There was a time when consumers reached for the Yellow Pages when they wanted to find a particular type of business. That is certainly not the case today. Thanks to accessible internet and smartphones that have blurred the lines between mobile devices and computers, people can find just about anything they want with a quick Google search. What this means is, setting up an internet presence is more important for local businesses today than it was ever before.
This is where location-based business directory services and crowd-sourced review forums like Yelp come in.
Yelp is a big rage among online marketers these days, and rightly so — it allows for incredibly precise and measurable marketing campaigns with a minimal amount of effort and budget.
How does it work?
Yelp tends to focus on content curation — content is generated from local Yelpers who share reviews of the local businesses they frequent in their respected cities. These reviews are then curated, organized, and published by the Yelp Community Manager on a page within the platform. These published reviews can be pretty powerful when it comes to forming a local merchant’s online reputation. The good news is that you, as a business owner, can actively participate in the process.
To begin, you will need to claim your listing on Yelp. This is pretty straightforward, and it should only take a few minutes. Once the listing has been claimed, you will have access to all of the conversations being had about your business. You can look at who has been reviewing your products and services and respond to any comments or feedback that has been published.
But what if you get a negative review?
Before you get to manage your business reputation online, you have to manage it offline. You’ll want to do everything you can to get only positive responses from your customers. More than ever, disgruntled customers (justified or not) can really hurt your local business. Here are two tips to help with Yelp reviews.
Tip #1
Yelp does not want you paying for reviews. If they think you are doing this, they will not post the reviews. So, do not pay for reviews. AND DO NOT have your customers post reviews from your shop as well. As soon as Yelp sees multiple reviews coming from your ISP, you could be penalized. You can offer some simple incentive to get your loyal customers to post reviews on Yelp for you. Whatever you offer, it doesn’t have to be much. You will be amazed at how little it takes to push people to action. You can ask your repeat customers for advice on what you could do to improve your service.
Tip #2
You should be very grateful for the positive Yelp postings from your happy customers. Make the most of them by really rewarding those customers who have already left positive reviews. You can ask them if they would agree to a testimonial for your website, with a link to their Yelp testimonial. You might want to reward them with something special, like a coupon discount for their next repair. Remember, Yelp likes their users who leave reviews on a number of different businesses. If a person posts just one review about one business, then Yelp will probably assume that was just your friend helping you out, and the review might not be published.
Are You Interested in Finding Out More About Yelp Listings Management in Milwaukee?
Don’t blow off Yelp just because you got a bad review! Today, Yelp should be part of your local online marketing strategy. If your business is not already listed on Yelp, we recommend getting on board ASAP. We can help you harness the power of online reviews on your Yelp listing. Get in touch with us today to make the most of your Milwaukee business’s online presence.