Yelp! Ryan Bovenkamp Dylan Thompson Ryan McGill

Facts about Yelp  Founded in 2004, became a publically traded company in 2012  Customer review website and mobile app  Anyone can write reviews and give a “star” rating (1-5)  108 million unique visitors online monthly  10.4 million unique mobile devices monthly  42 million reviews so far  Integrated in BMW, Lexus, and Mercedes

Positives of Yelp  Strong presence on Google searches  Mobile App  GPS for Businesses  Anybody can write a review  Businesses can dispute bad reviews

Positives of Yelp  Every additional star leads to 5-9% increase in revenues  Current Events and Forum  Favors Independent businesses over chains  Comment Filter System

Dangers of Yelp  Anyone can post on Yelp  Postings can be non-specific  Filter can remove many of your good reviews

Review Controversy  700 complaints filed to the Federal Trade Commission in the last 4 years  Accused of “strong-arming” business owners for advertising payments

Use as a business owner  If you are on Yelp, more people will find you, so create a business page  Update your business info, directions, and hours  Respond to your “Yelpers”  Use gift certificates and vouchers

Summary  Limited control for organizations- unlike Twitter, Instagram, etc  Better quality leads to better reviews  More stars increase revenue  Yelp gives you free exposure  Lets you interact with your customers

Questions  What is a positive side of Yelp? Danger?  How can you use Yelp as a business owner?  Who can post reviews on Yelp?  How many reviews have been posted to Yelp so far?