{"id":19671,"date":"2022-04-23T16:51:29","date_gmt":"2022-04-23T21:51:29","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.jasminedirectory.com\/blog\/?p=19671"},"modified":"2025-03-05T11:41:11","modified_gmt":"2025-03-05T16:41:11","slug":"online-marketing-study-2022","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.jasminedirectory.com\/blog\/online-marketing-study-2022\/","title":{"rendered":"Online marketing study 2022 created using QuestionPro"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"Online<\/a><\/p>\n

The two survey questions below come from an online marketing study we ran using QuestionPro in 2022. Each one gets at a practical concern that small business owners raise again and again: whether web directories still earn their keep, and where online marketing tends to break down. The responses gave us a fuller picture of how people actually promote their businesses on the web, and they are worth unpacking rather than leaving as bare data points.<\/p>\n

Q5. In your opinion what are the main benefits of using web directories?<\/h2>\n

Q5. In your opinion what are the main benefits of using web directories?<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
143392151<\/td>\nThey improve my business’ local visibility, though they are massive, web directories have advanced filtering and suggesting capabilities, and serve to connect you with your target audience. As a local business, directories are beneficial because they make your business visible to your local community.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391597<\/td>\nThey increase brand awareness and they also improve the business’s visibility. I also think another benefit is that they strengthen the business’s reputation while also boosting the SEO.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391576<\/td>\nI think it’s good to spread the word through a wide variety of means, including directories. I like niche directories because I believe they serve their audience better.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391545<\/td>\nPeople are looking in a specific location for exactly what they want. It’s easier to target the right customer.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391541<\/td>\nI feel like it is still such a great way for it to affect rankings. Or at least help boost with your rankings<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391087<\/td>\nit shows up google, it also amplify my online presence together with improving my local visibility. and it also helps for being discovered more<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390964<\/td>\nThese days, there is so much going on on the internet that it is so easy to get lost in the maze. Using web directories helps cut out the noise. They are demographic and target market channeled already. Unlike most sites on social media, web directories<\/a> are filtered to cater to only the relevant subject or topic.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390823<\/td>\nThe main benefits of using web directories are promoting my online presence, getting new customers and also the improvement of my visibility overall.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390668<\/td>\nI think one of the main benefits of using a web directory is the increase in web traffic. Another benefit is I get an increase in sales. Most people who find a business on Yelp spend money with them so that helps.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390016<\/td>\nMy company comes up in any searches, locally and throughout the united states. This helps to spread the name around and gets people of all different types and kinds to see my company, whether they are accustomed to our niche or not. We have all walks of life coming to our website because of this.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143389766<\/td>\nHelps reach a wider audience, therefore my clientele base grows.as more and more people search and my pages shows up.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143389506<\/td>\none of the main benefits Is accessibility, everyone can access it easily; another benefit might be you do not have to go to a specific place to see what it is about. It also is easy to use so every person can do it by himself. The time, you do not need to spend too much time on it because it is something you can check in a few minutes and that’s amazing because sometimes we can do anything because of the time we have. Another benefit is the way it works, people do not have to check it at a specific time because it does not matter at what time they are there the service is always working.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143389481<\/td>\nThey are easier to use and I get better quality results from them versus using other channels. I have a good experience and the results are better than other types of marketing for the type of business I run.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388997<\/td>\nWeb directories are my main source of online promotion because they target exactly the clients that I wish to attract to my business. Therefore these are the best use of my business resources for this purpose. I have tried other strategies that have not been successful, I am open to other strategies.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388784<\/td>\nbeing able to reach targeted customer groups better\/faster. making you more discoverable and boost my online prescience.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388774<\/td>\nI think this method is generally useful in expanding one’s brand identity and increased web traffic to reach out to your target audience<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388733<\/td>\nIt provides visibility and a potential increase in sales and it can reach targeted customer groups faster<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388713<\/td>\nIt’s a way for people to find my business, and can connect me to other directories and search engines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388686<\/td>\nIt’s a simple act, once there it can just be an advocate for my business without me doing anything much. Plus side as well is that people who are looking at directories are usually either ready to invest or keen to connect.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388442<\/td>\nI don’t really use them. I only use Google and Facebook to promote my business and I have WhatsApp business for any other enquiries.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388247<\/td>\nThey help raise and increase my business profile, as well as building my brand. They are an opportunity to direct potential clients to my portfolio, which become warm leads.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388108<\/td>\nAbility to target particular subsets and niche interests of customers. These directories are often adjacent to communities and people with vested interest in our target market.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387992<\/td>\nWeb directories helps my target market to see what I’m selling and that helps them as it has everything they need to know about the product I’m selling. It makes life better as I need not to go door to door selling and explaining to each and every one what I’m selling, the web has all the information about the the product, such as, the product info (weights, size & dimensions), how the product works and it has the pictures of the product being used (life pictures).