What does YELP say about you?

If you are a small business owner or do marketing for small businesses chances are you've heard of YELP or been yelped.

Love or hate the reviews that customers put up, you must know how to handle the reviews when they come and you must be proactive in getting your customers to give you good reviews (particularly since Google is talking about buying YELP, which will have even greater impact on local search for your business).

Inc. Magazine did one of the best articles I've yet seen on YELP, how they work, and demonstrated in detail what NOT to do if you get a review you don't like. You'll find the article on INC's website.

If you have friends who own businesses, do them a favor and give them a review and ask them to do the same for you. If you don't have a YELP account, set one up by going to Yelp.com and while you are there if you feel like it, invite me to be one of your YELP friends so I can see what you are reviewing. The link to my profile is here.

Yelp is NOT another social networking site like Facebook or Twitter that will consume a lot of your time. It IS a site that is to be reckoned with if you own a small business and you need to be on top of what people are saying about you now. It will also play a larger and larger role in local search. Ignore it at your own risk.

It also offers you great marketing opportunities when used properly I'll cover that in more detail in the near future.

Oh, and I'm reading a really interesting book right now by Daniel Pink called DRIVE! The Surprising Truth About What Motivates Us. I think you'll find it very interesting! You'll find it here (and on sale).