Online reviews are just something that every business has to deal with today. Whether the business is a restaurant or a plumbing business, reviews can impact the bottom line.  A negative review can happen even if you provide quality products/services and everybody loves your business.  You can try to ignore them, but the negative reviews will still pop up and they can cause problems. But, reviews, positive or negative, can actually be an opportunity to advertise to potential customers. Did you know that 84% of people trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations.

“Negative reviews are always difficult – especially when they are fake reviews from someone who has never even gone to your business. However, these are not hard to respond to because you simply tell the truth in your response. For example, a great response is the following: ‘I have reviewed are records, and I do not see your purchase with us. Are you sure that you made your purchase from us and not another business? Please call me at XXX-XXX-XXXX, as I would like to help.’ This is a great response because it tells potential customers that the review is probably fake, but that you still wanted to help.” ~ Brett Bauman, CEO of Planetguide (Phone Number: 406-333-0393)

Review marketing is a powerful way to show customers that you care about their experience whether it is a positive review or negative review. It is important to respond to both the positive and the negative reviews. Also, it is important to respond fairly quickly to a customer’s reviews. 52% of consumers expect you to reply to their comments within seven days.

How to Respond to a Negative Review

A negative review is tough to address. You have put your heart and soul into your business. So, when someone criticizes it, it can be very personal. As a result, you may want to go on an attack in your response. Don’t Do It! Take a day or two to gather your thoughts and response before addressing the negative review. It is important to know that 70% of unhappy customers will continue to use your business if you try to fix the problem. In addition, other customers who are researching your business will see your response and know that you care enough to try to fix problems and that your are trying to make customers happy.

Follow these Steps to Help with your Reply to the Negative Review:

1. Calm Down. Never reply to a negative review when you are still angry. You may say something that you may mean, but simply do not need the entire social media world of potential customers reading. Walk away and consider venting to a friend or family member. Don’t wait too long as it is important to reply within seven days.
2. Your goal is to win back your customer or at least show other potential customers that you care. So, craft your response with this goal in mind.
3. Apologize. I am not saying that you need to accept the blame. Just apologize. For example, “I’m sorry that you did not have a a 5 star experience” or “It looks like you caught us on a bad day.”
4. Remind the reviewer and all others who are reading the review, that this is not a normal occurrence. For example, “We usually get the food out to the tables within 30 minutes” or “Our customer service department usually receive compliments on their service skills.”
5. Repeat the good comments. If the reviewer mentions anything positive in the review, repeat them in you response. This helps to show other customers that even the negative review still has some positive elements.
6. Offer a coupon or discount. Ask the reviewer to email, call or visit your business and give you a second chance. Try offering a coupon or discount for the next service or purchase. We recommend offering coupons in an email and not directly on the review. It may cause future customers to complain just to get a discount. If they do take you up on it, gently ask them to considering altering their review or removing it.
7. Bury the review. Sometimes you just cannot make a person happy. So, do the next best thing. Bury the negative review with positive ones.
8. Negative reviews are not always bad. No business is 100% perfect at least in the eyes of all consumers. Potential customers may be suspicious if there are not 3 star reviews and they may think that all of the reviews are fake.

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, we have all the insider information on the best places to check out every day of the week. Check out our  Events Calendar – HERE –  and get in the buzz!

Email is a necessary evil when it comes to doing business today. It seems we spend half of the day checking our email looking for important conversations or maybe looking for the email sale blasts to hit the inbox. Unfortunately, email is also a great place for hackers to start to cause damage especially when it comes to a common scam called the Business Email Compromise Scam. 

The Business Email Compromise (BEC) is also known as the email account compromise (EAC). The Business Email Compromise SCAM is one of the most damaging online scams. It goes after emails both personal and professional. In a Business Email Compromise SCAM, the criminal(s) will send an email that looks like it comes from a known, trustworthy source. There are many different examples of the Business Email Compromise SCAM, but some of the most popular include the following:

1. A homebuyer will receive an email from the title company with information on how to wire the down payment.

2. A company CEO will request his assistant or the accounting department send money to a bank for a purchase or to pay an invoice.

