Is Yelp.com Universally Despised by SMB's? 5 Steps to Managing Your Reputation on Yelp

What Can I Do About Yelp?  

from http://blogs.westword.com/cafesociety/2011/04/yelp_fight_8_rivers_owner_take.php

Yelp certainly doesn't care about their own reputation as they continue to be clueless about their impact on small businesses in our communities.  Many, if not most, small business owners tell me they see Yelp in one of several ways:

1. A Royal Pain
2. Unethical
3. Uncaring
4. Something to be manipulated
5. Overbearing

A phone call from a Yelp sales person is something to be dreaded unless you are into scolding, whining, and complaining with no hope of changing their ridiculous methods or the horrific results for your specific business.

First the Bad News About Yelp

They have been sued repeatedly and cursed constantly for the methods they use to determine how reviews are shown on a small business listing.  They claim that the entire system is hands off and based on algorithms that determine which reviews are visible and which go into a filter.  This may be true, but it is also true that they have created the algo and have the ability to change the algo to overcome the horrific results that sometimes, or often, occur:

• Reviews by people that have never been in the business or used the business they're reviewing
• Reviews by plants, competitors, competitive reps for wholesalers
• Reviews by unhappy ex-employees, wives, or boyfriends
• Reviews by crazy people

One of my clients was reviewed by a homeless person, undoubtedly mentally ill, who had never used the services of the client.  The review was clearly out of line with other reviews, was obviously unhinged, and Yelp would do nothing about it.

By far the biggest complaint about Yelp was summed up by a posting that appeared in a Yahoo Group that I belong to:

"I am a business owner and I have the same exact experience and unfortunately there's nothing you can do about it. I have a total of 37 reviews and only 6 of them are unfiltered. What makes it worse is that a few of the ones that are unfiltered are very old (we're talking 2006) and one is a review from a disgusting man who wrote a glowing review about a "crack & sack" wax (the reviewers words for the service, not mine) that he received from a former employee of mine who performed that service.

I hav also heard about the supposed algorithm, but it's a bunch of b.s. I have clients who have yelped for me and they have posted more than two dozen reviews for other businesses and they are still filtered. I have unfiltered reviews from people who are unfrequent yelpers so I don't believe a word out of anyone from that company's mouth. I paid $270 per month for a year of banner ads and it was a complete waste of money so DO NOT pay them. In fact, my ranking on their site dropped as soon as I started paying them and when I complained they told me I should spend MORE money so my ads would be seen more often, thus improving my ranking. Of course I didn't and now I don't pay them a cent. I'm still ranking so much lower than I did before I advertised with them."

 This letter was just one of dozens excoriating Yelp.com for their practices.  A few consumers who don't have businesses were mildly supportive of Yelp or said they used the reviews, but not one business owner defended them.  The only business owners who had anything good to say were those who had learned how to "Manage their Yelp Reputation."

How To Manage Your Reputation on Yelp

 

1. Check Yelp and other online review sites often to see what customers are saying about you and your business.  Much of what shows up on Yelp is TRUE!  Assume it is true.  Don't be defensive.  What happened?  How can you change it or fix it?  Is there one employee who keeps showing up in the negative column?  Is it possible your customer service needs a big kick in the butt!
2. Respond to every negative comment directly with the party who wrote the review.  You have to join Yelp to do this (free).  You then get access to the Yelp reviewer through Yelp.  It is possible you know the reviewer and can approach them in some other way.  However, Yelp does offer this method of reaching out.
3. If your effort to reach out privately is unsuccessful (and this effort should be humble, don't defensive, and should offer some kind of way to make things right), then go public.  Note in your public response that you can understand how something like this might happen, but that it is against company policy, has been looked into and addressed.  
4. Work hard to get reviews on Yelp and elsewhere, especially Google+ (Google Places and Google Maps are the same thing).  Ask your best customers to review you.  Don't be shy.  The more the better.  Most visitors to Yelp get that you might have a bad review or so.  If there are plenty of great reviews to offset it, they will generally give you a try.
5. Respond to positive reviews publicly.  Thank the reviewer and subtly enhance their statement by noting a policy that creates the good part mentioned or spotlighting part of what they said.  Don't push this.  Make it and embellishment, not a sales pitch.

What to do about Yelp?  Yelp Back!

If Yelp has really gotten under your skin and you don't feel the need to advertise with them, I think it is perfectly reasonable to review them at every possible chance.  Live by sword, die by the sword.  Post in your own media or write articles.  Tell the sales people when they call that you might do business with Yelp when the get the algorithm fixed so that it is fair.  

There may be some businesses who feel they must pay Yelp for higher ranking.  Make sure you are getting a good return on investment.  There are so many ways to spend your internet dollar.  This would never be among my top ten ways.  None of my clients advertise on Yelp.

