SubscribeHow To Encourage Authentic Yelp Reviews for Your Business
In honor of my newly awarded Yelp *ELITE* status I’m inspired to share insight on how your business can use Yelp as an effective marketing tool and increase the chances that you’ll receive reviews from your customers.
Many businesses make the mistake of getting all of their friends and family to write positive reviews in order to boost their ratings. It’s important to keep in mind that this strategy is inauthentic and won’t work because of Yelp’s Review Filter. Yelp strives to provide a forum with real reviews and experiences that’s a true resource for consumers. Here’s how to encourage authentic Yelp reviews from customers who are already avid Yelpers.
1. Reward Yelpers- Show Yelpers that you acknowledge and appreciate their reviews but rewarding them after they write a review. This isn’t something you need to promote. In fact promoting that your customer will get something for a reviews is, bribery therefore does not earn you authentic reviews. I have two examples of how I’ve seen this done.
Burger Lounge- In October 2009, Burger Lounge announced that if you previously reviewed their business on Yelp, they wanted to thank you with a free burger on a specific day. This promotion was for those who already reviewed Burger Lounge, so even if you hadn’t reviewed them yet you still heard the positive buzz which may have encouraged you to try them out and write a review to possibly benefit from future promotions. I was one of the lucky reviewers, happily claimed my Yelp Burger (Veggie) and definitely shared this news with my entire network optimizing Burger Lounge’s exposure even more.
Dr. Grant McGann Oral & Reconstructive Surgery- After going to Dr. Grant McGann for my wisdom teeth, I wanted to share my positive experience with others. I submitted my Yelp review and to my pleasant surprise received a Thank You letter from Dr. McGann a couple weeks later. He enclosed two movie passes to show his appreciation. Of course after I received the letter, I took a photo and shared it with my entire network which resulted people not only being aware of what a great surgeon he is, but also praising him for being Social Media savvy.
2. Include Yelp Links Everywhere- I’m seeing many people include links to their Facebook and Twitter in various outlets but noticed many are forgetting Yelp. Include a link to your Yelp page on your email signature, website, email newsletters, Facebook page, etc. so your customers will start associating your business with Yelp.
3. Post Events on Yelp- Many businesses create Facebook invites to promote their events but most don’t know you can list your event on Yelp. Adding your event to Yelp provides you exposure to new customers who are Yelpers. If someone finds out about your event on Yelp they’re most likely an avid Yelper who is more likely to review your business.
4. Highlight Positive Yelp Reviews- Positive Yelp reviews can be used as testimonials for your business. Include a Yelper’s quote in your newsletter, website or Facebook update. You can also tweet portions of reviews with a link back to your Yelp page. This will remind people that you’re on Yelp and provide more credibility to your business as customers see other validating your company.
5. Address Yelper’s concerns- While we would all love to have 5 Star reviews 100% of the time, this won’t happen. Accept this and receive negative Yelp reviews as constructive criticism that will help you improve your business. If you read a review from a customer who has a real concern, take the initiative to reach out to them so they know you care about their experience. Depending on the concern you may want to offer them something to encourage them to try your business again. Perhaps a gift certificate or a refund. How you handle the situation can really make a difference in how that person talks about your business in the future. Many people will even go on and write an updated review after trying your business again.
What is your experience with Yelp? Are you an avid Yelper? Do you use it to find services or products? Has your business benefited from being on Yelp? Please feel free to share your insight in the comments below. Feel free to also follow Marketing Melodie’s Yelp Reviews.
Giveaway: Win a Complimentary Entry for Digital Media Dinners
I’m looking forward to hosting the first of my Digital Media Dinners series at Jasmine Restaurant this coming Tuesday November 9th starting at 5:30pm. We’re excited to announce an amazing lineup of panelists that will share their experience on how they’re succeeding through the use of social media and give you tips on how you can do the same.
The panelists are:
Kevin La Rue, Marketing Director of Nik Software
Daniel Matthews, Marketing Director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation
Steve Stoloff, CEO of VAVi Sport and Social Club
I’m providing an opportunity for two lucky people to win complimentary entry into the Digital Media Dinners event. Please post a comment on this blog post answering either question:
- (If you’re already using Social Media) How has Social Media helped with the growth of your business?
- (If you’re new to Social Media) How do you envision Social Media helping your business?
Anyone who retweets this blog post on Twitter will also receive an additional entry.
Two lucky winners will be randomly chosen on Monday Nov. 8th, 2010. If you don’t win you can still receive $5 off by joining Marketing Melodie on Facebook. Good luck and see you next Tuesday!
Marketing Melodie Presents: Digital Media Dinners
A month ago I announced a Call for Speakers for an upcoming event. I’m now excited to announce the first of my Digital Media Dinners event series: Facebook and Twitter for Business.
I’ve met many business owners throughout the past year that are challenged in getting started with Social Media so I’ve taken the initiative to be a resource in this area. My goal for the event is to have attendees walk away with tactical and practical tips they can implement immediately into their marketing strategy. I also want to provide an opportunity for networking and growing business connections.
