Ok, so it’s a pretty self-serving headline we know but data for business is what we do!
We do it because there is a tremendous need for businesses of all sizes to gain control of the information and data that is on the Internet as it relates to their company. Whether you are a mom and pop, Main Street USA type of SMB (small and medium business) or you fall in that tweener category of 100-1000 employees (we sometime refer to this group as the SME, small and medium enterprise) or you are a multi-national Fortune 500 there is local business information about you on the web.
In the past year or so everyone is starting to grasp the importance of this local data regardless of business size. Google has placed a much greater emphasis on the Place Pages as they try to move into other areas of the Internet like review generation (Hotpot) and their much-rumored social effort (Google+1). At the end of the day, if you are letting others determine what data is correct about your business you are running the risk of getting less return on your information (the other ROI).
So here are a few reasons why data will rule in 2011. Enjoy and be sure to let us know other thoughts you have in our comment section.
- Accurate data is a foundational need – Now more than ever accurate business data is a foundational need for any business to truly succeed online. Control and management of the building blocks of Internet data for business will determine whether many businesses succeed or fail in the online space.
- Accurate data means more and better citations – Citations are the local search world’s equivalent of links as they relate to Google Place Pages. With the recent changes in how Google presents search and its closer ties to website SEO this data accuracy concern has never been greater.
- Data can make or break lead generation – Nothing is worse than having all of your marketing efforts come together to get a prospect to the point of becoming a lead then they get bad contact information about your business from a source you weren’t monitoring. You may not lose the business but why throw an unnecessary roadblock in the way of a potential sale?
- Accurate data implies being a business that has it together – Have you ever tried to track down a business and you find several different addresses in different places? You may know where the business currently is but leaving a trail of moves or bad data can give the impression that your business is not stable. That is never a good thing.
- Data builds upon itself and leaves a trail – If you have left your business data accuracy requirements to the various data aggregators then you are risking having your information look like a jumbled mess in to the search engines in particular. The simple use of LLC or Inc. in a business name can generate more than one listing which will cause confusion across the web. If left unattended these inaccuracies will take on a life of their own and create issues for online marketing efforts far into the future.
- Nothing is worse than a data surprise – A data surprise is when you connect with a prospect who says “Oh, I went with your competitor because the number I found online for your business was disconnected. Sorry!” Business people hate surprises so this is just inherently bad.
That’s just a taste of why online business data will get greater attention than ever in 2011. If you are wondering whether your online business data house is in order we are here to help ensure that it is.
Check out our full line of services that can help businesses get their online business data story straight once and for all!