Your Customers Are Yelping. Are You?

If you haven’t heard about Yelp yet, I think it’s time. Why? Because it’s FREE ADVERTISING for your coffee shop! …And because people are looking for local coffee shops like yours and they are finding them on Yelp.com or on a mobile device like the iPhone.

Yelp is a place where people to go to find the best local businesses. The best local businesses are determined by the customer reviews. By posting your coffee shop to Yelp you will be found more often and by travelers as well as locals. If they’re on the web they can find you by zip code. If they have an iPhone or similar device, they can find the coffee shops closest to their location using GPS technology built into their phone.

The real power of Yelp lies in the user reviews. Their slogan is “Real People. Real Reviews.” In short, here’s how it works. Your customers find you on Yelp, they log into their account and they write a review about your coffee shop. It’s simple, it’s effective and it’s an amazing way to get testimonials…and did I mention it’s FREE? Of course a customer can write a negative review also so you have to make sure you’re on your toes and give the best service possible.

The bottom line is Yelp = Free Coffee Shop Advertising. Here’s what you get: a FREE listing on Yelp, the ability to upload a ton of information and photos of your coffee shop, a link to your website, and FREE customer testimonials!

Here’s how to start Yelping:

1. Go to www.Yelp.com and search for your business. You may already be there. If you are listed and didn’t set it up, you’ll have to unlock your page. Under your listing there will be a link that says “Is this your business”. Click on that. [If you are not listed on yelp, skip to step 4.]
2. Next click on “Go to Step 1” to begin unlocking your page. You’ll need to fill out a quick form to setup an account.
3. After you setup your account on Yelp, you’ll need to authenticate your account by phone. You will get an automated phone call and you will need to enter the provided pin number which will unlock your account. [Skip to Step 5]
4. To setup a new account, go to Yelp.com/business and click on “Get Started” to setup a new account. Follow the step by step instructions for setting up your business page on Yelp.
5. After adding or unlocking your account, you’ll be able to post all of your contact information, business hours, upload images, add menus, coupons, promotions and more. You’ll also be able to reply to customer reviews and will have access to traffic stats and graphs.

Good Luck and Happy Yelping!!
==========================================================================
Aaron C. Daywitt is the President of Effective Media, Inc. and specializes in targeted online promotional product stores like Coffee Shop Promos where they provide quality printed coffee mugs to coffee shops all over the United States. For more information visit www.coffeeshoppromos.com or www.emipromos.com.