"Yelp For Business Owners" launched this week, a suite of free features that enables business owners to engage Yelp's online community of reviewers. Yelp Co-Founder/CEO Jeremy Stoppleman: ""With the launch of Yelp for Business Owners we've completed the positive feedback loop, so local businesses can connect with their most vocal customers in a positive and productive way."
Many business owners may be unaware of Yelp. Some who are might be wary of the possibility of bad reviews. But Tuesday's announcement had some interesting facts and examples that shine a spotlight on the impact that passionate consumer reviews can have on a business. From the press release:
80 percent of Keetsa's total business each month is directly attributed to Yelp, whether they discover us on Yelp or utilize Yelp as a research tool when searching for the best business in the market. In fact, we generate so much traffic from Yelp that I currently do not have to utilize any 'traditional' or more expensive forms of advertising, such as radio, television and newspapers.
Joe Alexander, Director
Keetsa Mattress
San Francisco, CA"We had never heard of Yelp before and were surprised to see people talking about our business. To be honest, we were skeptical about the site at first, but after seeing a 30% increase in our business and roughly 70 reviews later, I'm happy to say we love what Yelp has done for our business."
Jacob Twig and Elaina Bender, Owners
The Professionals Inc., Moving Specialists
Chicago, IL
"I recently stumbled across our reviews on Yelp and noticed that some of our regular customers were writing great reviews about us. We have folks who have been shopping with us for 60-70 years, and now we're starting to see much younger customers come in through our doors. I'm sure that it's due in part to our great reviews online."
Niki Russ, Co-Owner
Russ and Daughters, Market
New York, NY
"As a small business owner there are moments in time when you realize that all your hard work is about to take hold in a big way, and the day that the Yelp community started to talk about my shop was a defining moment in the history of my business. I have no doubt that the reviews on Yelp, were an important catalyst in my amazing success."
Christopher Hall, Owner
Splitends Salon
Orange County, CA
Now, the exact opposite can happen as well, so business owners should check Yelp on a regular basis to see what's being said about their biz. Yelp, founded in San Fransisco in 2004, continues to add to its community of passionate consumers, and counts some 2.7 million local reviews on its site.
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