<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387892<\/td>\nHaven’t really used many web directories but the benefits are about getting more exposure. – Google ads works the best as well as SEO.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387794<\/td>\nAdvertisement, easy’er to find customers due to lot of people using google search etc. Presentation, customers having better overview from my company services.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387653<\/td>\nWidening the reach and trying to attract new customers. It’s a great way to find a new audience and put in front of a lot of people quickly and easily.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387488<\/td>\nI use Web directories because they allow my business to get the kind of exposure that I need at a very reasonable cost, so it doesn’t strain me nor my business financially. I’ve also noticed that it boosts the traffic on my website which improved sales. Plus the number of reviews has helped with the reputation of my business and its validity.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387462<\/td>\nit amplify online presence, increase web traffic and it also improves online ranking and visibility not to forget that its build the business reputation and trust more it boost your SEO and when people go to Google will be able to see it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387255<\/td>\nthey increase the visibility of my business and more people get to know about my products and services we offer. it is cost effective to use web directories the ranking of my business have improved ever since i listed it on web directories and sales have been increasing ever since i started using it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386728<\/td>\nThey can be a little hit and miss in terms of getting a return, you don’t always get a return on your initial investment.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386336<\/td>\nI don’t really use them since the benefits are very minor but the offpage SEO\/Incoming links would be the main one.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386280<\/td>\nIt is extremely cost effective, it increases sales and web traffic and helps me reach my targeted consumer group so much easier<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386040<\/td>\nWeb directories are a critical factor in ranking. There’s no coincidence that all of the top-ranking websites have citations. Building structured citations from the most reputable directories. Analyze the backlinks of your competitors and build listings on directories they have links on.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385796<\/td>\nIt adds credibility to the business and a way to get the name out. Web directories provide direct exposure to potential viewers when they visit the online directory. This increases the probability that a listed business will appear on search engine result pages, and consequently increases the chances of more people knowing about the business and visiting the business website<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385639<\/td>\nYour business can be found by the people you would like to target and can result in new custom. It can be done online and you don’t have to be face to face with people.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385443<\/td>\nI think the main benefits of web directories include giving more relevant searches since they are organized into browsable subject categories. They benefit me more due to the site description a potential client had read in the directory. He already knows what he’s looking for and knows I provide this specific product. Also link building helps me get a better ranking in the search engine result.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385312<\/td>\nYou can be found easily even when the customers only know the name, they can order or call directly from there.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385280<\/td>\nWeb directories are beneficial because they increase the visibility of your website to potential customers. Web directories also help your business to rank high in the search engines by leveraging SEO<\/a> techniques, so that when people search for certain keywords used by tour website, it is one if the first they see.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385208<\/td>\nUsing Web directory help you to reach more number of customers at a low cost. It helps me to engage with different customer needs and expectations at one time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385067<\/td>\nWeb directories help to have a better presence on the internet, to be able to share detailed information about my business to find more clients<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384885<\/td>\nIt generates a new audience for your business that would not have existed if not for web directories. It reaches an audience that is very necessary<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384844<\/td>\nThey help me gain more visitors and clicks. Using web directories gives me a larger span to cover and an increased client base over time.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384787<\/td>\nGives you access to a wide range of potential customers from all over the world and with different backgrounds. It also lets you define your brand and show it the way you want.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384718<\/td>\nA web directory provides the perfect<\/a> place for a businesses to advertise their website. Therefore if you promote your website in the correct category then you can drive the type of users you’re looking for to your website.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384672<\/td>\nThey help to facilitate navigation because they are classified according to something specific, such as organizing them in filters and help the user to have more specific information of what they are looking for.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384636<\/td>\nThe main perks of using web directories is that they are very reliable and convenient it’s a very convenient tool to use for marketing your business.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384616<\/td>\nGenerally speaking web directories don’t generate a huge amount of enquiries but those that do tend to be better enquiries because they tend o be looking for our specific services.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384472<\/td>\nYou are able to reach your direct audience which helps you have a more direct approach when marketing. It also makes things easier.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384375<\/td>\nTrustful backlink for the own website, Increase the visibility in my market, good trust for better ranking in search engines.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384209<\/td>\nBoost in Online Presence. Increase sales in the business, reaching targeted audience and customers easily.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

