Strategic Web Success is the antidote to often-elitist commercial business: namely the cut-throat culture of online intercorporate competition. Nishit’s digital firm focuses on garnering good reviews from a willing public to powerfully elevate clients across a variety of small business. From private medical practices to trendy bakeries and local government, the enterprise combines philanthropic ethos with strategic marketing to not only boost a plethora of niche clients but further level an entire system. This is done through the subversive wielding of Reputation Marketing: a concept which was typically the domain of big business. Co-Founder, Nishit, elaborated: “Amazon, Google and Yellow Pages were using the approach where very few others had caught on. When starting SWS a decade ago, we noticed that many smaller businesses were struggling to collect customer feedback and online reviews. Search Engine Optimisation or paid ads were the normal method of getting additional traffic to the usual local business website. However, relying on SEO or paid ads is really not enough. With everyone fiercely aware of this, research shows that customers tend to trust third-parties, or ‘word-of-mouth’ over the company’s own marketing. What a Company says about themselves is their story; what their customers say about them is their reputation. We explore and make the most of that idea”: this, logically, is Reputation marketing!
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“It doesn’t matter if you’re higher on the search engine or the cheapest: what people want is superior quality.” Strategic Web Success then correspondingly offers a multi-faceted approach where clients are granted a workable feedback system through which they can monitor profitable performance while better selling themselves online. This includes how to efficiently collect reviews as well as posting the positive feedback on the most influential platforms, such as Google, Facebook and Trip Advisor, as well as solid integration of visibility on Google maps which is conjoined with online booking and so inevitably also feedback. Nishit is in the top 10% of Google Local Guides in London, and always helping to improve the Google maps experience. He is in the top 10% for reviewers on Google for bars, restaurants and venues. In fact, the company thrived during lockdown, expanding to 17 countries online. “We’d been discussing the potential of Zoom to strengthen communication before it was basically mandatory…”
But what happens to negative reviews? The answer truly reveals how benignly SWS differentiates itself. As well as positive feedback, the company drives constructive reform within the industry to genuinely elicit it: “Negative reviews are acknowledged and with the right team, can become a huge part of companies’ success. We encourage responsiveness to areas that need improvement, growing the company holistically. We regularly check-in and have dialogues about feedback so that the running of the company can itself evolve. We have feedback forms that help specify exactly which department and even individual is responsible. We also encourage the incentivising of staff to do well through certificates of achievement and special monetised rewards. We are interested in authentic good reviews that will consistently pour in.” Indeed, this unique outlook has been verified through the winning of several exciting awards for SWS: from the Innovation & Excellence Awards to making it into the Global 100 list.
Unsurprisingly, the CEO is a friendly accommodating individual who has actively incorporated ‘TLC’ into his business! “We realised that customers appreciated encouragement and guidance through the process of receiving and implementing lots of feedback so we have an entire team dedicated to oversee and practically assist.” And so, the best contemporary policy is one in which everybody wins. SWS transcends simple expert methodology to embody an essential universal aim: reverberating contentment. Valuing the people behind the numbers not only increases wealth but also creates longevity, preserving it. After all, true emotional investment can only come of a strong bond. This is the social master key to booming modern success: “Community and sustainable connection are at the heart of what we do. We 100% support CSR.”
You state that customers started to consider strong reviews over top search results on the internet. This implies the inherent democratisation of consumerism. Do you have any comment on harnessing online activity as empowerment of the public?
There are two sides to the coin. On the one hand, it’s incredible that we can leave a review or opinion about absolutely anything. On the flipside, the companies receiving unfiltered feedback are susceptible to unfair damage. You might have a vengeful or unreliable review and this could sabotage an entire business. Similarly, if a business bribes someone to leave positive reviews, they risk prosecution. It is illegal. It’s therefore important to be mindful and careful across the board.
Yes, it can be easy to glamourise the awesome power of the Web but with such authority is always the need for great responsibility and moderation.
Actually, in Thailand, a man who wrote persistently negative reviews of restaurants, which caused considerable harm to the company’s revenue, was sent to jail! Every country has different regulations but, again, consequences remain the same.
What has been a highlight moment?
Helping a dental practice thrive and basically become a mini-empire! The owners in question now have 8 separate, successful businesses: each of which SWS has closely assisted.
You say your award-winning duty to Community is what makes you unique. Tell us more.
Yes. Our CSR extends to volunteering to help improve access to the digital marketing know-how. We work with a few organisations and charities, donating time and experience: we work with the Sai school of Harrow. We moved the whole school online within a week, training students and teachers to use zoom to carry on with classes. We even opened its doors to Kenya virtually, expanding internationally; secondly, we do help out at Diwali on Trafalgar Square, working with the Mayor of London’s office. They call me their IT specialist, having found a solution that even a paid media company could not!; there’s Healing Our Earth, which is a communal organisation that brings together experts in mental health, gentle fitness such as yoga, and vegetarian cooks. It encourages people to maintain their health. We’ve had 126 shows so far, and through lockdown and I’ve run every single one. Finally, I love treating my team to fun destressing activities such as skydiving!
W: https://www.sws-ltd.com/about-us/
