Week XII Pt I: Online Business Tools

It's no question that there's an overwhelming wealth of tools at the disposal of digital business owners. The question is, which ones should be used? For Mama Sai's Cookies, only one factor is important: does the platform provide social growth? Here's a few examples of some tools that do:

LinkedIn

This social platform boasts a massive base of users looking to connect, share, and grow in the professional space. By connecting people to others in similar positions or fields, LinkedIn makes an already small corporate world even more accessible. Promotion is not uncommon on LinkedIn, and the opportunity to be recommended by others in the industry is abundant. However, when it comes to recommendations, the next platform has a real stronghold on all markets. Nonetheless, LinkedIn offers Mama Sai's Cookies a way to boast its professional staff and open discussion with other industry giants. 

Yelp

As far as getting feedback directly from consumers, Yelp is the go-to platform. While Yelp itself does a great job of moderating the ratings and posts visitors leave, unfortunately the feedback can often be incredibly polarized. This can leave any business vulnerable to customers who take their bad experience to the next level by berating the company online. By the same token, this encourages organizations to focus on customer satisfaction. Snowballing each good review off the last can create unstoppable positive momentum for local shops and online sites alike. So, as with anything of great power, as long as a Yelp account is responsibly managed, it can yield impressive dividends in the form of recommendations. Meanwhile, the next platform serves a similar purpose with a far less volatile tendency.

Google Maps & Google MyBusiness

For businesses with a physical location, Google Maps is an absolute must-have. Being present on the highest volume search engine is not to be overlooked as unnecessary. Imagine not showing up on a potential customer's first search for the company's name... talk about difficult customer experience. Google profiles also allow for beautifully designed embeds in most websites. In addition to that, customers can leave reviews on a similar star rating system as Yelp on Google MyBusiness, and often do so in a short-form, quick explanation style, rather than Yelp's tendency for longer copy. 

All in all, these tools are each equally important to the growth of Mama Sai's Cookies. By offering social features for consumer and corporate social spheres alike, these platforms are unique among social media platforms. They should be integrated by offering the same personality as Mama Sai's website or blog posts, all the while maintaining a professional and conversion-oriented outlook.