Toyota painstakingly built the heart of its brand on reliability. It’s now smashed to pieces. But pieces it still does have – so far. We’re an Online Marketing, SEO and Social Media company, so, how can Social Media help out a vaunted company like Toyota in the dilemma that they have now found themselves in?

You Better Be Good To Me

Toyota cannot have a representative at each customers home holding a hand, but Social Media can provide that “next best thing.” Social Media and other Online / Web 2.0 outlets provide Toyota a 24/7 tool set to let their customer know that they “worship the ground Toyota customers walk on.” Obviously just fixing things, saying we’re sorry and we like you then sending customers on their way isn’t going to be enough to salvage what little customer loyalty they have left. It’s going to take an almost super human effort of action, words and deeds by Toyota to preserve something of their customer base and to hopefully start to rebuild their brand.

Toyota can begin by using Social Media to keep their customers relentlessly informed with quality, timely and relevant information. Help them. Toyota customers are very, very confused now. So, I’ll repeat that - help them, hold the customer’s hand and don’t let go. A “slight” has happened, and Toyota customers are feeling very betrayed. In order for Toyota to take their best shot to keep and win some customers back, (and it’s a very tall order) they must first impart some sense of comfort – the kind of comfort that says Toyota is not taking the customer relationship for granted, that Toyota is doing everything, and then some, to make things right for you, the loyal Toyota customer. They have the resources, at least right now they do, and Toyota needs to be relentless in their usage.

Monitor the Online outlets. Through smart and vigorous Online monitoring Toyota can address, inform and respond in real-time on just about a one-to-one level globally by using Twitter, Blogs, YouTube, email, SMS and customer-centric Micro sites.

This is as big as it gets. Toyota’s fighting for its very life and there is no tomorrow, probably a bailout by us and the Japanese after both countries do a little scolding and finger-waving, but no tomorrow. They may already be doing some of these things, and maybe not. First and foremost Mr. Toyoda needs to be continuously with the customer through this crisis. Without customers a walk-up to Capitol Hill by him really doesn’t matter much.

One thing is pretty clear; a half-measure approach won’t do and it may cause more damage. We’ll know shortly how much Toyota truly values the people who butter their bread – their customers.

Google Real Time Search Results – A Game Changer

Now more than ever the field of Pittsburgh Online Marketing has become hypercompetitive. With Google putting out a new product every month, life in the Internet Marketing field gets more dynamic daily; and more fun. The scope of the upcoming 2010 changes is vast. There are many new products and changes. One change is the way Google plans to implement real time search results in its search engine algorithm.

In addition to PPC (sponsored results on the top and sides of the search results pages) and Google Maps for some keyphrase searches, Google has added real time search results. This position, appearing on page 1 for trending topics, leaves even less room for the organic results that Google users are used to seeing.

Never has social media been more important to ranking high for search terms in Google. Position is everything on a search results page and when it comes to edging out your competition for business, the highest rank usually prevails. Our advice is to implement a social media marketing strategy now if you haven’t already. If you have a social media campaign in place, now is the time to revisit it and re-evaluate your business needs and your comprehensive brand message.

When in doubt hire professionals to do a complete analysis of your needs and targets. You could be leaving valuable dollars at your competitor’s doorstep. If you have little or no idea what this means but realize its importance and would like to establish a social media campaign to benefit your company, visit our contact page for a free Blackball Online Marketing – Pittsburgh Social Media Marketing Experts consultation.

Pittsburgh Social Media Brand Reputation Management

As people, we care about how others perceive us. Our personal reputations are what we build our careers on. Businesses have a reputation to protect as well. Not only should it be protected; it should be cultivated. Social Media provides us the opportunity to develop a closeness with our customer that didn’t exist before. In these times of increased competition and shrinking profit margins, a business must always be mindful of its reputation.

