COMMENTS
Great point at the end about success being tied to everything in lieu of just one thing. I have also found that everything takes time and the fruits of one's labor often hit at unexpected moments - generally when I have forgotten about having accomplished the task in the first place!
Great input by Lewis for all small businesses. We're also huge believers in the power of referrals and reviews in the SMB markets.
www.CityVoter.com
www.Yelp.com
www.CitySearch.com
www.YahooLocal.com
I have tapped into all of these UGCs and my customers have been writing lots of positive reviews!
I'm still surprised that Hubspot hasn't discovered "Yelp", its the most popular Referral Network in the San Francisco Bay Area and its spreading to the rest of the country.
Sacramento Weddings,
First, Yelp is not a referral network. Yelp is a customer review site which is extremely different than business to business referrals. (Apples and Oranges). While I like and use Yelp, I think it'd beneficial for me to explain how Referral Key works.
For example, as a wedding planner you probably know a few people who do wedding cakes, dresses, DJs, photographers, florists, and many others.
Because you are a wedding planner, you are actually the perfect example of someone who sends a lot of referrals and someone who'd really benefit from Referral Key.
The question is. "When you come across people who need these services, which I'm sure happens every day, which photographer,florist and DJ do you recommend couples to?"
And ultimately, the question you're really concerned with is, "When these DJs, florists, bakers, and photographers come across clients who can use your wedding planning services, are they sending them to you?"
Picture this, you put together a wedding package and send a DJ you know, Tony, some new business. Everyone has a blast at the wedding and thinks Tony does a good job. The night winds down and one of the bride's friends, Lisa, asks Tony if he'll DJ at her wedding this upcoming June. Now does Tony ensure you also get a sale by recommending Lisa also use your planning services to make the night a success? Or does he just secure a new gig and ignore the fact that the sale was originally due to your qualified referral?
Referral Key is about strengthening you professional relationships to drive more sales. There are a wealth features so I'd suggest you take a peek
www.referralkey.com Yelp and City Search is about customers figuring out if a restaurant or bar is really where they want to go, before they get there.