“HELP YELP. They yelp for help”
-Dr. Seuss

 

Last week, the 451 team was lucky to meet with Damien Smith, Marketing and Community Manager of Yelp Boston.   He shared some tips on using Yelp for businesses and I am excited to share these with Heat readers.

First, a little background info on Yelp.  Yelp is a local search, social networking, and user review web site/mobile application all rolled in to one which situates them in the epicenter of all that is trendy in online services today.  As of March, 2011, Yelp has more than 50 million monthly visitors who have posted more than 17 million reviews.   Yelp is available in eight countries and is the 14th most traveled site on the web.  The core demographic is 25-49 years of age, affluent, educated, and live within 5 miles of a city – a prime target for most marketers.  Yelp is by and for its community – the community creates and monitors the content – they literally police for “fishy” posts.  Yelpers are mobile – every other second, a consumer gets directions to or the phone number of a business.

While many associate Yelp with restaurant reviews, it also has business reviews in nearly every consumer (and, surprisingly, some B2B) category including Health, Auto, Shopping (second only to Restaurants), and Beauty & Fitness.

So, how can a business optimize their Yelp listing?  Here are the top pointers shared with us by Yelp for businesses:

Make sure info on your business is complete. Sounds like a no-brainer, but correct phone number, address, and hours of operation are crucial to making sure that people can find you on Yelp. Keep  this info up to date – many of your potential customers rely on this information to learn more about your business and you don’t want to surprise them with something unexpected!

Remember to give valuable responses to customer reviews. Be sure to pay extra attention to the negative reviews – it is an opportunity to right any wrongs and assess customer input.  Remember, even if a review is hurtful, it came from someone who visited your business. They are (usually) providing you with ways to improve. Communication is key, so this is a feature you definitely want to take advantage of.

Post Announcements and Offers Frequently. Yelpers have a high rate of activity, so they will notice updates to your listing.  Also, your activity will appear in the directory for your city for everyone – not just people who visit your page – so this is a great opportunity to gain new clientele and reach out to people who haven’t heard of your business before. The more you post, the more people will notice your business, so start posting!

Show off Yelp Badges on your company’s sites. Yelp Badges display how well you engage with your community and tell visitors how many positive reviews you’ve had. Placing your Yelp Badges in a location where many people will come across them will give potential customers a good impression that you treat your patrons well and reveal their satisfaction with your work. These badges also act as links between your Yelp business page and your other sites. Giving your potential customers an additional reason to find out more about your business is always beneficial!

Don’t ask for reviews; let them come to you. I know, I know – this one seems counter-intuitive.  While it’s okay to let your customers know that you are on Yelp, soliciting reviews directly is not a good way to drive business to your company. Yelpers will know that something isn’t right when your reviews seem forced or self-selected.  Also, solicited reviews are often filtered – you wouldn’t want to offend a patron who you asked to review you.  Don’t cheat the system!  You want your customers to trust your business and the content you provide so that they will become regulars.

So, how can you be a successful Yelp business?  Here are a couple of businesses that Yelp says got it right:

Café Manolo (Westport, CT)

Why Yelp likes this listing: Awesome, helpful photos. Captivating story about the restaurant’s history.

The Southfork Hotel (Plano, TX)

Why Yelp likes this listing: Full use of “About this Business” features. The business owner nearly maxes out the character limit in every field. He also recommends five other businesses.

To see more, check out “Five Yelp Business Listings We Like, And Why”

So, how do you feel about Yelp as a tool for business?  Do you have any stories about how your business has utilized (or avoided) Yelp?  Let us know in the comment area below!

 

-Halley Sheffield, 451 Marketing Manager and Elaine Nip, 451 Marketing Intern