With all the social media advice flying around out there, one issue seems to be overlooked again and again, and I think it’s time someone talked about it, so here goes. . .
It’s Yelp.
Now, some people might not consider Yelp to be much of a social media vehicle; they see it as a younger, hipper version of Angie’s List, and in some respects, they‘re correct. But when you look deeper, you can clearly see how much value it has as a social platform—maybe even more than Facebook, truth be told.
And as with any popular social media outlet, Yelp offers businesses the opportunity to make
massive, horrifying mistakes when dealing with customers.
Know This:
- Yelp is a public forum where consumers post their experiences with, and related opinions of, your business
- You can’t control what people post
- Trying to manipulate your Yelp reviews is business suicide
Recently, someone I know posted a negative review of a business on Yelp. It was a valid review, reflecting that person’s experience with the company. Several weeks later, he received a letter from the company’s attorney, firmly requesting that the negative review be removed.
What?!
Now, this business had an opportunity, and they blew it. They could have offered to correct the problem, extended a discount, or at the very least issued a sincere apology for the experience the customer had.
But instead, they went on the offensive, and offensive they certainly were. As a result, my colleague posted an update to his review, outlining the experience of receiving the attorney’s follow-up letter.
Now, this company has several other reviews from happy customers on its profile. One less-than-stellar review wasn’t going to hurt one bit. But now, thanks to their overzealous response to a single review, people researching them on Yelp will likely think twice about doing business with them.
So Get This: Yelp is indeed an important social media outlet. Don’t treat it like your own personal sandbox. The same rules of customer service that apply to your call center should also apply here.
Now let’s all get out there and have some Happy Holidays, eh?