Web directories tend to get dismissed as a relic of the 1990s, but the benefits people cite in surveys like this one are concrete and current. The most common answer is visibility: a directory listing gives a business another place to be found beyond its own website and its social accounts. That matters because most people who go looking for a local business start with a search or a category, not a brand name they already know. Pew Research Center found that Americans seeking information about local businesses rely on the internet ahead of any other source, with 38% of adults turning to search engines for restaurants, bars, and clubs and 36% using search engines for other local businesses. A directory that ranks well feeds directly into that behavior.<\/p>\n

The second benefit respondents point to is trust. There is a difference between a business that has listed itself in a hundred automated places and one that appears in a directory where a human editor checked the entry first. Curation is the whole point. Louis Rosenfeld, Peter Morville, and Jorge Arango, in Information Architecture: For the Web and Beyond (2015), argue that how information is organized, labeled, and categorized determines whether people can find it at all, and they treat browsing structured categories and searching as complementary ways users locate what they need. A well-kept directory does the organizing work so the visitor does not have to.<\/p>\n

Respondents also mention structured discovery. When you browse a category, you are comparing like with like: plumbers against plumbers, accountants against accountants. That framing helps a smaller business get noticed next to larger competitors, because the listing puts everyone on similar footing. It is the same reason categorized listings have survived every shift in search technology. The web began this way. Tim Berners-Lee, in Weaving the Web (1999), recounts that the earliest method for finding anything online was a human-maintained list of links kept at CERN. The tools changed, but the underlying need to have someone sort the web into something browsable never went away.<\/p>\n

Where a listing fits in a wider plan<\/h3>\n

A directory listing is not a marketing strategy on its own, and the survey answers reflect that. People describe it as one reliable channel among several: a stable place that keeps sending a trickle of qualified visitors while other tactics come and go. John Jantsch, in Duct Tape Marketing (2011), makes a related point, arguing that a small firm gains more from being consistently findable and referable than from any single campaign. A listing supports exactly that goal. It is low maintenance, it does not disappear when an ad budget runs out, and it works while you are doing other things.<\/p>\n

Two practical considerations come up when you weigh a listing. First, accuracy. An outdated address, a dead phone number, or a wrong set of hours does more harm than no listing at all, so keep the entry current. Second, relevance. A general directory reaches a broad audience, while a niche one reaches fewer people who are more likely to convert. Many respondents use both, and there is no reason to treat that as a contradiction.<\/p>\n

Q6. What is the most frustrating experience you encountered in your online marketing strategy? (min 100 characters)<\/h2>\n

