With an average of 85 million mobile users each month, Yelp reviewers hold the power to build or break businesses’ credibility. Aiming for a 5-star review from your target audience on Yelp has never been more important due to an increase in competition and an unlimited number of services for customers to choose from in every type of industry.
Why Watch Yelp Reviews
Yelp says the top three categories searched by users are shopping, restaurants and home/local services.
For businesses owners, the third category is the most important – for example, HVAC businesses, business coaching services, law offices and banks all fall into this category. Customers want the best, and who better to recommend them than other people who have had a personal experience with a business or company?
Yelp creates a special online community for people to open up and share their detailed experiences with a brand. But what happens when you are faced with a string of less than pleasant reviews? Because businesses have no control over what their audiences say about them, there has to be a business strategy in place to rebound from negative reviews.
Tackle The Problem
A member of your team who is very familiar with the services you offer should monitory your Yelp business page on a regular basis. This is an opportunity for your business to show that you are actively listening to user feedback, positive or negative. If negative comments should arise, comment as quickly as possible on their post. After apologizing for their negative experience with your business, offer to speak to them privately offline to see what you can do to satisfy them. It is key to keep your response concise and to ask the user if they would like to address their concerns offline. You do not want to try to fix the problem with the customer on your public page for everyone to see.
Flag False Reviews
We are constantly flooded by spam in our email inboxes on a daily basis and it is not uncommon to see spam-like posts on your business page as well. If a negative comment looks as though it may be falsely representing an experience with your business, report it immediately to Yelp. There are tons of ‘robots’ that are not real users that can easily write unpleasant reviews or post advertisements in comments as well.
Build Your Social Media Channels
Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Instagram – all these channels are key to positively growing your audience. The more consistent and present you are with your fans the better your reviews will be. People want a brand and company they can depend on. Thanking your fans with a fun company picture or a giveaway is a great way to engage with your community and show that you genuinely have their best interests at heart. This will also lead to better reviews!
For more information about KWSM, check us out on Yelp!
