Online review forums like Yelp, FourSquare or TripAdvisor can be both a positive and negative tool for busiensses. Certainly, sites like this give every customer a soapbox from which every flaw in your performance can be broadcast through a very loud megaphone. And, unfortunately, more people typically post something negative rather than positive.
However you feel about it, sites like Yelp are not going away. So rather than ignore a negative review, here are some tips: (from Matthew Mikulsky, owner of Chatter Creative, a marketing firm based in Edmonds, Wash)
1. Open an account. Before you begin responding to customers, you must first open a Yelp account of your own. Yelp requires business account users to upload a photo before messaging customers to make the experience more personal. Fill in as much as you can about your business but take care not to use the forum as a way to promote special offers. (Facebook is good for that) If Yelp comes across either of these no-nos, they will remove your listing.
A great way to showcase your company is to upload a short video about your business. Yelp frowns on negative imagery, so keep it short, clever and family-friendly. Also - don't use it to advertise an incentive or to solicit reviews.
2. Reply all. It's important for businesses to respond to each and every post - good and bad. No reponse means that no one is listening and that's not the impression you want to give.
3. Inhale. Exhale. (Repeat as needed.) Reply. Responding to a negative review can be tough. Take a deep breath and let the user know that you thank him or her for the feedback and will look into the matter. Asking for another chance never hurts. Responding this way allows other users to see you care. If you believe the post is false you can always contact the user in a private message first. But always remember to stay positive.
4. Reward good, not bad, behavior (or reviews). Avoid rewarding those who write a bad review with a free giveaway; it may encourage others to give similar feedback in order to receive goodies on their next visit. Rewarding great posts with a simple "thank you" is a better strategy. You want those loyal customers to keep coming back - and hopefully bring friends.
5. If it's not legit, flag it. Yelp will allow businesses to flag negative reviews if they don't appear to be legitimate or if they don't follow the general rules of conduct - swearing and slander can both get a review removed. Stating why you believe the review should be removed is very important. However, don't flag every bad review. That will get your business flagged. Make sure you approach every situation with honesty.
You can find Yelp's Content Guidelines at www.yelp.com/guidelines. If you want more information on Matthew Mikulsky he can be reached at info@chattercreative.com.
Vicki Leeper
Tourism Director
.bmp)