Apparently my post about Safeco’s marketing recommendations to agents for 2017 rubbed somebody the wrong way.
The reader unsubscribed, saying: “Do not feel your content is needed. Especially anyone promoting Yelp.”
Seems 283 words into my needless content, I said:
- Agents also need to focus on getting online reviews on YELP, Google and elsewhere. Everybody researches products and services these days. Half of all people who look at online reviews never visit the vendor’s website. They make their decisions about whether to contact the vendor based solely on reviews.
So what made my former subscriber so cranky?
Not exactly headline news if you haven’t been under a rock since Y2K.
I asked for a little detail but got no response.
Here’s my take. First, reality is hard. The internet has changed everything. Consumers are in the driver’s seat now. They demand to know everything about the vendors who want to do business with them.
Also, I looked into it. And businesses do have a couple of issues with Yelp.
Some say they favor advertisers in their search rankings. Yelp disputes this unequivocally. https://www.yelp-support.com/article/Do-businesses-that-advertise-on-Yelp-get-special-treatment-by-the-recommendation-software
The other gripe is that some reviews are like fake news. Reviewers can be mistaken, ignorant, stupid or just plain malicious. They can also be competitors or people hired by competitors to denigrate the competition. Yelp says they have checks against this (per the video in the link above).
I pretty much think these kinds of things don’t happen that often. Of course if they happen to you once, that’s often enough and I get it.
But Yelp seems to be conscientious about evaluating people who submit reviews, especially new reviewers.
So maybe my unsubscriber got a poor review or two and that’s why they’re in a stink. I can only guess.
My advice, get over it.
Hopefully we learn from our mistakes — if we make mistakes.
I never make mistakes. Do you?
In any case, if you provide good customer service and actively pursue reviews from happy clients, the numbers will tell the story in the long run.
High marks from dozens of raving fans will minimize one or two complainers. A 4.5 score is still pretty good. And if the bad reviews you got are from trolls who just enjoy spewing venom, they’ll be delegitimized as losers by your hordes of raving fans.
Of course maybe I’m just clueless, so if anybody has some dirt on Yelp we should all be aware of, please send me an email.
Meanwhile, if you’re trying to get good reviews, the easiest way to nurture good vibes is with a client newsletter.