Every business owner knows they need a social media presence. Going to another event or conference and listening to someone talk about the “importance” of being on social media will not help grow your business. The real value now comes from being empowered with knowledge and tools on how to actually use social media properly. At the Digital Media Dinners attendees will learn hands on tips for excelling in Social Media.
The first Digital Media Dinners event takes place on Tuesday November 9th , 5:30pm at Jasmine Seafood Restaurant. The event will focus on two popular networks, Facebook and Twitter.
EVENT FORMAT:
5:30-6:30: Networking, Buffet Style Dinner
6:30-7: Presentation by Marketing Melodie
7-8: Panel Discussion, Audience Q & A (Panelists will share success stories on how their businesses have expanded with the use of Social Media.)
Confirmed Panelists: Steve Stoloff, CEO of Vavi Sport and Social Club; Daniel Matthews, Marketing Director of the San Diego Asian Film Foundation; additional panelists TBA
Advanced Registration is $45 per person and $55 at the door. Marketing Melodie Facebook Fans will receive $5 off.
Event attendees must pre-register on the event page here. I look forward to seeing everyone at Marketing Melodie’s Inaugural Digital Media Dinners event!
Special thanks goes out to the event venue host, Jasmine Seafood Restaurant. Jasmine serves San Diego’s freshest seafood prepared Cantonese style, just like you’ll find in Hong Kong. Join them for Dim Sum, bring your friends for family-style dinner, or contact them to plan your next reception or business luncheon in their banquet facilities. They’re centrally located in Kearny Mesa, have adjustable private rooms to fit 10 to 200 people and event space for more than 500.
Social Media On The Big Screens: Catfish and The Social Network
I posed a simple question to my Facebook and Twitter friends: “What movies are out there that feature Journalists as main characters? I’ve seen tons but can’t think of them all. Need this for a blog post!”
Thanks to the infinite power of Social Media within 10 minutes I had a list of over 30 movies featuring a Journalist as a main character. Movies on the list include: All The Presidents Men, True Crime, Almost Famous, the mysterious Girl With The Dragon Tattoo, The Insider, Shattered Glass, Good Night and Good Luck, State of Play, the fashionable Devil Wears Prada, the indestructible Super Man and the list goes on.
The high response rate to my question made it crystal clear that “traditional” media jobs are extremely popular and even sexy on the big screens. But as technology continues to evolve and the occupation “Journalist” (in the traditional sense of writing for a newspaper ) continues to diminish as a position companies are seeking, having a “Journalist” in a new age movie doesn’t match up with current trends. This became evident to me in the past week as I’ve had the privilege of watching two sneak previews, both featuring Social Media: Catfish and The Social Network.
The rest of this post isn’t a spoiler. I’ll be sharing some of my insight and observations after watching two movies that feature Social Media as the main component.
Catfish- This documentary is about a photographer, Nev who lives in New York. An eight-year-old girl, Abby from rural Michigan contacts him and asks permission to draw one of his photographs that appeared in a newspaper. He receives her remarkable painting and starts a friendship and online correspondence with Abby’s family. This is just the beginning of an online mystery. The main topics brought to my attention were online persona’s versus real life and online security. We often don’t think twice about who we’re corresponding with online and take everyone for face value. But the internet can be a dangerous tool that allows us to create different personas, use different photos to identify ourselves and hide from our real identity through a computer screen. For many people, our online persona is a true reflection of our personality, but not for everyone. Nev’s correspondence turns into a mystery that brings up the questions of online security. He doesn’t think twice about disclosing secrets, personal information and even developing a romantic connection with someone he’s never met met until things start getting fishy one clue at a time.
The Social Network- The deep rooted desire for humans to have connections with others is fed through online social networks. The Social Network is a story about Facebook, formerly called The Facebook’s creation and evolution into today’s powerful tool that most of us can’t live without. This movie brought back memories to me for the early days of Facebook in 2004. The “mini-feed” that used to annoy everyone showed up on the big screen, now we can’t live without the feed of current information about 500 of our closest friends. The movie portrays the crucial moment when “Relationship Status” was invented which now allows us to find out if there may be a chance with the hot guy or girl we just met. “Can I have your number?” is so 1990’s, we all know the real pick up line is “Can I add you on Facebook?” The Social Network is a true story and drama that perfectly depicts the rapid growth of technology, how our lives are so quickly transformed by the digital age and the viral power of the internet.
Seeing Social Media on the big screen continues to validate it’s importance in our every day lives. While traditional media jobs were so prominent in a significant number of movies, my prediction for the future of movies is that occupations of featured characters will center more around technology jobs, the internet and more specifically Social Media.
Have you seen other movies that feature Social Media?
Glimpse of a Real Live San Diego Earthquake on Social Media
Duck and Cover? No way! Tweet and post a Facebook update? This is our first instinct!
Another earthquake hit San Diego this evening and it’s evident that Social Media has revolutionized the entire earthquake experience. Rather than making sure we’re safe with the good ol’ “duck and cover” routine, the first thing on our minds was to socialize with others experiencing the earthquake and to make sure and let people know that we “definitely felt that one”. Read more
A Very April Fool’s Day Thanks to Social Media
Thanks to social media, I successfully pulled my first April Fool’s Day Joke! Despite me posting about April Fool’s Day all day, I still got some of you! Read more
