Sport tends to mirror the best, and the worst of real life and that is possibly its greatest attraction. Sure there's the drama, the comebacks, the domination, the fierce contests between rivals - but I think sports is at its greatest and most dire, when it reflects...
Video killed the radio star, part 2
I talk to thousands of business owners and consumers each year. While they are all obviously different - in age, gender, racial and ethic background and life experience - the one thing they have in common is that they are trying to connect - with customers and with...
Checking the online vitality of your business
One of the most surprising thing to me when talking to business owners is the large percentage that do not do the simplest thing to analyse the strength of their business online - regularly Googling their business name. Searching your own business name regularly is...
Picking a restaurant because of a negative review
Earlier this year I was in Christchurch and was looking for a diner to eat breakfast at. Christchurch has a number of great breakfast diners and I wanted to find one I hadn’t been to before. So, I Googled it and there were a few options – all not too far away and all...
Losing keeps winners winning
By virtue of its phenomenal ratio of wins against losses and draws, the All Blacks are the most successful team in sports. The New Zealand rugby public has become so used to their national team beating other nations in test matches that losses are considered too much...
Feeling gravity’s pull – the power of online reviews
Push and pull - the connection between a business and its hoped for customers. What fills the gap? What drives one toward the other? What are the most effective and easiest ways to ensure customers are actively drawn toward a business as opposed to being reached out...
How online reviews help increase SEO
Some people think of it as the holly grail, some people know all the ways of making the most of it, and some people don't really understand it at all, but SEO - (Search Engine Optimisation) is not overly difficult to comprehend and there are lots of ways that you can...
In reviews – 29th August ’23
Looking back over the past week and to the weeks ahead - to rate the noteworthy, the cringeworthy, the good, the bad, the ugly, and the truly amazing. Rugby World Cup 2023 and it's wide open Next weekend the Rugby World Cup kicks off in France with the first game...
Key questions for every business owner
NoCowboys has been in business long enough to know what works and what doesn't when it comes to marketing. We pioneered online reviews from the days when online feedback was in its infancy. Since then we have helped tens of thousands of New Zealand businesses grow and...
Negative reviews are part of an honest assessment of a business
Because I am in the online review business, I read as much as I can about reviews, how consumers read and use reviews, and how much reviews help businesses online. Personally, I find the whole thing fascinating and so many times when I'm reading about consumer...









