Grow Your Business with Yelp

How to Grow Your

Business With Yelp

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Your logo goes here

Webinar Outline

Why Yelp is important to your business

Setting up and optimizing your page

Responding to reviews

8 tips to generate more positive reviews

Navigating the Yelp Review Filter

Leverage customer reviews to boost sales

Why Yelp is Important

to Your Business

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How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // Why Yelp is Important to Your Business

+ Manage Your Image

Yelp is the #1 local/regional website

and app

Claim your business to upload

photos, add website link and ensure

hours, phone number and other

information is always up-to-date

Yelp has free tools that showcase

your business to their community

Control Your Business’s Information

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A Yelp Business Owner Account

allows you to connect with

customers and respond to reviews

Use the free response tools

available in Yelp for Business

Owners to join conversations

You can respond via a private

message, or post a public comment

for all future consumers to see

(Current + Potential)

Connect with Customers

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Yelp makes customers more

comfortable choosing small

businesses over major brands

In past, customers relied on brand

name to be assured of quality

Research has shown that if a local

business is on Yelp, customers will

choose them over a big brand

Over Big National Brands

Gives You a Competitive Advantage

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Google’s local search algorithm update

(Jul. 14) gives more prominence to local

map and directory sites, such as Yelp

In many cases, your Yelp listing may

outrank your website

A Yelp listing gives you organic SEO

Gives search engines social proof

Yelp Helps Increase Your Rank

Local Search

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4 out of 5 Yelp users visit the site

when they plan to spend money

98% of Yelp users made a purchase at

a business they found on Yelp

55% of Yelp users take action (call,

visit, etc.) with a local business

frequently/every time they visit the site

Your Listing Helps Them Decide Where

Yelp Users Spend $$

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How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // Why Yelp is Important to Your Business Your logo goes here

MORE EDUCATED

57% of Yelp users have a Bachelor’s degree or higher Vs. 38% of all online users

MORE AFFLUENT

$68,000 annual income Vs. $54,000 for all online users

YOUNGER

Average age of 41.1 years Vs. 44.8 years for all online users

to Build Your Business

Connect with a Powerful Audience

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Be Ready!

…Your Customers Will Find You

VS.

As Yelp Continues to Grow…

Setting Up +

Optimizing Your Yelp Page

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How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // Setting Up and Optimizing Your Page

Visit biz.yelp.com

Follow the step-by-step prompts

Step 1: Find and Claim Your Business



…Respond to reviews privately and publicly

After you setup your page, you can…

Step 2: Respond to Reviews



…Track your user views and customer leads


Step 3: Track Reviews



…Add photos and a link to your page


Step 4: Add Photos



…Update important information such as your

business hours and phone number


Step 5: Keep it Updated

Responding to Reviews

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How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // Responding to Reviews

Respond in a timely manner

You are saying “thank you” to a customer that went

out of their way

Responding to positive reviews is now part of Yelp’s

Best Practice Guidelines

Respond to Positive Reviews

Build a Loyal Customer Base

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Use Reviews to Your Advantage

Make sure the negative review is surrounded by

positive ones

A Harris poll showed that customers actually trust

businesses more when they see a few bad apples

Be sure to respond to the negative review quickly to

show that your business is addressing the problem

Managing Negative Reviews

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Address the problem directly

Identify the underlying issue and lead with an

apology

Establish empathy by adding a human element to

your response - this will help mend the wound

Step 1: Proactively Respond

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A short response is less likely to trigger additional

negative feelings

Never accuse the customer of wrong doing or lying

Always be polite and professional

Step 2: Keep it Brief and Polite

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Always avoid back-and-forth arguments online

Suggest you bring the conversation offline and

bring in a manager or owner (if applicable)

Include a name and a direct phone line to establish

credibility

Step 3: Take It Offline

8 Tips to Generate

More Positive Reviews


How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // 8 Tips to Generate More Positive Reviews

Tip #1

Start with Family and Friends

If you’ve done work for family and friends, there’s nothing wrong with

asking them to leave you a review

Pace your requests; you don’t want to use all your resources up front



Tip #2

Include a Link in Your Email Signature

There is a strong chance you email customers, vendors and

partners on a regular basis

“Have we done business together? Please review us on Yelp!”



Tip #3

Never Stop Asking

Make a habit of asking for reviews whenever the opportunity arises

Solicit verbally, at point-of-sale, with window signage, showcasing

positive reviews in-store, etc.



Tip #4

Reach Out to Previous Reviewers

If you have positive reviews on other platforms, reach out to those

reviewers and ask them to leave you feedback on Yelp

You already know that they review and that they like your business



Tip #5

Ask During Phone Calls

Did you just have a great phone conversation with a customer?

Did a previous customer leave a “review card” with their phone

number?

Ask them to review their experience with you



Tip #6

Build a Reviews “Cheat Sheet”

Include instructions that tells your customers how to review your

business

Provide links to your Yelp profile and give them to your customers

at the point of sale (i.e. cash register, final bill, in the mail, etc.)



Tip #7

Add a Reviews Page on Your Website

Similar to the physical review “cheat sheet” but accessible online

Provide links to your online profile with review instructions

Make the URL to your review page easy to remember



Tip #8

Email Marketing

You do collect emails, right? If you don’t, you need to start today

It’s as easy as collecting business cards or having a sign up sheet

When sending emails out to customers, always ask for a review or

provide a link to your newly created “Review Page” on your website

Navigating the Yelp Review Filter


How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // Navigating the Yelp Review Filter

The Yelp Review Filter

Valuable and Frustrating

Good and bad reviews can be filtered

out if Yelp believes they are fake

Source of pain for local businesses

who are honest when using the

platform

Yelp does a better job of filtering than

most other review sites



How a Yelp Review is Marked “Spam”

To Defeat An Enemy,

One Must Understand Them

When it is from someone who has only

written one review

When it is from someone who has no profile

info (profile photo, additional info, Facebook

link, etc.)

When it is strongly slanted both positively

and negatively


How to Grow Your Business with Yelp // Navigating the Yelp Review Filter Your logo goes here

Why Are Legitimate Reviews Filtered?

You Aren’t Alone

If you ask customers for Yelp reviews, you

run the risk of having a positive review

filtered out

If your reviewer doesn’t have a long

history, creates a minimal profile and post

only one slanted review, Yelp may flag it

How can you avoid this?



Help Your Positive Reviews

Make It Through Yelp’s Filter

Add the reviewer as a friend

Send the reviewer a message

Respond (which you should be doing for all Yelp reviews)

Vote the review as “Useful” or “Funny” or both



Help Your Customers and Friends

By Creating a Real Yelp Footprint

Leave Yelp reviews for local businesses

Follow customers and friends

Leave honest reviews that have realistic

distributions (1 to 5)

Connect to your Facebook account

Make friends (you can use Facebook or

email to send invites)



Help Your Customers and Friends

By Creating a Real Yelp Footprint Cont’d

Download the Yelp app and check in

Leave tips (show that you are more than

just review scores)

Leave reviews over time

Continue building your profile and you

might even be invited to join the Yelp

Elite Squad!



So…

Should I Solicit Yelp Reviews or not?

Okay to ask for reviews, just not “good” reviews

Never, ever pay for positive reviews! If Yelp catches you, it will label

you a Yelp Review Cheater

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