3. A company boss will request the accounting department to purchase gift cards for employee rewards or client gifts. The boss will also ask for the serial numbers to s/he can email them immediately.

We have had several clients who have received emails from their “bosses” or “vendors” requesting money. Luckily, they either deleted the email or contacted us first to confirm their suspicions. ~Brett Bauman, CEO of Planetguide.com

How Does The Scam Work?
The Business Email Compromise SCAM uses emails as the main weapon. The criminal may spoof an email account or website to appear to be legitimate. The emails may have an extra period or a slight variation in spelling. The criminal is hoping that the “mistake” will go unnoticed with all of the other emails received every single day. Another trick is to send spearphishing emails. These messages look like they are from a trusted person, but are actually designed to trick victims into giving up personal information like account numbers, passwords and other data to help them finish out the Business Email Compromise SCAM. Malware is another way to gain personal information. Malicious Software (malware) can be sent to accountants or other financial offers using a spoofed email. The malicious email will look legitimate but will most like have a link that will allow the criminal to download software onto the computer to gain access to the victim’s data. The ultimate goal is to gain passwords or financial account information.

How To Protect Yourself & Your Accounts.
1. Carefully examine all emails. Look at the URL, spelling, and domain name.

2. Don’t click and download anything. If it does not look legitimate, don’t click on it.

3. If you are expecting an email from the company, call the company and make sure that they sent the email you received.

4. Don’t share personal information online like your birthday, pets’ names, and mother’s maiden name as this information can be used to guess passwords or security questions.

5. Set up two-factor authentication.

6. Never act quickly when it comes to sending someone money online. Take a little time to research.

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, we have all the insider information on the best places to check out every day of the week. Check out our  Events Calendar – HERE –  and get in the buzz!

Did you participate in the Facebook 10 Year Challenge? Have you ever answered some of the Facebook games that include what is your favorite movie, favorite color, or favorite food? All of these challenges, mimes and group questions seem relatively harmless, but are they?

The Facebook 10 Year Challenge

The most recent Facebook Challenge to hit popularity, again, is the 10 year challenge. This challenge invites users to post a picture of themselves from 10 years ago next to a current photo. The popularity of this challenge is for showing off how much or how little the user has aged. Some users will also include their age, birthday and other specific and personal information. Now, this game may not have been designed for data collection for a facial recognition algorithm, but it could still be used for nefarious things especially when combined with other information.

Challenges on social media can be fun. They bring people together for a common cause like the Ice Bucket Challenge. Unfortunately, there can also be a negative side to these challenges that users should be aware of before participating. When users provide personal information, they maybe exposing themselves to hackers. ~ Brett Bauman, CEO of Planetguide.com

What Movie, Book Or TV Show Could You Live In?

Have you ever answered  questions on Facebook? What was the color of your first home? What manufacturer was your first car? What high school did you go to? What was your 3rd grade English teacher’s name? All of these questions seem harmless, but they can also be the answers to the security questions from your bank. When social media users post answers to questions like these online, the entire world can see them and take note. These answers are one piece of the puzzle for online hackers to hack into your computer, accounts and more.

Data Collection

Facebook is a platform that collects a lot of data. This data is used to target advertising. For example, if you take a look at some shoes online, have you ever noticed that shoe ads will pop up everywhere following you around? This is targeting advertising. If you show interest in a topic on Facebook or even slow down for a unique post, data is collected on your actions. You are being profiled for advertisers. This may not bother you, but it is also something to consider when on all social media platforms.

In general, enjoy social media, but be aware of your actions as they may have repercussions that can be harmful.

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, we have all the insider information on the best places to check out every day of the week. Check out our  Events Calendar – HERE –  and get in the buzz!

