Your eyecare practice being searched online today is inevitable, and there is honestly no turning back. And, not to our surprise, most likely on the first page of a Google search of any business is going to be a Yelp review. And even if that’s not the case, 87% of the entire world population is subscribed to Yelp and most likely have the application right at the tips of their fingers on their smart phones (it's all about word-of-mouth these days). So spill it - are you utilizing Yelp as an optical marketing resource, and if so, how?
But hold it right there - because you can’t cheat your way through it by getting each of your employees to write a fabulous review on Yelp. There is a big and strong community of people, about 66 million unique viewers a month to be exact, behind the reviews that are looking for and giving recommendations, and this community of trusted users isn’t going to respond well to your obviously bogus reviews – especially if you have about 10 lined up in a row!
But don’t fret, because a majority of Yelp reviews are wonderful – with about 66% of people giving businesses at least 4 stars! So look at Yelp as a great, trusted place that millions of people visit each day, which means free advertising for your eyecare practice, just like Facebook and Twitter! Have you begun using Yelp’s free site to market your practice?
Here are a few quick and simple tips to managing your business’s Yelp page.
- Make sure all of your business’s information is correct
- Add photos of your business
- Respond to ALL reviews
Let’s face it – when most people use their smart phones, in general, they are looking for a quick fix – and this doesn’t change when users are looking for a pair of glasses! So they won’t be happy campers when the wrong number is listed or there isn’t a website they can quickly click the link to. And adding photos is just the icing on the cake – especially if you’ve just updated your fixtures! But most importantly, respond to each review! Whether the review is positive or negative, thank each customer for coming in, apologize for any inconvenience and let them know that if they did have issues, they will soon be looked into. Just look at it as constructive criticism and make the effort to improve your business.
But don’t forget, a strong base is important, so in order to develop a solid online reputation through Yelp, great customer service in real life will be the only avenue to success.
Also, don’t discount the new use of Google Places in your practice either. Google is a power house, and what are your potential customers using to search online anyways?! So even after all of this about Yelp, you still happen to be worried about being found online, utilizing Google Places is great way to ensure you aren’t being lost in the crowd.
So we want to know – have you began using Yelp or Google Places as a form of eyecare practice marketing to inspire online conversations? Gotten any hits by your customers? Are you encouraging them to write reviews? Are you making any announcements or using Yelp Deals to make offers? We just want to know what you’re up to! Any interesting or funny experiences are also encouraged; we look forward to hearing your stories!
