Good Reviews & How to Get ‘Em: Mastering directories, social media & more05/12/15

Today’s Panel

Shashi Bellamkonda - Chief Marketing OfficerSurefire Social(Moderator)

@shashib

Tara Lewis - Regional Marketing DirectorYelp

@TheTaraLewis

Chelsea Welsh - Corporate Marketing ManagerSoutheastern Metals, DOT Metals@ChelseaView

Kami Huyse - CEOZoetica @kamichat

#SurefireSocial

@SurefireSocial@shashib@TheTaraLewis@ChelseaView@kamichat

Join the Conversation

Question!

Do you currently

monitor your online

reviews?

Tara Lewis Regional Marketing Director

Yelp@TheTaraLewis

Yelp for Business Owners“Good Reviews and How To Get ‘Em”

Why Yelp Exists:

Yelp: The Leading Local Guide for Real Word-of-Mouth

The Yelp App

72,000,000

523,000

65%

374,000

Who Uses Yelp? Relatively Affluent, Educated Adults

Claim Your Business Listing www.biz.yelp.com

Free Tools, User Views & Customer Leads

Optimize Your Listing

Add Photos

Add Basic Business Information

Describe Your Business

& Recommend Like-

Minded Businesses

Create a Yelp Deal &

Gift Certificate

Add your website &

receive messages

from potential customers

Connect with Customers & Join the Conversation

Send Private Message

Post Public Comment

MYTH: Most Yelp Reviews are NegativeFACT: Nearly 80% of Yelp Reviews are 3-Stars or Higher

Distribution of All Reviews

Negative reviews play an important role too:• A variety of experiences are consistent with real life• You can’t please 100% of your customers 100% of the

time

1 Star 14%

2 Stars 8%

3 Stars 11%

4 Stars 25%

5 Stars 42%

Respond to Yelpers on the go? There’s an app for that. biz.yelp.com/support/mobile

When Responding to Reviews, Keep In Mind…

Your reviewers are your paying customers Your reviewers are human beings with (sometimes

unpredictable) feelings and sensitivities

Your reviewers are vocal and opinionated (otherwise they would not be writing reviews!)

Craft Responses You Can Be Proud Of…

Say ‘Thank You’, State Your Policy and Respond Promptly

1 Star Review on 8/5/12

Review Update: 3

Stars

Public Comment

from Business Owner

Look for trends that can improve your business

Today’s Panel

Chelsea WelshCorporate Marketing

Manager

Southeastern Metals, DOT Metals

@ChelseaView

Chelsea Welsh

For the past year I have been teaching Social and Digital Media classes to contractors around the country. There has been some interesting questions and feedback that I have received from these classes…

Here are some questions I hear pretty often..1. Why are reviews important?2. How do I handle negative reviews?3. How do I handle negative reviews that are

coming from my competitors?

All of these are relevant questions….

Chelsea Welsh

Handling negative online reviews properly is critical….Never respond to one of these reviewers with anger or with name calling. This will harm the brand more than it will help it. Instead, negative reviewers should be referred to with tact. Stay positive, never respond when your frustrated or angryHave a game plan in place that you follow

Follow these three simple steps: 1.Assess2.Evaluate3.Respond

D.S. Berenson has a great matrix to help with this, reach out to him for details.

Chelsea Welsh

• Do not ignore the negative reviews, be quick to respond and handle the issue immediately.

• Turn that negative review around into something positive for that customer

• Try your best to drive the situation offline; customers want to see that you are willing to provide a solution.

Example response: I apologize that you had a less than perfect experience with our company. Please feel free to contact me at XXX-XXX-XXXX and I will review your concern and we can discuss a solution.

Chelsea Welsh

Obtaining video testimonials/reviews

There are several tools out there to help you obtain video testimonials. I often use TOUT to acquire these online reviews.

You can easily obtain a video testimonial, edit it, and post it to Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Email or SMS, with just a few clicks.

Chelsea Welsh

Today’s Panel

Kami HuyseCEO

Zoetica@kamichat

Kami Huyse

Tip 1: Be a Giver, Not a Taker

Kami Huyse

Tip 2: Master the Lagniappe

Kami Huyse

Tip 3: Ask for Feedback

Question!

Have you ever gotten a new customer directly from a good review?

Let’s Chat!

Discussion

How can you safeguard your business from receiving a bad review?

Discussion

What are the best practices for responding to a negative review?

Discussion

What can I do to get more reviews?

Final Questions?

GeoJuice

GeoJuice can help you get more reviews in just 5 simple steps.

Parting Ways

Would you like us to contact you with more info on GeoJuice or anything else covered during this webinar?

/SurefireSocial @surefiresocial

Surefiresocial.com