Let’s face it….Kids are online. They are online for school, they are online for games, they are on Facetime online talking with friends and family. It’s going to happen no matter how much we, the parents, would rather them just go outside and play. With this in mind, it is important to learn how to reduce the risks that kids may encounter while online. Let’s go over what are the best steps for protecting kids online and what to look out for in the cyber world.

“I am always concerned when my child is online. I want her to be able to join her friends to play a game online or simply have a live chit chat on Duo. But, I always talk to my little girl about proper internet safety.” ~Cheryl Bauman, CFO of Planetguide. 

Computer Security & Kids

The security of your computer can affect the safety of your child and is the first line of defense when it comes to protecting kids online. Talk to your kids about what they should and should not do online. The most important items to protect are social security numbers, account numbers, passwords, and yes even birthdays. All of this personal information should not be posted online or even answered as part of an app download. This is the one time it is essential to lie if asked. For example, if you are allowing your child to download an app, a very popular question is the birthday followed by the full name. Don’t answer these correctly. You can still play the game if you use Jane/John Smith and a birthday from the year 1960. Free stuff online is never free. Everything comes with a price online whether you have to watch advertisements to play a game or you have to subscribe to emails. Unless it is a trusted source, don’t download anything. Don’t forget to use strong passwords.

Socializing Online

It is wonderful that kids can join a Zoom conference and talk in real time while actually seeing their friends. Networking sites, chat rooms, virtual worlds and blogs are all wonderful ways for kids to virtually socialize but they are definitely an obstacle for protecting kids online. It is important to make sure they navigate this virtual world safely. Make sure to emphasize the importance of your child’s privacy. Strangers are still dangerous, even virtual ones. Don’t share too much information like photos, comments or videos. Predators use information they have acquired online to befriend kids. In some cases, the information has led to child abductions. Remind kids that online actions do have consequences even if it is gossiping with a friend. Nothing is deleted off the internet. It may not be on your feed anymore, but someone could have saved it, screenshot shot it or snipped it and saved it before it was deleted. Be the mom or dad that says, “If you don’t have anything nice to say, just don’t say it.” This also applies online, but even more – don’t type it, skype  it, facetime it, zoom it, tiktoc it, instagram it, tweet it, facebook it, or any other online it, unless you want everyone in the world to see it and know about it.

“Protecting your kids online is a full time job. It seems so innocent because nothing is, shall we say, real. But, the virtual world can be just as harmful and the real one. So keep on top of what your kids are into and how you can keep the virtually safe.” ~ Cheryl Bauman, CFO of Planetguide. 

Video Games Online

Most likely your child is playing video games online. This is okay! But, as a parent, it is still an important parting of protecting your kids online to know what they are playing and its impact on them. Do you know what Fortnite is? How about Call of Duty? If the last video game you played was called Tetris, you may want to do a little Google searching to learn more about the most popular video games out there before you look further into what all the kids are playing. Did you know that some video games are actually used to train troops for battle? Some of them include Full Spectrum Warrior and Virtual Battlespace 2. It is important to check those game ratings before you agree to let your kids play them. Next, make sure that your kids have a time limit for video games. Otherwise, you may find your child plays them 24/7. Also, don’t give your kids access to your credit card because these games love to sell coins, weapon upgrades, and so many other enticing items. Talk to your kids and think about moving all game systems into a common area so you can keep an eye out.

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, we have all the insider information on the best places to check out every day of the week. Check out our  Events Calendar – HERE –  and get in the buzz!

Why would a hacker even consider bothering with your website when there are so many others to choose from on the world wide web? There are bank websites, credit card websites, large corporation websites….why would a website hacker look at a small business website in the Flathead Valley Area of Montana when there are so many bigger fish in the virtual sea to steal from?

Website Hackers Are Not Attacking You Personally

It may not seem personal, but it certainly may seem that way if you have ever been hacked. In most cases, website hackers are not going to target your website because it is is your website. Website hackers do not care if you have a small shopping cart website selling jewelry or if you simply have a website for your Air Conditioning Repair Services or Roofing Company with information on your maintenance plans. Website hackers want the software powering your website. They are trying to sneak through the back door through a piece of software that is out of date or a compromised plugin with the ultimate goal of stealing sensitive customer data. They may also just want to hijack your website and use it for their own nefarious reasons.

