Seven Steps to Business Success on Yelp.com
Yelp.com is a popular business review website enjoying tremendous growth. Quantcast.com, which tracks website popularity, has found that Yelp.com’s traffic has doubled in the period between October 2008 and March 2009. With such rapid growth in popularity, it’s obvious that Yelp.com that can be beneficial for the promotion of your business now and in the future. Here’s how you go about using Yelp.com to your advantage:
Step One: Get listed. Begin by registering on Yelp.com and searching Yelp’s directory for your business listing. If a listing exists, use the “claim this listing” link to create your official business profile. If your business doesn’t have a listing, then it’s time to create one.
Step Two: Begin Yelping. Set aside an hour a day each week to get used to how Yelp works. Get a feel of Yelp.com by reviewing a favorite bookstore or coffee shop. Get more perspective by reading other reviews by your fellow Yelpers.
Step Three: Get yourself reviewed. Once your business is listed, you can now get reviews. A good way to get positive reviews on your profile is to solicit them from your family and friends. There’s nothing wrong with this (it’s a good way to jump start your profile), but you must tread carefully. Yelp.com’s system deletes reviews that don’t seem “normal.” Here’s how you can make sure reviews from your friends and family aren’t automatically deleted:
Yelp.com’s platform works against spam reviews by deleting reviews from users who don’t “act” like regular users, i.e. leaving only one review, never visiting the site more than once, only leaving positive reviews, etc. If you’re going to solicit reviews from people close to you, make sure they act like “normal” Yelpers – ask them to review half-a-dozen or so other businesses (along with your business) over the course of a couple of weeks. This will likely keep Yelp’s system from deleting reviews.
Step Four: Create a great profile. The secret to business success on Yelp is to create an interesting profile. Businesspeople are often too busy to take care of such things, but a few minutes spent on your profile will pay dividends later. Your Yelp profile should be a mirror of your business – keep it vibrant and fun to get more prospects to come your way.
Step Five: Be active in the community. Your business profile allows you to recommend 5 other businesses. While it’s most logical to recommend the businesses of your own acquaintances, it’s actually a better practice to use your recommendations wisely and recognize other active Yelpers who would might reciprocate with a link or a good review.
Step Six: Solicit customer reviews. The best people who can review your business on Yelp are your customers, so let them know at every opportunity that you’re now listed on Yelp and that you’d appreciate their review. Put a quick sign over your cash register, write a short blurb about it your newsletter, etc. Your happiest customers always want to help you.
Step Seven: Network. It doesn’t get any simpler – network with other business owners and exchange good reviews. You should also take advantage of Yelp’s social network. When you see a good review from someone, become a fan. By building a network of friends on Yelp.com, you’ll maintain a good profile.
As Yelp continues to grow, complete business profiles with good reviews are leading to more and more new customers. Participating on Yelp.com now, and encouraging your customers to leave you positive reviews, will pay big dividends later as Yelp continues to grow.
Filed under: Marketing