If you haven’t heard about Yelp yet, I think it’s time. Why? Because it’s FREE ADVERTISING for your business! …And because people are looking for local coffee shops, restaurants and other businesses like yours and they are finding them on Yelp.com or on a mobile device like the iPhone.
Yelp is a place you can add your business to so travelers as well as locals can find you. If they’re on the web they can find you by zip code. If they have an iPhone or similar device, they can find the business in your category that is closest to their location using GPS technology built into their phone.
The real power of Yelp lies in the user reviews. Their slogan is “Real People. Real Reviews.” In short, here’s how it works. Your customers find you on Yelp, they log into their account and they write a review about your goods and services. It’s simple, it’s effective and it’s an amazing way to get testimonials…and did I mention it’s FREE? Of course a customer can write a negative review also so you have to make sure you’re on your toes and give the best service possible.
The bottom line is Yelp = Free Advertising. Here’s what you get: a FREE listing on Yelp, the ability to upload photos of your business, a link to your website, and FREE customer testimonials!
Here’s how to do it:
1. Go to www.Yelp.com and sign up for a free account
2. Search for your business. If you’re not listed already, there is a button on the bottom of the page that says “Add Business”.
3. Select the appropriate category and then a subcategory if applicable. You can also add secondary categories. For example bakery, ice cream, breakfast & brunch could be a secondary category to coffee & tea.
4. Next, add all of your business contact information, photos, etc.
5. Be sure to click the box that says “Add this business without a rating or writing a review”. It’s not cool to write your own reviews so leave that to your customers.
6. Finally, let your customers know you’re on yelp so they can add photos and reviews of their own.
Good Luck and Happy Yelping!!
Aaron C. Daywitt is the President of Effective Media, Inc. and specializes in targeted online promotional product stores like Coffee Shop Promos where they provide quality printed coffee mugs to coffee shops all over the United States. For more information visit www.coffeeshoppromos.com or www.emipromos.com.