Franchise Focused Marketing Blog
We all have that one friend who we can’t live without, but you just hate him/her. Maybe he stole a girlfriend from you in college. Or maybe she borrowed some clothes from you and never returned them. I’m sure some profane words came to mind when you thought of yours. That’s the thought most people have when they think of their Yelp profile. And yet, Yelp is there for you in so many ways you don’t even know.
Now, you’re probably reading this thinking “I hate Yelp, and it’s a big racket designed to make me spend money to look good on the internet.” And you’re kind of right. I mean, when you really get down to it, Yelp is kind of the digital version of the Better Business Bureau, and no one has ever had any problems with them, right? But in all seriousness, Yelp gets a bad rap for things that it really has no control over. I’ve had the privilege of having a great relationship with several people at Yelp, and I promise you they’re not evil demons who’s sole purpose in life is to make you pay up to have a good online reputation.
The perceived problem with Yelp is the same problem the internet has: the internet. The internet isn’t a place where everyone only speaks highly of one another, and all disagreements are civilized conversations where people make logical arguments & view other opinions with an open mind. The truth is, the internet is a place where people feel more comfortable speaking negatively about things than they do in person. And even as I say all of that, 44% of all reviews on Yelp are actually 5-star reviews. In fact, 68% of all reviews on Yelp are 4 & 5-star reviews. With 75 million unique desktop users, and 84 million unique mobile users, Yelp is a great place to showcase your business.
So why all the hate? Well, like that best friend, sometimes the things said on Yelp about your business happen to be the one thing that hurts the most: the truth. We’re human (at least most of us are), and we don’t like being told we did anything wrong. But, because we’re human, we make mistakes from time-to-time, and people notice it. And that right there is the whole reason why you need Yelp as part of your digital strategy. Yelp gives you a direct way to interact with not only your customers who like you, but also the ones who don’t. There will always be a few bad eggs who are out there to take you down, but they’re the minority.
Some tips on using Yelp as an important part of your digital strategy:
- If you don’t already have one, set up your business’ Yelp page
- Monitor your Yelp page regularly. Quick responses show the world you care
- Respond to negative reviews in a positive way
- Make sure you’re familiar with Yelp’s review guidelines. Yelp will remove reviews you flag that violate these. Learn more on how to flag reviews here
- Don’t solicit reviews.
There are a lot ways to maximize your Yelp page as part of your digital marketing strategy. We’d love an opportunity to partner with you in helping you let the world know just how great your product is. Contact us