Q6. What is the most frustrating experience you encountered in your online marketing strategy? (min 100 characters)<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n\n
143392151<\/td>\nThey are costly, websites are not entirely a free service. For building a business website, a business owner needs to hire a professional who should be paid for his work. Furthermore, companies need to spend on web hosting and domain. Now this is not one time payment, the users need to renew them yearly. There are also other indirect costs involved like internet connection and computer system all which can increase the expenditures.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391597<\/td>\nSometimes not getting or achieving the expected results. That is really frustrating for me cause it takes a lot of effort and energy to create the content.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391576<\/td>\nIncreasing traffic steadily and raising awareness for products. I also find social media to be a real mixed bag and very time consuming.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391545<\/td>\nThe cost associated with some of it and the little results that come from it at times. Being worldwide the internet brings so much competition one normally would not have if only doing business locally.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391541<\/td>\nThere is a lot behind SEO\/SEM (pay per click). The hardest part is just knowing how to navigate them to your strategy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143391087<\/td>\nhow to stand out against bigger competitors without a commensurate digital marketing budget. or feeling that Google’s search algorithm is slightly biased towards brands especially small brands<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390964<\/td>\nCLICKBAIT is by far my biggest problem. Most sites overcharge and underdeliver on their promises. Also, the use of bots is another serious problem. As a business, you want to advertise to real people. bots are counterproductive in marketing and give an unrealistic view in terms of campaign results.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390823<\/td>\nNot getting the views I wanted, I find that with the algorithms it has become a bit unpredictable how a campaign is going to run. You can’t really say if a post is going to get a lot of reach and engagement because of that.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390668<\/td>\nThe most frustrating experience was finding the time to figure everything out that I needed to. I had so many other things to work on that it was hard to set aside time for my strategy.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143390016<\/td>\nThe difficulty in actually placing the advertisement. The process of exactly what to do to make and place and pay for the ad or video ad is just ridiculously hard to comprehend on some venues.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143389766<\/td>\nLow engagement on my content. Taking time and planning the content and than people don’t respond well, has you thinking you find work hard enough<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143389506<\/td>\nI think the most frustrating experience is when you want to do. something different but you do not know how because everyone else has already used almost all the ideas so you need to create a new one, but there’s difficult because you have to think if people will like it if it really will work and you need to be fast because there are many pages and they never stop working so if you take your time maybe when you want to do it they will already use it<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143389481<\/td>\nIn the beginning it was difficult getting setup and having the knowledge available to set up an online presence. Finding the right people and hiring the right company to do my online marketing was frustrating with little reward at the start.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388997<\/td>\nThe most frustrating experience I have encountered in my online marketing strategy is the lack of response to previous online marketing strategies that I have used before. The expense of the strategies has not been worth the expense, I my experience.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388784<\/td>\nThe T&Cs have to be thoroughly read, no matter what sort of marketing you’re doing online. (to understand the real costs)<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388774<\/td>\nIt was difficult to find my niche audience and use key words in google advertising techniques during first promotion steps<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388733<\/td>\nI had a bad experience when the targeting of my customers lacked precision, mainly on free web directories.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388713<\/td>\nHaving to constantly market, sometimes doing it 12 hours a day on different platforms. Sometimes growth is slow.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388686<\/td>\nLife getting in the way and me not being able to fulfil what I have planned out to the best of my ability. I have also experienced competitors stealing content ideas which can be pretty demoralizing.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388442<\/td>\nPeople enquiring then not buying. They text on Facebook about something then never get back to me about buying.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388247<\/td>\nInitially, chicken and egg – you can’t attract clients without a portfolio and you can’t build a portfolio without clients. Led to me working for next to nothing to develop a client base and my prices for work carried out have never reached the levels they should because of this.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143388108<\/td>\nFacebook and Instagram gatekeeping and throttling when charging for clicks, it severely disadvantages smaller businesses who need to watch every cost center.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387992<\/td>\nSometimes is frustrating how target market miss understand the product info where you have to explain it simpler way to make them understand. At first it was actually frustrating to get followers. In today’s time you need to make sure that your products marketing suits everyone to understand. Getting social followers it really frustrating and to do that you need to make your marketing as unique as possible so that target market can see and want to buy the product.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387892<\/td>\nAds not getting by Facebook ads: Facebook ads is a huge aspect of our marketing strategy due to the high user number on Facebook and across its sites like Instagram – Sometimes ads get disabled for no reason which is really frustrating – Getting in touch with their support is hard too<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387794<\/td>\nMost frustrating maybe is to get customers from outside my country. As our country is small and competition is very tight also in advertisement marketing via web-s. Another thing is to find all the time new ideas and advertisement to be on the top via web.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387653<\/td>\nMost frustrating experience is with some real time reporting and some technical issues with a few marketing channels<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387488<\/td>\nGetting less engagement than what I had anticipated. When I first got into online marketing, I thought I would get so much exposure and engagements quickly from promising customers and prospects because of how big the Internet is but the outcome of it was too slow and too draining and it really frustrated me.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387462<\/td>\nI have to always post so that people can see how important my business is and that I’m dedicated because people can’t support your business if you don’t trust it or show it regularly in public and having to separate personal account and business was also stressful.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143387255<\/td>\nwhen customers rate my business low due to some misunderstanding having to turn frustrated customers to loyal customers<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386728<\/td>\nSome companies want cash to place your details on their website. So they do an offer to get you interested then you have to pay extra the following year.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386336<\/td>\nCompetition trying to have listings and incoming links delisted or souring relations with platforms and b2b revenue. Otherwise just plain old cost benefit- many advertising platforms cost way too much vs their return because of the amount of competition in my field.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386280<\/td>\nFinding ways to stand out from all the other companies doing the same thing as me and being dependent on internet<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143386040<\/td>\nAlgorithmic inconsistencies of paid media advertisers like Facebook Ads, as in the algorithm fails to distinguish keywords that seem like are semantically closely related but are actually not from the same industry or niche. Even worse when those keywords are not from English audiences.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385796<\/td>\nTarget audience is a challenge because your target audience may not be a single demographic; rather you could be serving multiple personas, demographics and customer types. But knowing who your target audience is is vastly different then knowing your target audience. That is, knowing that they want, what they need and meeting their expectations<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385639<\/td>\nThere’s competition so clients may contact many companies at a time and this may not result in new custom for you. They also may be more timewasters too.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385443<\/td>\nI think the most frustrating experience was hitting my target audience. It took me some time to learn how to manage social media and come up with some good strategies. The start was the hardest.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385312<\/td>\nMoney is sucked up really fast, and there is not a real guarantee that you can be seen there or even get real sales<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385280<\/td>\nThe most frustrating experience I have experienced is generating a huge amount of leads but not being able to convert these into paying customers. It is hard to have to pay substantial amounts of money to boost marketing and to put products in front of as many eyes as possible but not be able to make a quick turnover.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385208<\/td>\nThere is more competition and customer tend to use the “well known trusted web” . It may be hard to gain customer loyality since you are not engaging with them face to face.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143385067<\/td>\nAlthough many people can find information about my business, it does not go beyond that, that is, they do not get to write to the classes or have a greater interaction<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384885<\/td>\nAll of these directories asking you to pay per post and not having a annual fee per annum and not paying per post.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384844<\/td>\nNothing really! Social media has been a great way to promote my brand as it is very low cost and my particular target audience are heavy social media users<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384787<\/td>\nEven with being consistent, some products seem to sell more than others, regardless of what I initially thought the reception of those products would be<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384718<\/td>\nCustomers not following a simple ”How to buy” policy and sending private messages to my personal account.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384672<\/td>\nCurrently there are many websites with the information<\/a> that I want to make known, so specializing in content is often repetitive for the user.<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384636<\/td>\nThe most frustrating experience I ever encountered during online marketing was probably the amount of time o has to wait for approval<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384616<\/td>\nThe biggest frustration for me is understanding why a particular campaign might not be as successful as hoped and what elements to tweak in order to drive more success<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384472<\/td>\nHaving to create different content for different platforms and having to stay consistent while being on brand and staying within the trends<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384375<\/td>\nto much opportunities to find out which one is working for my business and its need time and money for that<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
143384209<\/td>\nGrowing content and reaching a high amount of target on time. Lack of sales, reach your target sales at given time<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

