Local shopper forums are another place to check and watch for comments about your business, especially in regional and rural areas.
These local forums, usually on Facebook, are often started by shoppers. You have to get permission to join. It is important you do this to every such group in your area so you can see what they say.
As well as providing a live insight into what your customers and would-be customers like, you can see first-hand if your business is mentioned.
People can be fierce in these forums. I saw one regional Australian small retail business ripped apart recently because of one poor customer service experience that was not handled well. Rather than complain to the owner of the business, the person tore shreds off the business and rallied support for others on the group to never shop there again.
Back in the day we retailers would talk about one poor customer service experience rippling out to, say, thirty people. Today, that number could be in the thousands thanks to social media.
By being on a local shopper page you can comment in your business is unfairly targeted. If the business screwed up, own it. If the business did nothing wrong, own that. At least by being on the group you can be aware of what is being said about you and how people are responding.
Sure, you can ignore these groups – but you may miss an opportunity ti right a wrong.
The New York Times yesterday published good article about groups and while not directly connected with what I write about in my post it makes interesting allied reading.