Word-of-mouth marketing has changed completely for the small, local business. In the past, if someone had a bad experience, it may only reach a few of their friends.  In today’s world, with the ease of online review sites, social media, and blogging, a poor customer experience can reach hundreds or even thousands of people.  This revolution has caught many owners off guard and they are scrambling to figure out how to manage and improve their online reputation.  Many are hoping that Yelp will fail and online reviews will go away, but with Yelp’s recent influx of $100 million in capital, they are going to double in size.  Furthermore, AT&T will be launching a new review site, buzz.com.  Customer content is exploding even more as the penetration of mobile devices makes it very easy to rave or rant at the moment it happens.  Customers are posting about their experience before they even get the check!    Here’s a great example: Continue reading “How can a small business profit from customer reviews? – Review Monitoring” »