So, your business is on Yelp but you have a few or no reviews, therefore it is not creating much additional traffic. You know that having a favorable score on Yelp can create an advertising boost that can bring in more customers. So what do you do? How do you get more genuine reviews? Well, there are definitely ways that you can “encourage” customers to leave reviews, and boost your Yelp rating!
Place a badge on your website
Yelp offers several badges that you can put on your website and they link to your business profile. Just copy and paste the HTML code associated with each badge into the site.
Use Yelps Brand Assets & Stickers In-store
Make sure to place a “Find Us On Yelp” sign where your customers can see it. Consider placing these stickers near your cash register or front door so it’s the last thing your customers see before leaving. You can make your own using Yelps brand assets or request one by using this form.
Offer a Yelp Deal
Yelp Deals can be an effective way to get customers in the door and leaving a review of your business. These deals are offered directly on Yelp and can be in the form of a discount coupon or a gift certificate, and customers can print or pull up these coupons on their smartphones to easily show their server, serviceman, CSR etc.
Use your email signature
Adding a “Check Us Out On Yelp” link in your email signature is a subtle way to encourage Yelp reviews. You may even close a sale because of it – if you are already speaking to a prospective customer and they notice your link and all the positive reviews, they may just make up their mind to choose your products or services over others.
Share your reviews!
Use all of your glowing reviews on social media and your website! Also, include a link to your Yelp page so that others can click and read more! Good reviews (even if there are a few not so great ones) can definitely sway prospective customers/clients to reach out to you. Also – share your reviews in your marketing materials! Yelp sends their 5-star businesses a “People Love Us On Yelp” sticker and certificate, use it!
Respond to ALL reviews – Good or bad
Take the time to respond to all reviews, good and bad. Before you respond to a negative review – make sure that you are not answering in an angry tone. You can find our tips for responding to negative Yelp reviews, here. However, you also want to take the time to thank your happy customers for their review. A simple “thank you for your review. We are so happy you loved our service” can really impress the reviewer and keep them loyal to your business. They know that you take the time to listen and they know you will respond if they have any questions or comments in the future.
Not only that – prospects looking at your reviews will also take your responses to others into account! They want the best experience if they choose you – so if they see rude responses by your business (or NO responses), you will turn them away!
Keep your profile up to date
If you have not done so already, you need to “claim your business” on Yelp to ensure the information posted is accurate. Yelp licenses business information from third-party data collectors and posts that information online. As a result, the information that Yelp puts up on your business’s page isn’t always correct. Start by looking to see if your business is listed on Yelp. If it is, begin by claiming the business and then edit any and all profile info so that it is correct and up to date. Add photos, website, hours, menus, pricing lists and more.
The more detailed business information you offer – the more trustworthy the listing looks, even if there are no reviews yet! Stay on top of it once you have claimed or created your business listing.
While Yelp discourages people from directly asking for reviews, there are definitely ways to encourage your customers to head over to Yelp and check out your business. Doing this the right way, along with providing excellent customer service will guarantee to get you more positive Yelp reviews which can easily turn into more sales!
If you want to learn how to promote your Yelp listing, give us a call! We can help you reach more customers with $1200 in free Yelp Ads! (New, eligible advertisers only)
Have you noticed an increase in business because of Yelp? How do you encourage customers to review your business? Let us know in the comments below?