Genna Gold connects with Yelp's Emily Washcovick about how to use online reviews in sales.

Here's the transcript from Emily & Genna's conversation (edited for clarity).

[00:07] All right, let's kick this off. Welcome, everyone. Good morning. We are super happy to be here today. I am so excited to be doing this webinar with Emily from Yelp. Fun fact, Emily and I worked together for about six years in the past, so it's great to be doing this together again.

[00:24] Emily, do you want to go ahead and introduce yourself and tell everybody a little bit about you and what you do?

[00:30] Absolutely! It's so great to be here today. As Jenna mentioned, I've been with Yelp for a while now, rounding my eighth year this year. My role at Yelp is to educate business owners on the free tools available to make the most of their presence on our site. In those eight years, I've been at conferences, trade shows, conventions, and I've met thousands of business owners, helping them navigate the world of online reviews. My expertise has expanded to other things like online reputation management, digital marketing, and social media. I love speaking with different audiences because the themes and the rules that come into play when we talk about engaging your online presence are the same no matter the industry. So, I'm excited to bring some of that expertise with me today to chat with you all about the landscape that you're dealing with when it comes to online reviews. And the other thing that I do through my role at Yelp is I host a podcast in partnership with Entrepreneur magazine. It's called "Behind the Review." We feature conversations with business owners and someone who wrote them a Yelp review. It's a great 15 to 20-minute listen if you want advice and learnings from both consumers and business owners on how to make those connections worthwhile and worth sharing in the digital space.

[01:46] Great! I just have to unmute myself here. I'm Jenna Gold. I'm the Director of Supplier Partnerships for Procurated. Procurated is similar to Yelp, except it's just for buyers in the public sector. So, Emily, this is really your show. Let's kick it off.

[02:06] Absolutely. So, what I wanted to do today is just start and give some context to what we're going to be discussing. Then Jenna and I will pull the slides down, we'll have a chat with you all, and we'll take live questions. So, definitely feel free to type those in whenever.

[03:13] When it comes to online reputation management, a lot of what we're achieving requires a mentality of wanting to engage and have a physical presence. Understanding how your online reviews are much more than just what people are saying about you is crucial. They're a marketing opportunity, a resource, and an asset that people look at to validate information they've maybe heard from friends or colleagues. The way you approach your online reputation requires a mindset shift. I think all of you probably focus on customer service and the customer experience, but sometimes that customer experience online is a little bit more of a barrier for us. So today, I want us to think about our online reviews as a marketing tactic.

[03:39] Before the world of online reviews, businesses used various ways to spread the word about who they were and what they offered. There were yellow pages, TV ads, radio, and of course, word of mouth. Online reviews are simply Word of Mouth amplified. They take what people are saying about you to their friends or colleagues and put it out there for the world to see. In 2022, people rely on reviews more than ever. 97% of people say they read online reviews for businesses, which is a mind-blowing statistic. Reviews have built trust over time, and they are seen as valuable and trustworthy content.

[05:04] Now, when you think about your online presence, there are various elements to consider, such as your website. But it's important to understand how people interact with different platforms when they search for or engage with businesses. Social sites like Facebook and Instagram are where you can connect with people who are already aware of your business. Google, being a broad search engine, is where people might look for information about your services or business. Platforms like Yelp and Procurated come into play when people have a clear intention to spend and are looking for options. It's crucial to be the right representation on these different platforms.

[07:20] Jenna, do you want to talk a little bit about Procurated for anyone who may not be familiar with the platform?

[07:26] Procurated is very similar to Yelp in the way that buyers in the public sector come on all the time. They search for a product or service they need and see reviews from their peers across the country. Having a presence on Procurated and getting reviews there is imperative to getting more business from state and local governments, school districts, and higher education.

[08:01] One common misconception about online reputation and reviews is the fear of the negative. There's this idea of keyboard warriors and people turning online to complain and gripe. However, over 75% of Yelp reviews are neutral to positive, and there are more five-star reviews than lower ratings. It's important to understand that even critical reviews can have value and build trust, especially when you engage with them. Many businesses avoid engaging or claiming their free page because they fear drawing more attention to negative reviews. But by ignoring them, you give the impression that you don't care. It's crucial to reply to customers on platforms where you can and engage your customer base to foster a feedback loop.

[09:59] In his book, "Hug Your Haters," Jay Baer emphasizes the importance of finding out where people are talking about you and engaging appropriately on those platforms. Claiming your accounts on platforms like Yelp, Google, and Procurated is essential. It's also crucial to be aware of conversations happening on other platforms, even if they are not mainstream. Setting up Google Alerts for your business name or key personnel can help you discover mentions and engage with customers. Additionally, claiming your Yelp account and ensuring accurate information can benefit your presence on other sites and search engines.

[12:02] Shining a light on your reviews is vital. Share positive reviews on your social media accounts and direct customers to platforms where they can give feedback, such as Procurated. Engage with positive reviews by replying and expressing gratitude. Use customer reviews as testimonials on your website, with their permission, of course. Jenna has put together examples of how you can promote your Procurated page, such as using QR codes and including links in email signatures or website headers. Make sure to leverage your reviews and engage with them wherever possible.

[14:55] We'll pause the slides here and transition to Q&A. If you have any questions or need further information, please feel free to contact us.