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mccannable Collaborator

mccannable

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Just got a promo for $250 yelp advertising credit and no contract. When we first set up our account on yelp I got a hard sale for a $450/m min with a 12 month contract. The $250 guarantees local (15 mile) clicks on your ad for people searching for your keywords. Anyone have any luck? its free for the first month so I am running with it.



mspecperformance Mentor

mspecperformance

Posted
Posted

I don't like how Yelp pressure sells you on their advertisement packages and then don't properly explain their review algorithms. There are websites dedicated to explaining how much of a scamming racket Yelp is. If you don't pay them mysteriously your reviews get filtered. BS.

mccannable Collaborator

mccannable

Posted
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Posted

Ha. It's free in hopes I don't cancel and they start billing. I'm on top of it though. Hopefully the return is worth the cost. I doubt there is enough usage in the area but if I get one to two sales a month it will pay for itself.

Joe Marconi Grand Master

Joe Marconi

Posted
Posted

Yelp is being sued again for questionable reviews. The Federal Trade Commission has received more than 2,046 complaints filed about Yelp from 2008 through March 4, according to data reviewed by The Wall Street Journal, following a Freedom of Information Act request.

 

Here's a link to a recent Wall Street Journal article.

 

http://online.wsj.com/news/articles/SB10001424052702303847804579477633444768964

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  • 4 weeks later...
mccannable Collaborator

mccannable

Posted
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Free trial is over. Only used about $100 of the budget with confirms my question the amount of use of yelp on my area.

 

Both of my legitimate reviews have fallen off over the past two weeks. I was going to continue the advertising but seeing this they won't get a dollar from me and I, on a personal, level will be discontinuing use of yelp.

 

None of the 50 "leads" generated even a call.

xrac Grand Master

xrac

Posted
Posted

Free trial is over. Only used about $100 of the budget with confirms my question the amount of use of yelp on my area.

 

Both of my legitimate reviews have fallen off over the past two weeks. I was going to continue the advertising but seeing this they won't get a dollar from me and I, on a personal, level will be discontinuing use of yelp.

 

None of the 50 "leads" generated even a call.

Yelp is not a useful means of advertising in our market.

Joe Marconi Grand Master

Joe Marconi

Posted
Posted

I here this over and over again, that Yelp is not a useful source of gaining customers. It amazing to me how these online company survive!

 

Is there anyone that had a positive experience from Yelp? I mean a "sustained" positive experience?

  • 1 month later...
RyanGMW Explorer

RyanGMW

Posted
Posted

I here this over and over again, that Yelp is not a useful source of gaining customers. It amazing to me how these online company survive!

 

Is there anyone that had a positive experience from Yelp? I mean a "sustained" positive experience?

We get quite a few customers from our yelp page. We have 23, 5 star reviews that are all real and legitimate. My competitors struggle to break 3 stars because they don't care about their customers the way we do. People who search the internet to find a shop use yelp to gain some trust before they come in for the first time. The more positive feedback you have, the better chance you have to win these types of customers from your competition. it's not worth paying for, but it is worth caring about.

Search "German auto repair in Auburn, CA" or "BMW repair Auburn, CA" and see the difference for yourself.

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mccannable Collaborator

mccannable

Posted
  • Author
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We send cards to all our customers asking them to share the experiences like hotels do. But yelp keeps removing their reviews.. We have 15 5 star reviews on facebook and that seems to be where everyone congregates.

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ATLAuto Rising Star

ATLAuto

Posted
Posted

In metro areas, Yelp (and other online review sites) has come to replace word-of-mouth as the main go to. Ask anyone under 30 to go to dinner with you, and their first question is, "have you Yelped the restaurant?" A lot of weight is put on these reviews.

 

With that said, paying to advertise on Yelp seems a bit pointless if your reviews are solid. A solid Yelp page is free and advertises itself.

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  • Have you checked out Joe's Latest Blog?

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      While money and benefits tend to attract people to a company, it won’t keep them there. When a technician begins to look over the fence for greener grass, that is usually a sign that something is wrong within the workplace. It also means that his or her heart is probably already gone. If the issue is not resolved, no amount of money will keep that technician for the long term. The heart is always the first to leave. The last thing that leaves is the technician’s toolbox.
      Shop owners: Focus more on employee retention than acquisition. This is not to say that you should not be constantly recruiting. You should. What it does means is that once you hire someone, your job isn’t over, that’s when it begins. Get to know your technicians. Build strong relationships. Have frequent one-on-ones. Engage in meaningful conversation. Find what truly motivates your technicians. You may be surprised that while money is a motivator, it’s usually not the prime motivator.
      One last thing; the cost of technician turnover can be financially devastating. It also affects shop morale. Do all you can to create a workplace where technicians feel they are respected, recognized, and know that their work contributes to the overall success of the company. This will lead to improved morale and team spirit. Remember, when you see a technician’s toolbox rolling out of the bay on its way to another shop, the heart was most likely gone long before that.

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