Yelp is one of the most frequented social media web sites for reviews of top shopping, restaurants, entertainment, nightlife, and more. All reviews are submitted by users. Every month, an average of 29 million consumers visit the web site, which has gained more than 9 million reviews since 2005.
It is important that builders and remodelers take the following steps to increase their presence on Yelp.
1. Get involved: Before you can have an impact on what happens with your building or remodeling company on Yelp, you need to sign up with the web site, which is free for business owners. Accounts allow you to update information about your business, announce events, post discounts and coupons, and communicate with your customers.
2. Provide background: Use the “Business Information” tab on Yelp to share the history of your business as well as provide a little about yourself and your managers.
3. Upload photos: Share relevant photos on Yelp, such as pictures of yourself and your co-workers, projects that your company has completed, and/or your office building.
4. Add a Yelp button to your web site: If you have a web site of your own (which you should), consider adding a Yelp button to your web site. Link your button directly to your Yelp review page.
5. Take advantage of the announcement tool: Use Yelp’s announcement tool for sales, specials, events, and more. This announcement shows up on your business page as well as Yelp search results and the most popular mobile platforms.
6. Let people know you’re on Yelp: Adding a Yelp button to your web site is a good start. Then consider additional advertisement methods for it that are geared specifically for your building or remodeling customer base.
7. Don’t solicit reviews: The best reviews come from customers naturally. Good business will bring good reviews to your Yelp site.
8. Respond to reviews: Business owners can respond to customer reviews publicly or privately. Consider the type of review and what response it warrants before posting anything.
9. Check your stats: You can check all of your stats by logging into your account. The stats include page views by day or by month. Opt in for e-mail alerts for new reviews and review distribution and rating statistics.
10. Do it all over again…and again…and again…:Once you’ve established a routine with Yelp, stick with it. Building a reputation online takes time and patience for any company, but it can be well worth the effort.
Blog Post Written by Jimmy Donnellon
Jimmy is an inbound marketing professional with a background in public relations and marketing. Jimmy helps his clients found on the web, convert visitors into leads and helps them track their results.