By Lauren Plewacki, Account Coordinator

In his book Winning the Zero Moment of Truth, Google’s Managing Director of U.S. Sales Jim Lecinski discusses the importance of online consumer reviews. Why are they so important? Because people trust each other.

The time has come to embrace customer reviews. Whether you use them or not, many consumers refer to them when trying to make purchasing decisions. Why do consumers go online for reviews? They’re looking for opinions of people like themselves. They see reviews as unbiased and feel like they can learn about a product or service without being pushed, manipulated or simply sold on something.

Most people would be surprised to learn that the vast majority of online reviews are positive. In fact, according to Google, 80% are. And there’s no shortage of them. As more users have posted reviews, Google has seen a heavy increase in search terms including the words “ratings” and “reviews.” It’s human nature; we like to share our positive experiences with others.

If you do come across a negative review of your business, relax! It’s not the end of the world. Smart marketers can take a negative review and turn it into something positive. First and foremost, you’re getting free, unsolicited and honest feedback from actual customers—something your focus group can’t give you. Plus, you have the ability to respond to negative reviews and show customers that you care, and if applicable, tell them how you’re going to fix any problems. Finally, accepting the occasional negative review makes a brand seem more genuine. Nobody’s perfect.

The bottom line about reviews is this: they help businesses learn what their customers need from them. Who knows, your next great product idea might come from an unhappy customer.

Source: Winning the Zero Moment of Truth by Jim Lecinski available at http://www.zeromomentoftruth.com

By Meg Archer, Account Manager

When planning for your next email marketing program, think beyond the catchy subject line and “Welcome” email, consider ways to encourage your lead to take the next step.

You have tested email subject lines and have an intriguing one-liner nailed down, what comes next? According to Ryan Deutsch, vice president of Strategic Services at StrongMail, it is time to start planning an educational lead nurturing email campaign—or a “Welcome Program.”

A typical email marketing campaign begins when a potential lead subscribes to further communication from a company. In response, the company typically sends a “welcome” email. Deutsch argues that a single “welcome” message doesn’t cut it—there needs to be more communication and education for the program to be effective.

Let’s say you join a running club. You don’t say hello to your new running buddies and then never say another word—you chat.  In doing so, you build a relationship based on your common interest in running by sharing tips and personal stories. Deutsch suggests that the same must occur when designing an email marketing program. A subscriber should be coached and integrated with the brand through multiple communications.

By Amanda Jurgens, Account Coordinator

In today’s digital world, consumers are flooded with marketing emails.  How do marketers create email campaigns that stand out and avoid the dreaded “unsubscribe?”

Hours of design, copy and proofing go into sending a marketing email. But, if emails do not solicit a response, why open them? Even marketers are guilty of the mass inbox delete. Despite this, we still analyze open and click-through rates and wonder what went wrong.

Customers are inundated with emails. Nearly everything you buy online or in a store opts you into email marketing campaigns. Often, consumers end up on a list they were never interested in and certainly don’t care to receive nearly constant communication. In a study by ExactTarget, researchers found that 9 out of 10 subscribers later opt-out of email communication, citing that mailings are too frequent, contain repetitive content or are irrelevant because the consumer didn’t realize they were opting in to begin with.

So, as a marketer, how do you convince someone who has already expressed interest in your communications (whether intentionally or not) to take the next step and actually open the email? The answer seems all too obvious: by creating emails that your customers want to read.

Craft emails containing information that makes the reader’s job easier. It is as simple as that. Create emails that offer a reward, emails that make information easier to locate, or emails that offer some tangible value to your particular audience.

Posted by: Amanda Rick, Senior Account Coordinator

Only 66% of businesses who use Groupon report a profit. Yet, according to the popular company, approximately 95% of these businesses would advertise again and new companies are clamoring to be listed. Have businesses stopped caring about profit margin or is there something larger at work here?

Online coupon sites, such as Groupon and LivingSocial, offer daily deal discounts for local businesses through their websites, email and mobile applications. Because the sites have a pre-determined purchase quantity, users feel a sense of urgency to grab the specials before they’re gone and to share the deal with their friends. And those purchasing the deals are not the only ones who benefit. These sites offer popular platforms that don’t charge companies to list deals; they simply take a percentage of the sales.

Posted by: Erin Wilson, Account Coordinator

Many marketers struggle to find qualified online leads to pass along to their sales teams. In some cases they aim for quantity over quality hoping that a small percentage will eventually convert to a sale. Ideally, marketers should create and implement solid online lead generation programs that help bridge the gap between themselves and their sales teams.

Use the following questions to start thinking about ways you can create or improve your lead generation program.

90octane is included in the newly released Marketers Resource Guide ’11 by BtoB Magazine. The firm is listed under the Top Agencies, Interactive Agencies and SEM Vendors sections. Our business-to-business clients include Gates Corporation, Atlas Copco CMT USA, ITT Visual Information Solutions, Jeppesen and NCM Fathom.

Download the complete Marketers Resource Guide ’11 from BtoB Magazine.