“Website Hackers from around the world are always trying to break into servers and trying to break into websites. Hackers don’t care how big or small the site is, they just want to gain access to it.” ~ Brett Bauman, CEO of Planetguide.com

“Most websites, about 35% of all website, use WordPress. WordPress is popular because it is a secure platform that has lots of options to build a website, blog, or e-commerce site,” according the Brett Bauman, CEO of Planetguide.com. “But, because WordPress is popular, it will be popular for hackers too.”

What Does A Website Hacker Do With Your Information?

After a website hacker has gained access to the sensitive information, s/he can sell it or just hold on to it for ransom. The ultimate goal for most hackers is simply money; however, some are interested in the power of simply having the skills to hack a site. Hackers will also try to gain access to your website to create SEO spam or infect it with malware. SEO SPAM allows hackers to control keywords and can funnel traffic away from your site to another one. Malware infected websites can even be hooked up to others and become a network of virus spreading machines.

“Today, most website hacking is actually performed by machines working 24/7 looking for vulnerabilities. This is why it is important to always update all software, including plugins, and remove software that is out of date or unused.” ~ Brett Bauman, CEO of Planetguide.com

Quick Steps To Protect Your Website

• Update everything from plugins to software
• Use Two-Factor Authentication
• Update Passwords Regularly
• Only Use Software From Trusted Sources
• Use WordPress Security logging

Website hackers area ready to target any website that is vulnerable. If they can gain access to your site and the information stored on the site, you can be a target for a hacker. But, the good news is that you don’t have to be hacked because there are lots of security measures that can help protect your site.

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, we have all the insider information on the best places to check out every day of the week. Check out our  Events Calendar – HERE –  and get in the buzz!

You’ve probably heard about and you most likely have read several, but have you ever thought about blogging? A blog is one of the most inexpensive and cost-effective business tools available to promote a business. Whether you sell products or offer services, blogging is a great way to get information out to potential customers. 

“Blogging is basically the process of writing, posting, linking and sharing content on the internet. Blogging drives traffic to a website, establishes authority, provides SEO, and gives a business a voice on the internet.” ~ Cheryl Bauman, Planetguide.com. 

What Exactly Is A Blog & Blogging?

The internet is an unlimited source of information and resources. If you have a question, there is probably some sort of answer on the internet. If you offer a service, why can’t you be one of the experts describing the benefits of that service? If you sell products, why can’t you describe some of the uses of that product? The answer is simple… YOU CAN and more importantly, YOU SHOULD. 

“A blog is an online journal or informational article describing or discussing a topic. There are more than 500 million blogs on the internet and millions of bloggers writing them. Individual Bloggers and even business blog about anything and everything.” ~ Cheryl Bauman, Planetguide.com. 

You can blog about anything from the best shoes to wear when hiking to the best places to go to for auto repair. The key is to choose a topic, write about it on your website, and then share your custom blog to your social media, newsletters and more. But, why is blogging so important?

If You Aren’t Blogging, Your Competitors Probably Are….

We all know that advertising is important, but many advertising options are expensive. Television commercials, radio spots, Google Advertising, Social Media boosts, and print are all great forms of advertising that should be considered when creating an advertising budget. According to Planetguide.com, “A blog is one of the easiest and most inexpensive ways to reach potential customers. Businesses use a website blog to describe services/products, promote sales, and even to describe how to use the products.” Don’t forget to include photos, images, and even videos to further promote and explain your business service or product. A blog will help you boost traffic to your website and will improve your website’s search engine optimization. The more frequent you blog with interesting topics will further increase your chances of reaching your desired target audience. Also, great blogging makes a business more credible especially when the blog displays an expertise that makes customers get to know you and your business. 

