Find out what it takes for your business to stand out in today's highly competitive marketplace.

1. YOUR GUIDE TO
BECOMING THE
MOST TALKED ABOUT
BRAND
Includes survey results showing how BBB Accredited Businesses used trust to grow by 10 percent.

2. ABOUT THIS
GUIDE
Why?
BBB Accredited Businesses want to know
what they can do to stand out and attract
new customers in today’s highly
competitive marketplace.
What?
Traditional marketing and advertising is no
longer the most effective way to promote
your business. To stand out, you need
people talking about you, especially online.
You need positive word-of-mouth to grow
your business.
How?
This guide reveals industry insights and
best practices, backed by primary research,
for becoming a highly visible and
trustworthy brand.
Who is it for?
All business owners, managers, marketers,
and business development professionals.
2

3. TABLE OF
CONTENTS
Introduction [4]
Start With Trust [5]
The No. 1Reason Businesses Choose BBB Accreditation
What It Takes To Be A Trusted Brand
Give People Something To Talk About [8]
The No. 1Source Of New Customers
Give Them Something To Talk About By “Being More”
Do Something Good
Make An Emotional Connection
Become An Industry Expert
[17]Increase Word-Of-Mouth Via Social Media
The Power Of Social Media
Which Social Networks Should You Be On?
Master The Three E’s of Word-Of-Mouth
Create Shareworthy Content
[23]Harness The Power Of Consumer Reviews
Find Your Customer Reviews
Respond To Reviews Like A Pro
Positive Reviews Build Trust!
Best Places To Collect Reviews
Accreditation Is The Final Stamp Of Approval [30]
Which BBB Tools Do Accredited Businesses Like Best?
Favorite BBB Tools Used By BBB Accredited Businesses
About BBB [35]
3

4. CHAPTER 1:
START
WITH
TRUST

5. THE NO. 1REASON
BUSINESSES CHOOSE BBB
ACCREDITATION
In the 2016 BBB Accredited Business Survey, BBB
Accredited Businesses were asked, “What was
the number one reason you decided to
become BBB Accredited?”
61. 2016 BBB Accredited Business Survey
Build Trust With
Consumers (63%)
Grow My
Business (7%)
Get More Leads (3%)
Support BBB’s
Mission To Build
Trust In The
Marketplace (23%)
Other (4%)
With increased trust comes
increased growth.
86% of BBB Accredited
Businesses who grew
by more than 10% in
2015, say BBB had a
positive influence on
their growth.1
Trust precedes everything: attracting
new customers, creating brand
advocates, and growing a
profitable business.
Starting with trust means you build it
into your organization from the ground
up (creating quality products, hiring
good employees, etc.). You don’t have
to convince consumers to buy. Your
reputation does the selling for you.

6. Establish and maintain a positive reputation.
Honor all of your written and verbal promises.
Respond quickly and professionally to
consumer concerns.
Always tell the truth, even if it costs you
a sale.
Be transparent and give your customers all
the information they need to make a well
informed buying decision.
Protect consumer information and respect
how they want you to use it.
Communicate honestly about products
and services.
Review the list above.
Can you check off
everything? If not, put
together a plan to get
your business on the
right track.
Chapter
Challenge
WHAT IT TAKES TO
BE A TRUSTED
BRAND
1. Cohn &Wolfe
“The No. 1
quality
consumers
demand
of big
brands.”1
7

7. CHAPTER 2:
GIVE PEOPLE
SOMETHING
TO TALK
ABOUT

8. THE NO. 1SOURCE OF NEW
CUSTOMERS
What is the most
trusted form of
advertising these days?
Word-of-mouth. It’s also the
number one source of new
customers for BBB Accredited
Businesses, according to
BBB research.
Today’s consumers prefer
learning about your business
from other customers – not you.
Remember, 92% of
consumers trust the
recommendations from
friends and family over all
forms of advertising.1
How do you generate
more word-of-mouth?
Observe what other successful
businesses are doing. This
guide also offers a wealth of
useful information to help you
to get people talking.
1.Nielsen 2. Marketing Atlas
Word-of-mouth
marketing:
“Turn routine touch
points into remarkable
talking points. It’s about
being credible, respectful,
relevant, social and
engaged —online
and offline.”2
Otherwise, stick to the basics.
Have integrity and provide each
customer top-notch service. Then
they won’t be able to stop
themselves from telling their
friends about you.
9

