According to an article on SmallBizTrends.com this week, “Small business owners’ expectations for better business conditions over the next six months fell by seven points to a net negative 61%. So far expectations for better conditions have worsened every month this year.” That’s not great news. With rising costs, many businesses are struggling. 
 
When it comes to dealing with these pressures, you have two options to improve revenue: new growth or new marketing efforts. New growth means pursuing new avenues or audiences and expanding. This can be unnerving. New marketing efforts means simply being more deliberate in who you’re trying to reach and how you’ll get there.
 
Whether you choose expansion of audience or marketing, you need reviews and you need them everywhere. Here are a few ways you can motivate your audience to help.
 

 
Get More Business Reviews with These Ideas

1. Put a link on your website and ask for the review.
2. Use a QR code in your physical business that leads straight to a review site. You can change the sites out periodically so that you get reviews on Facebook, Google, Yelp, etc.
3. Send a thank you email or postcard to people after they buy and add a request for a review.
4. When someone pays you a compliment, thank them, and ask them if they could write a review. If they decline, ask if they would mind if you used their words in a testimonial.
5. Search on social media. People may be talking about you without you realizing. For instance, there may be a local Facebook group where your business is mentioned often. Finding out what these groups are and then listening to what others are saying can give you a lot of great quotes. But don’t grab them and stick them on your site. Reach out to the writer and ask if you can use them or if they’d be willing to copy and paste what they said on a specific review site.
6. Add a star rating to your website that allows visitors to give you a quick rating.
7. Post reviews openly on your site with a link for people to add their own. Show extreme appreciation for your reviews. If they’re visible and openly appreciated, it may influence visitors to leave their own.
8. Thank people for reviewing you, if possible. Let them know you saw it and you appreciate them.
9. Reach out to those who left you negative reviews to see what you can do to turn it around. They cared enough to mention the dissatisfaction so see what can be done to turn their negative into a positive.
10. Provide a discount coupon (or special bonus) to anyone who leaves a review. Don’t tell them ahead of time. Make it a nice surprise. This one won’t necessarily lead to more reviews but will likely increase sales.

 
Finally, when you get these wonderful reviews, don’t forget to use parts of them on your site as testimonials or make quotes out of them and use them in your marketing collateral and ads.

2018 was a monumental year for the Clayton Chamber of Commerce. CCOC’s mission driven words—advocate, collaborate, and innovate—were at the forefront of all our 2018 accomplishments. We are so proud to publish our first annual report. If you want to see what our mission (to champion business, economic development, and education in Clayton, NC) looks like in action, view the report  (click the button) below.
Note: If you are viewing from your phone, turn it to horizontal view and view inside your browser.

More than 120 participants gathered at the Clayton Center today to hear experts discuss a federal program that could bring new jobs, companies and investment into designated properties in Johnston County. Known as Opportunity Zones, the national initiative offers deferments and exceptions on capital gains taxes derived from investments made in low-wealth communities. The Town of Clayton and the Clayton Chamber of Commerce (CCOC) joined the Johnston County Office of Economic Development in organizing and hosting the program, which was sponsored by KS Bank.

"The Clayton Chamber of Commerce champions economic development and we are very proud to produce collaborative and educational initiatives like this for our business community. Below you will the summit press release, program, and presentation from the event. We appreciate your dedication to the Johnston County community." ~Dana Wooten, CCOC President/CEO

The Clayton Chamber of Commerce (CCOC) Economic Development Committee's vision and action plan rollout with the Town of Clayton at our quarterly Eggs & Issues event was packed with people and important information and initiatives.

Working collaboratively with the Town of Clayton on its place branding expansion efforts (including a call for district sub-branding) and supporting the Johnston Community College goal of establishing a Clayton Campus (to foster a pipeline of talent across all sectors for the emerging workforce needs in the area) were just a few highlights from the action plan shared during the event.

Town of Clayton Economic and Community Development Director Dave DeYoung also provided the following eye-opening stats during the event:

• With 32.1% growth (2010-2017), Clayton is in top 10 fastest growing municipalities (for populations greater than 10k and less than 100k) in North Carolina.
• Currently at 21,405 (US Census, 2017), Clayton is forecasting its population to exceed 44,328 (the current exponential growth calculation) by 2040.

Learn more and read CCOC's Economic Development Committee's entire vision and action plan inside our Impact Agenda here.

The CCOC Economic Development Committee includes: Jim Perricone; Ruth Anderson; Dana Wooten, Bobby Bunn; Dave DeYoung; Kaitlin Russo; Kyle McDermott; Tara Abernathy; Edwin Jackson; Greg Kennedy; Charlie Bell; and Beth Watson.

Note: This collaborative presentation included some very exciting goals and action items that made everyone “Think Clayton.” And that included the local news.

Here is a news clip that aired the same evening (we spy a few CCOC investors and our board chair) > https://www.wral.com/business/video/17660261/