Get Blogging Now

The hardest part about blogging is just doing it. Many businesses simply do not have the time to bother with writing articles because they are busy running their business. Don’t worry, sometimes it truly is best to outsource this form of advertising to another company. If you are interested in learning more, give 406.Buzz a call at 406-333-0393 or email us at info@406.Buzz. 

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town. Plus, you can submit your own event to the website for FREE – HERE. 

 

Over 300 million users are on the popular Twitter social media platform. Users can promote their businesses, chit chat with friends and family, or just scroll looking at other people’s tweets. Many different types of users exist including students, policymakers, politicians, and the general public. Businesses also use Twitter. Twitter can help businesses reach another group of people on social media, but is it worth the effort?

To Tweet or not To Tweet on Twitter…. That Is The Question

Twitter is a microblogging platform that allows users to send and receive quick posts called Tweets. Now, the tweets can only be up to 280 characters long, but they can include links to websites. This means that it can help businesses advertising their products, sales and services for free.

The Positives of Twitter

The most important benefit of twitter is that it is FREE. Free is definitely something that designates with many businesses. It is also very popular which means a business can reach a lot of people with a single click.

“Twitter helps with brand identity and the cost to use the platform is free. Paid ads are available, but many businesses have enjoyed the organic benefits and interactions on the platform. ” ~ Cheryl Mintz, Planetguide.com. 

The Negatives of Twitter

Despite the positives of using Twitter, there are still some negatives to consider too. With so many different platforms out there for businesses and users, is Twitter worth committing resources to for maintenance?

“To use Twitter well, a business must use it regularly. It also means having the right person maintaining the twitter account. Just like with any social media platform, complaints must be addressed pretty quickly. If negative comments are not addressed quickly and with a positive outcome, the platform can become a liability for a business.” ~ Brett Bauman, Planetguide.com. 

The Final Answer

In the end, despite all of the positives of Twitter, it truly may not be worth the time and effort, even if it is free. Due to the limitation of the platform and the required maintenance, it may not be as valuable as other social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram and YouTube. However, if a business has the resources and a good advertising team, then go ahead and incorporate the platform as another resource to reach potential customers.

Are you in the Buzz?

406.Buzz is your best resource for the latest events happening around the Montana Flathead Valley area. From Kalispell and Whitefish to Eureka and Columbia Falls, we’ve got the hottest events, best outdoor activities, restaurant lists, and so much more.  From farmers’ markets and breweries to festivals, music events and family fun entertainment, we know all the buzz happening around town.

Whether you are a local or a visitor, we have all the insider information on the best places to check out every day of the week. Check out our  Events Calendar – HERE –  and get in the buzz!

Social Media is Not A Substitute For A Website

Many businesses have really embraced social media platforms from Facebook and Instagram to Twitter and Snapchat. Unfortunately, these same businesses are treating these platforms as a website. Yes, they have many wonderful uses, especially when it comes to advertising and getting your message out to potential clients, but Social Media is not the same as a website. 

“Social Media is a great way to expose potential customers to your business. You can advertise to a specific audience and gain exposure in a fairly inexpensive way. But, social media is only part of what you need to have a complete online presence. The most important thing to know about social media is today it is popular and tomorrow it may be gone. Do you remember MySpace, Vine or even Google +? They are all gone today and no longer popular. If you had invested all of your time into one of these social media apps that no longer exists, all of your efforts would have been for nothing.” ~ Brett Bauman, Planetguide.com. 

Continue reading

Zoom Meetings Are Very Popular Today

Have you ever been invited or joined a zoom meeting? They are extremely popular today for social events, study groups and business meetings from home.  The pandemic has impacted how many of us interact and how we do business. Now, we can host business meetings and social gatherings together using zoom. Whether you have been on Zoom for years or have just started on the platform, there a number of tips that can help improve your video communication experience and make your video meetings more professional and efficient.

“Zoom is a very effective way of doing business worldwide. Zoom meeting is a great tool for businesses, schools, and even friends and families to communicate virtually when in-person is not an option.” ~ Brett Bauman, Planetguide.com

Continue reading