When you succeed, we succeed! Let us help you get started today!

Marketing Through Covid-19

Published
Triple-Nine - Blog -COVID-19 Communication Guide

Marketing Through Covid-19

During this challenging and uncertain time, we are here for you. We completely understand how this pandemic changes business operations by the hour and has very complex effects on your business.
In order to support you and your business effectively, we have compiled the following list of COVID-19 resources and welcome a call with you in order to provide individual business consultation to determine the next steps for your marketing plan. Since this may be a chaotic time, both personally and professionally, this offer for a consult is open for as long as our communities are affected and can be scheduled at your convenience.

If you need assistance with any communications with your clients or customers, please don’t hesitate to reach out. Whether it is changing ads, writing social posts together, or adjusting budgets on campaigns, we are here to help you.

To that end, please see these basic COVID-19 tips for social media:
Monitor your social media carefully. Make sure you are using reputable sources to share information.
Information is constantly being updated, so date your posts and information that you share to ensure that your posts will not look incorrect if something changes.
Stay calm and focused during this time. Clients and customers may mirror what you’re giving them.
If there is an event you need to cancel, consider hosting a webinar instead.
Communicate any changes to your business hours, operations, or services.
Review and adjust your social media strategy as needed. This could be something that needs to be reviewed daily even as things are constantly changing.
Check-in periodically so that your customers and clients still see your posts and they keep you front of mind. Especially if you are open and changing the services you are providing.
Be prepared for questions and concerns that your customers may ask. Consider drafting a list of frequently asked questions (FAQs) that your customers or clients may be concerned about.
Find local resources to follow for updates in your area, while also keeping tabs on national news as well.

Please check your local resources for up-to-date information and guidance. Here are a few that may be useful for your business:

Business Resources:
GOOGLE – Business Support
FACEBOOK – Business Support

Local News Resources:
The Spokesman-Review
KHQ
Fox 28
KREM

Government & Health Resources:

CDC Website & Socials:
CDC Website
CDC Facebook
CDC Instagram

World Health Organization:
WHO Website
Facebook
Instagram

USA Government:
https://www.govtrack.us/
https://www.house.gov/
http://www.senate.gov/states/statesmap.htm

Local Resources:

Washington State Department of Health – Coronavirus
Idaho Department of Health – Coronavirus
Montana Department of Health and Human Services – Coronavirus

As always, we are honored to be a part of your business family and sympathize in your anxiety and concern over the unknown effects this will have on your business, both short and long term. Please let us know if you have any questions or if there is anything we can do to help take the burden off you and your business.

Please stay safe and healthy and know that we are here to support you, now and in the future.

Sincerely,
Wendy May and all of us here at Triple-Nine Digital