How local community jobs benefit your business

It’s not a mystery why local businesses consistently advertise and provide discounts to those who “check-in” on Yelp, FB, or Google.

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Traveling across the US, I was in constant search of my next place to visit whether it’s a restaurant, coffee shop, bar, or view point. Often, I succumbed to browsing Yelp for my next discovery. I also used Facebook local (which was in its infant stages) and oddly enough didn’t think of checking out Google reviews. I would visit businesses every single day (often more than 100) and i’d make conversation with the employees. Usually, one of the first questions I asked was, “so what does everyone use to find places to eat?”.

On the west coast of the US, i’d hear Yelp and Facebook. In the midwest, i’d hear Facebook and Google (what’s yelp?!?). In the south, most people used Facebook and word of mouth. I mostly used Facebook local in the south. I spoke to some of my european friends and they said they use TripAdvisor more often in their own country.

It was interesting to see the breakdown of resources in each state I went to.

Small businesses more than ever need to compete with larger organizations that have the capital means to sustain themselves over time. Often times, you cannot compete with their ad spend and need to get crafty.

Operating a successful and functional business means you are actively creating opportunities for customers to do business with you.

This is where creating local jobs in your community creates opportunities for community members, travelers, and anyone in the local network to interact with you.

When you are spending money on advertisements and Adwords, you are often paying a CPA (cost-per acquisition) or CPM (cost-per thousand impressions). You are not guaranteed a sale but you have the ability to drive down the CPA/CPM cost to pennies if done right. Google explains that Adwords can be the first touch point between you and your customers who are trying to make a decision.

While traveling the country, I was often asked if Google’s Adwords were “worth it” and “is it a scam?” Most of the businesses who asked me these questions were small business owners. Many were actually scammed by people posing to be Google partners. It was heartbreaking to hear. I assured them it wasn’t a scam but they need to have a strategy if they want to be successful.

All it took for me to visit new places was to read one good review or see one yummy picture. That’s it. Maybe for others, it may take a bit more.

One supplement to Adwords or traditional advertising methods is creating a “secret shopper” or “product tester” job on fuzul.

Not only can you compensate local community members directly through fuzul (Stripe integration), but you can gather receipts of check-in’s/reviews, content created (say goodbye to IP lawsuits from sharing Instagram content), and experience your business through a customers eyes.

Here are a few examples:

We are living in the “era of the customer” where customers are calling all the shots.

Don’t be left in the dark with your customer experience (CX). Take advantage of customers willing to be your voice by involving them in the process and in turn improve the virality of your word-of-mouth marketing.

It’s never been easier to identify people that want to give you feedback in exchange for compensation.

Download fuzul and post your first job today!

fuzul is a free, local on-demand marketplace of eyes-for-hire. We are breaking down the barriers to the gig economy by connecting short-term jobs to local communities. Feedback? Questions? Email us at [email protected]