#MarketingTitbits – customer reviews, domains, John Lewis

1. What to do when customer reviews turn ugly?
Customer reviews are typically seen as a positive thing for businesses, generating an additional 40% increase in revenue per year if used effectively. And although 83% of reviews written are positive, what happens if they you get a negative one?

Some firms have been known to go as far as hiring freelancers to write either glowing reviews for themselves, or to actually post fake negative reviews about competitors and their products, hoping that this will bring consumers to their door. However, a good way to avoid this can be to use a verification system that can often deter any fake reviews. It is also common for customers to blackmail businesses with dreadful reviews in an attempt to be given discounts and incentives. So, what if this happens to you?

The main things to remember if reviews turn ugly are to stay calm, avoid over-reacting, put the review in context and remember that the good often outweighs the bad.

If you’d like to read more, click here.

2. 5 points to consider when choosing a domain name for your business

Domains are extremely important in determining the presence that your business has on the web. So what should you keep in mind?

Do you go for keywords or your business name – or both? Do you also purchase a series of similar domain names so that even with as spelling mistakes, consumers are still be directed to you?

To find out what else to consider, click here.

3. John Lewis 2014 Christmas ad smashes record for most shared

If you haven’t been living under a rock for the last week or so, you’ll know that John Lewis have released their Christmas ad offering. The clip is set to be the most shared Christmas ad in John Lewis’s history, overtaking previous favourites, such as ’The Bear and the Hare’. In the unlikely event that you have yet to see it, visit Marketing Magazine.

In its first 24 hours, the ad was shared 202,953 times, up 2% on 2013’s edition. People are now starting to believe that launching on a Thursday is the key to success for adverts, due to nearly half of shares taking place between Wednesdays and Fridays.

The campaign, named ‘Monty the Penguin’, has also incorporated in-store experiential marketing with the introduction of ‘Monty’s Den’, allowing customers to buy their own Monty and to see the characters brought to life.

Click here to read more about the campaign’s success.