When I was young, I used to dream of someday winning an Oscar. I used to practice my acceptance speech, even making myself cry to show more shock and gratitude. I wanted my speech to be profound and the kind of speech that people would talk about for years. This would be followed by a record breaking standing ovation from all of my peers. An old proverb says, “ The more things change, the more they stay the same”. While my Oscar days are far behind me, I still enjoy praises. These days instead of applause for a role I played, I do enjoy seeing the success my clients have received by something I may have had a hand in.
But what does this have to do with advertising? Everyone likes to have positive things said about them. So does your business. Positive reviews and referrals can be the lifeline of a successful campaign. You always want to find that your customer had a positive experience with your company. One of the easiest ways to get reviews and referrals is just to ask. People like to share positive experiences they have had. But how important is this really to your business? Here are three examples from Studio98 that show the importance:
Utilizing Social Media is another way to not only boost your relevance with Google (which helps move you up to the top of searches). Back in the day of MySpace, social media was mostly just a way to post awesome music with your pictures and make fun collages to share with your friends. Now we have Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest and more popping up all of the time. All of these are valuable tools to help boost your company’s presence in the eyes of Google. While they are still used for social, as the name implies, they can also be used in strategic ways for your company.
It used to be enough to get people to “Like” a post on your social media site. Now it is much more important to get people to engage on one of your posts. If you have performed a service to a client, post pictures (with their permission, of course!) of a job you have completed for them. Tag them and ask them to “share” on their social media pages. This is the same as a referral. Do you remember the old Fabergé Organic commercials where, “I told two friends, and they told two friends, and so on and so on...”? Social media can work in the same way. Friends look to friends for recommendations and referrals. You can also have clients post reviews on your social media sites. Again, the more activity Google sees, the more relevant you become with helps with your placement with Google search.
But just like I never won the Best Actress Award, your business may not always receive the positive reviews you would like. Then what do you do? You can’t just be happy to be nominated! Getting a bad review from someone doesn’t mean that your service or product is bad. Most likely, the customer had mismatched expectations of what they were expecting. But you can use bad reviews to your advantage.
We all want to be the best. We all want to be number one. But since this started with my dream of an Oscar, let’s look at some nominated greats who weren’t always number one.
Glenn Close-7 nominations, 0 wins
Richard Burton-7 nominations, 0 wins
Kate Winslet-7 nominations, 1 win
Dustin Hoffman- 7 nominations, 2 wins
Al Pacino-9 nominations, 1 win
Paul Newman, 10 nominations, 1 win (1 honorary win)
Jack Nicholson-12 nominations, 3 wins
And then there is Meryl Streep 21 nominations, 3 wins.
As the winners at last night’s 92nd Academy Awards show gave their speeches, I’m sure there were a lot of disappointed people in the audience. The speeches from the winners were all heart felt and probably well-rehearsed just in case they won. Some thanked cast and crew, the director, parents and spouses. One of the best lines in his acceptance speech for Best Supporting Actor was from Brad Pitt to his co-star and nominated for Best Actor (but did not win) Leonardo DiCaprio,” Leo, I’d ride on your coattails any day. The view is fantastic”. For the record, Brad Pitt has had 7 nominations and 2 wins. Leonardo DiCaprio has had 6 nominations and 1 win. I’d say they are pretty evenly matched.
As I watched the awards last night, I wasn’t wearing an amazing gown, designed especially for me by a notable designer. I was wearing my sweats, comfortable and snuggled up in my favorite chair. While I have not practiced an acceptance speech in years, I have to admit that I do think about what exactly I would say, who I would thank and what amazing thought I would leave everyone with. And of course, just where I would place Oscar once I got him home!
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