Great Marketing Message . . . but How Will Your Customers Find You?

Rev Ciancio, three-time agency owner, went from being a Yext superuser for his restaurant clients—ensuring the accuracy of digital information about their brands—their name, address, phone number, hours of operation, menu, handicap-accessible bathroom information—to his position as Director of Industry Insights at Yext (New York City). In this interview, Rev explains that, while people in hospitality knew that customer service was important, they often failed to understand the importance of internet reputation management, as is the case for many companies.

People have shifted in how they use the internet to discover businesses—searches have gone from desktop to mobile, from search bar to voice search . . . with a new dependence on AI, VR, chatbots, and knowledge graphs to deliver the requested information.

All search methods have three layers.

1. A UI (user interface), your link into the system—the browser search bar or the receiver for voice-activated systems.
2. AI (artificial intelligence), processes information and selects its response from the knowledge graph
3. Knowledge graph (a comprehensive database of information)

Businesses have no control over the user interface a particular prospective customer will use . . . and no control over how that system processes information. Businesses can manage the information customers receive if they manage their information in the databases . . . and must do so if they want to ensure that their businesses meet customer expectations.

Rev emphasizes that putting effort into marketing a company does not make sense if, when someone searches for information, that information is not accurate and consistent across platforms. Additionally, he notes that ratings and reviews must be managed.

Rev can be reached on Instagram, Rev Ciancio on Linked in, @revciancio on Twitter, or by email at: rev@yext.com. For those interested in food, follow him on @revciancio or @funwithfries (French fries).