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Self Made An NASE blog on the self-employed and micro-business 
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Do You Know What Your Customers Are Saying?
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Thursday, October 29, 2009
Posted by Molly Nelson - You most likely have a Web site for your business. You may also have a blog, or even be active on Twitter. While putting your business out there is a great first step, listening (and responding) to what your customers are saying about your business is just as important.
If you're interested in hearing the chatter about your business, there are numerous tools to help you do so. - Google Alerts are a good place to start. Enter search terms like the name of your business or other keywords, specify how often you would like to receive e-mail alerts containing your search results, then sit back and let the power of Google search the interwebs for you.
- If you tweet, be sure to take advantage of Twitter search. You can search for mentions of your Twitter handle, hashtags or other terms. Instead of having to enter your search terms each day, we've found it convenient to add Twitter searches as RSS feeds to an RSS feed reader. If you would prefer to be notified of your mentions on Twitter by e-mail or SMS text, a service like Pingie might be for you.
- I'm going to assume you've Googled your business before to see what comes up, but if you haven't yet searched for your business on Yelp, go look for it right now - don't worry, we'll be here when you get back. Not only does Yelp show you what customers are saying (or not saying) about your business, Yelp also provides you with a free Yelp for Business Owners account, which allows you to "claim" your business page, update information, and privately message customers to respond to questions or address problems.
- This Inc. Technology article highlights a few other monitoring services, some free like Trackle and others that do charge a monthly fee, but provide more robust monitoring and analytics.
So what are you waiting for, get out there and start listening!
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Meet the NASE Staff Bloggers 
Kristin Oberlander - In public affairs, my job is to serve as a link between the
association, micro-businesses and the media. When I have down time, I
enjoy drinking large quantities of coffee, contemplating how I will
cram one more pair of (un)needed shoes into my closet and finding
creative ways to remove my dog’s hair from my clothes, car, own hair
and food. My biggest pet peeve is drivers who don’t understand 4-way
stops.
 Kristin on Twitter
 Kristin on LinkedIn
Katie Vlietstra - As Director of Government Affairs, I work to explain how actions on Capitol Hill can impact the self-employed. I love D.C. and have made my home in Capitol Hill, where I live with my fiancé and black Labrador, Coltrane. We love playing volleyball and softball on the National Mall.
Katie on Twitter
Katie on LinkedIn
Molly Nelson - I help out with the NASE’s legislative advocacy, communications, and
public relations. From attending hearings on the Hill to helping select
the cover design for the member magazine, I’ve always got something new
going on. I like practicing yoga, running through different parts of
the city, and I’m an admitted etymology/grammar nerd.
Molly on Twitter
Molly on LinkedIn
Kristie Arslan - As President, one of my chief roles is to educate legislators and the media on how key issues such as health care, tax, and the lagging economy affect the self-employed. When I am not speaking out for our members, I spend my time helping my husband with his small business.
Kristie on Twitter
Kristie on LinkedIn
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