The open text answers to this question ran in a few clear directions, and none of them will surprise anyone who has tried to promote a small business online. The most frequent complaint is effort that produces nothing measurable. People pour hours into content, posts, and paid ads, then struggle to see whether any of it moved the needle. When you cannot connect the work to a result, the work starts to feel arbitrary, and that is where frustration sets in.<\/p>\n

A second recurring theme is the cost and unpredictability of paid search and social advertising. Respondents describe rising bids, shifting rules, and campaigns that performed one month and flopped the next. The instinct to lean harder on paid channels is understandable, but it can crowd out cheaper approaches that compound over time. David Meerman Scott, in The New Rules of Marketing and PR (2022), argues that the web replaced the old model of buying attention: any organization, however small, can now earn attention by publishing useful content that buyers find when they search. That does not make advertising pointless, but it does suggest that owners who feel trapped by ad costs have another lever to pull.<\/p>\n

A third frustration is reputation, and specifically reviews. Owners describe watching a single bad review outweigh a run of good ones, and feeling powerless to respond. The frustration is real, and so is the underlying mechanism. Judith Chevalier and Dina Mayzlin, in their study of online book reviews (2006), found that the negative impact of one-star reviews is greater than the positive impact of five-star reviews, which is evidence that customers read the review text rather than glancing at a star average. The practical lesson is not to chase perfection but to gather enough genuine feedback that no single opinion dominates, and to reply to criticism in a way that future readers will judge fairly.<\/p>\n

What the frustrations have in common<\/h3>\n

Look across the answers and one thread ties them together: a loss of control. Ad platforms change their rules, algorithms decide who sees what, and reviews arrive whether you ask for them or not. You cannot fully control any of those, but you can build channels that stay put. Your own website is one. A listing in a curated directory is another. Both are assets you keep, rather than rented attention that vanishes the moment you stop paying.<\/p>\n

The other shared thread is measurement. Owners who felt most frustrated were often the ones with the least visibility into their own results. Before adding a new tactic, it helps to know which channels already bring people in and how those visitors behave once they arrive. That baseline turns marketing from a series of hopeful bets into a set of decisions you can defend.<\/p>\n

If you take one thing from these two questions, make it this: pick a small number of channels you can actually maintain and measure, keep your listings accurate, and treat reviews as feedback to manage rather than a scoreboard to obsess over. That is a more durable position than chasing whatever tactic promises the biggest short-term lift.<\/p>\n

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The two survey questions below come from an online marketing study we ran using QuestionPro in 2022. Each one gets at a practical concern that small business owners raise again and again: whether web directories still earn their keep, and where online marketing tends to break down. The responses gave us a fuller picture of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":19672,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[18,132,19,51,767,47,46,21],"tags":[752],"class_list":["post-19671","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-blogging","category-e-commerce","category-internet-marketing","category-link-building","category-marketing","category-seo","category-small-business","category-social-media","tag-marketing"],"yoast_head":"\nOnline marketing study 2022 created using QuestionPro<\/title>\n<meta name=\"description\" content=\"The two survey questions below come from an online marketing study we ran using QuestionPro in 2022. 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