Case in point is, “Only the Paranoid Survive”, a book by Andrew S. Grove (former CEO and current chairman of the board of Intel). We’ve included a link to the Preface of the book here: http://www.intel.com/pressroom/kits/bios/grove/paranoid.htm. This writing hammers home the idea of business as a defensive struggle against pitfalls all businesses face; internal and external.

A Business or Brand’s reputation starts from day one. It is born out of the vision the founders developed. This vision needs to be communicated clearly from the very start. What customers say about us online travels as fast as the data behind it. A strong Brand Reputation Management plan allows us to monitor these comments, good or bad. Swift and decisive action can then be taken. This makes all the difference in keeping or losing a customer.

Blackball Online monitors the Internet constantly for comments or articles relating to our business and our clients. This allows our customers to be notified of anything we may come across and allows for quick response. We believe that addressing problems provides golden opportunities to shine.

With a wide enough sample of comments, a business can gain valuable insight into products and services and how the public is reacting to them. Some companies spend millions to monitor these trends through focus groups and market research studies. For a smaller company, the same results can be achieved by monitoring social media. Why not take advantage of this vast data mine of feedback.

Contact Blackball Online for all your Pittsburgh Social Media Optimization needs including Brand Reputation Management at (412)377-7280.

Pittsburgh SMO -  What Is It and Why Does My Business Need It?

Pittsburgh, PA - SMO or Social Media Optimization should be part of your overall Search Engine Marketing plan. Building your business reputation for the digital audience becomes more important every day as print media becomes too slow to react to trends and take advantage of time sensitive opportunities. We have spoken in many of our posts about this and we encourage you to read from our library of small business advice.

SMO leverages your ability to use the social networks like Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter to increase your exposure and reach out to your customers in ways that were not available even ten years ago. It also offers your business publicity in subtle and more personal ways. We all spend so much time working that we become our businesses. Why not transfer that passion to online promotion with a personal touch?

Social Media Optimization is a way to reinforce your advertising by providing solid feedback to your customers. This builds and enhances the relationship and solidifies your bond. Make no mistake, business has become personal. No two businesses are alike. Distinguish yours by providing sound advice to your customers using this free avenue.

SMO can also take your customer service to a whole new level. The ability to respond quickly is what makes all digital business ventures so powerful. Promotions can be rolled out in a fraction of the time they used to take. Issues can be addressed in a timely manner that all customers appreciate. The speed of business increases every day. SMO provides the means to keep up.

Facebook, LinkedIn, and Twitter all have their special niches in the SMO plan. Twitter is very useful for quick promotion of your Blog, your website, and quick turnaround for simple customer service issues. Facebook offers a more robust advertising solution and the ability to market to closer contacts. LinkedIn is a professional profile with legs. The use of LinkedIn can benefit your promotion by providing your credentials to support your marketing strategy and give weight to your argument why your customer should pick you over your competition.

Blackball Online provides cost effective Pittsburgh SMO Consulting solutions to small business. Let us help you help your business by taking advantage of the one thing no other business has, YOU. Visit our website by clicking the link above or call us at (412)377-7280.

New Twitter Terms of Service Released

Effective: September 10th, 2009

Everybody that uses Twitter should be aware that new terms of service were released. We at Blackball Online recommend that you read these terms. They lay out the rights, basic terms of service, privacy policy and much, much more. Pay special attention to the links on the right. New API rules have been set forth. Twitter actually has a rudimentary set of rules now. Make no mistake Twitter is on the move. Arm yourself with the knowledge they provide to glean what you can about where they are heading.

Twitter has been in negotiations to sell advertisements or the service as a whole for some time now as reported all over the net. This is no secret. These new terms are far reaching as compared to the old terms and it leads us to believe that the lawyers have gotten involved.

We believe that this is the first step to pave the way for the business to be taken over. Twitter is sure to be bought soon. In our opinion the need to monetize Twitter is more than the inventors can handle. It has become a smash hit and sure to be the prize of a larger more established company. Does Google ring a bell?

Read the complete Twitter Terms of Service - http://twitter.com/tos.