But let me leave you with the most critical aspects of online reviews.  Don't ignore them because you don't like what is being said.  There may be enough truth in those reviews to turn your business around.  I have seen it happen.  This may be the one good thing about Yelp that doesn't seem so great, but can be huge help.

If you liked this article, you might try Customer Service Ranks 7th on List of 101 Critical Marketing Issues

Want more like this?  I attempt to write three posts per week containing thoughts and ideas gleaned from 40 years in business, seven years of higher education, and five years of working as a marketing consultant helping small businesses get big.  Become a subscriber of this site and check out my other sites where I offer more specific ideas.

For Online Content Creation and Management: http://contentmarketingforgoogle.blogspot.com/

For Google Places, Google + Business Pages,  Google Maps:  http://GooglePlacesHelp.Blogspot.com

Business Reputation Takes 8th Place in 101 Marketing Secrets from the Serial Entrepreneur

Small Business Online Review Sites Have Only Exacerbated the Age Old Reputation Issue.  Word of Mouth Is Alive and Well, but Writ Large.

 Just how much is a reputation worth?  How much might it cost to get a reputation back, once lost?  The answer to both questions has always been "a lot."  Many of us grew up with our parents and teachers explaining how critical it was to hold on to our personal reputations.  PR firms have always had reputation creation and protection as the most critical element of their job description. 

But if reputation has always mattered, the internet has changed the dynamics dramatically.  The change started with Amazon inviting the public to review books in a public forum where the reviews would actually count.  Amazon and others expanded this consumer review idea to every product on the market, and then on to the companies selling those products. 

Small business owners got a break for a while.  Online searches made it hard for the local restaurant or nail shop to get found.  The move by Google to change the way local businesses were found on search was a great day for the small business.  The good part came with a sleeping potential negative however.  Reviews by consumers came to every business, even doctors and lawyers.  Now a single disgruntled consumer, ex employee, competitor, or prankster could undo years of reputation building with a single rant on Yelp or Google Places.

However, here is a dirty little secret from a marketing consultant who has been an insider with well over 300 small businesses during the past five years.  By and large, the online reviews reflect what is actually going on in the business.  Are there examples where business are getting way better reviews than the deserve or getting slammed by someone who has a screw loose or a vendetta? Sure!  My point is that overall, an owner should pay close attention to the reviews and not just dismiss them as unfair. 

I have created a little score card for owners. 

If you are getting 4.5 - 5 stars -  Congratulate your staff and keep doing what you are doing
If you are at 4.0 - 4.5 stars - Excellent work.  However, look at the negative reviews and see if there is something you can do to improve
If you are under 4, but still at 3.5 or higher - it is time to hold meetings on customer service, set up rewards for excellence, and retrain or dismiss those who are not hitting your standards. 
Between 3 stars and 3.5 - you are in danger of losing traffic.  You probably have one or more employees that are not treating people well.  Set up some clear rules and objectives.
Under 3 stars - there is probably a systemic problem, and the owner may be setting a bad example.  At this level you are losing clients.  You may even want to reach outside for a consultant to objectively see what is going on.
Under 2.5 stars - people who use these scores won't even bother to look at the reviews to see what the problem is, say the studies.

Reputation goes beyond what is said about your company online through reviews.  Word of mouth (WOM) is still alive and well.  Most of my clients tell me that over 50% of new business comes to them by this dependable channel.  You current customer base should be "managed" while dealing with you and also through your follow up.  Email blasting to a current customer list is a fantastic way to keep your name in front of people who like you, making them more likely to tell others when the opportunity arises.  Of course there are ways to write those emails that make them more likely to enhance your reputation and the WOM that might come with them.

Reputation is yours to create and manage.  Whether you want the reputation of the best in class, the least expensive, or the fastest, staying on top of that message is certainly worthy of spot 8 on this list. 

Action Steps for Day 8:

Check Yelp and Google Places once a week to see if there are new reviews. If you have good reviews, make sure the staff knows, and if anyone is specifically mentioned by name in a good review, you may want to reward them in some way. You can also respond publicly to good reviews. Don't gloat. Be thankful and humble. Then use your response to point to a policy that is in place that results in the good service they reported.

For poor reviews, respond privately to the customer first if possible. Acknowledge the complaint, let them know that it what happened is not within policy or resulted in a review of policy to correct the problem.  Then offer some type of consideration that requires them to come back to the business. Your ultimate goal is to have them change the review, but you can't ask them to or make repayment or any other offer contingent on the change of the review.

If the customer doesn't respond to the private note, go public. Explain that you reached out, and still maintain that humility and clear statement of your policy on the issue.

Take positive steps to create a great reputation through community involvement, helping local charities, and going over the top on customer service. 

Do you agree?  What other methods do you recommend for enhancing reputation and dealing with negative reputation issues?