In light of the new internet age netizens demand to have any and all information at their finger tips, especially about the reputation and quality of businesses they don’t know anything about but are interested in. Whether it is finding out if a new restaurant is any good, or if a contractor has a high record of satisfied customers, people want to know ‘how good’ the business/company is. The Web and Yelp have helped achieve this.
Yelp is a ‘web-based urban guide’, essentially a repository of businesses (both online and brick & motor) which is centered around reviews from consumers. As of 2014, Yelp.com had 132 million monthly visitors and 57 million reviews You don’t need to have setup a ‘profile’ for your business yourself to have it appear in Yelp, chances are if you have been in business for a little while someone will have already made your profile and you will be accumulating reviews.
What should I do with my business on Yelp?
First things first, you must search Yelp for your business and ‘claim’ it as soon as possible! It is vital to be in control of your PR and reputation. If you can’t find your business when searching then you will be able to create your profile fresh from scratch.
After claiming (or creating) your profile the next thing to do would be to complete it in its fullest, providing as much useful information as you can to consumers. There will then be a phone call verification procedure to ensure that you are indeed the owner.
What is next?
1) If you have any negative reviews or blatantly false reviews you have the chance to take up these reviews and contact the Yelp user in an effort to understand and remedy any problems, which can result with him or her if satisfied, removing the negative review.
2) Use yelp as a soundboard for your special offers, promotions and events. There will be a section where you can put this information and update it. This can help move curious customers into consumers
3) If your company has little or no repute/reviews then it is time to take matters into your own hands and encourage your customers (either ones visiting your website, or ones in your store) to go to your Yelp page and give feedback as to their experience. You could even go so far as to offer an incentive (such as a coupon) if they go and leave a review on Yelp.
Conclusion
By doing this you can take control of your repute on the web and make Yelp work for you, by instilling confidence and security into your customers.
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