9. GIVE THEM SOMETHING TO
TALK ABOUT BY “BEING
MORE”
BBB Accredited since 1971
Be More Friendly and Fun
This 45-year old company is known for its
friendly and fun flight attendants as well
as its top-notch customer service. The
company believes this stems from putting
their employees first, which trickles down
to their customers.
How do you get people talking about you? Differentiate yourself by “being more.” What does being more mean? It
means doing more to exceed customer expectations and deliver unforgettable customer experiences – the type of
experiences that turn into raving reviews and increased referrals. Want to learn how to Be More? Follow those
who do it best.
10
“Customer appreciation day is
every day. Our customers mean
everything to us. We like to think
of ourselves as a Customer
Service company that happens
to fly airplanes.”
- Southwest Airlines

10. BBB Accredited since 2011
Chicago, IL
Be More Compassionate
“We treat our customers like
family. We want to be that
place that everyone wants to
go to after work or to bring
their family, kind of like that
old TV show, Cheers, where
everyone knows your name.
That’s the standard we live by,”
Justin Grohnke, Store Manager,
Beggar’s Pizza.
11
BBB Accredited since 2013
Nashville, TN
Be More Reliable
“We walk the walk. We work
very hard on that every day in
order to earn and keep the
loyalty of our customers.
BBB Accreditation helps drive
new customers to our door,
but it’s up to us to support
that trust and not disappoint
them,” Steve Bass, Owner,
Bass Tire Company.
BBB Accredited since 1976
St. Paul, MN
Be More Attentive
“We listen to our customers.
By delivering what they want,
first you need to understand
what they want, so we pay
attention to what they tell us.
The consumer will always give
you a roadmap to success if you
just pay attention,” Jeff Warner,
President & Owner, Warners’
Stellian Company, Inc.
Key Differentiators Of Businesses Who Choose To Be More
1. Offer fun and friendly service.
2. Put employees first.
3. Give back.
4. Protect the environment.
5. Treat customers like family.
6. Honor every promise.
7. Listen to customers.
8. Go the extra mile.
WAYS OTHER BBB ACCREDITED BUSINESSES HAVE
CHOSEN TO BE MORE

11. 12
MAKE AN
EMOTIONAL
CONNECTION
Making a good
impression with a
customer doesn’t
always stem from
better features and
lower prices. Most
often, customers form
attachments
to businesses that
make an emotional
connection with them.
13

12. People are influenced first by their
emotions. Logic and reason are
secondary when it comes to making
purchase decisions. “These
unconscious feelings can have a very
concrete impact on your business.
Emotional connections can determine
the strength and length of a customer
relationship. They drive passion,
loyalty, and advocacy.”2
141. Gallup 2. Communico
BRANDS WHO
MAKE EMOTIONAL
CONNECTIONS
WITH CUSTOMERS
outperform competitors by
26% in gross margin
outperform competitors by
85% in sales growth
Easy ways to emotionally
connect with your clients
form first
name
relationships
solve a
unique
problem
have a fun and
interactive
environment
offer
validation
and empathy
take on
a social
cause
specialize
in one
area
send
handwritten
thank you
notes
appeal to
customers’
values
Their customers are
at least 3 times likely to
recommend a business
at least 3 times likely to
purchase again1

13. 15
BECOME AN INDUSTRY
EXPERT
Answer questions
on Quora
Quora, a question and answer
social networking site, is a
great online tool to showcase
your expertise by answering
questions and providing useful
insight. You can also create a
profile that links back to your
website or blog.
Establish yourself as an expert or thought leader in your field. This will increaseyour
brand’s credibility, recognition, and give you greater onlineexposure.
Host an event
Hosting events allows you to
have face time with potential
customers and build more
meaningful connections with
them. Types of events you
could host include: lunch and
learns, charity events, open
houses, block parties, grand
openings, and more.
Speak at an event
This is a great way to show
off your expertise and build
trust with prospects. If your
event goes well, people will
want to talk to you. You
may even generate more
leads from people they
know who are interested in
what you sell.

14. CHAPTER 3:
INCREASE
WORD-OF-
MOUTH VIA
SOCIAL
MEDIA

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