Week 12, Post 2 - Online Tool Options

Yelp... I have mixed reviews about this.  I have mostly 5-star reviews on my Yelp account.  Customers check out reviews to determine if a business is worthy of their patronage.  By reading reviews, a person can get a pretty good idea as to the type of service, quality of products, and overall experience they may have with a business. 

I received a 1-star review from a lady who was NOT my customer.  She had booked a machine with another margarita machine rental business, and they did not show up. She actually called me to ask where her machine was.  After speaking with her for a few minutes, we determined that the man she spoke with was, indeed, the owner of another business.  I empathized with her as I can only imagine how frustrating it would be for a vendor to not show up for an event.  I explained that even though she had booked with someone else, I did not have a machine available or I would have rushed one to her.  She thanked me for my help and I did not hear back from her.... until she left a bad review for the wrong business.  I was extremely frustrated as I had tried to help her and even gave her the phone number to contact the business she had booked with.  Apparently, she was confused.  I responded to her comment and didn't hear back.  I contacted Yelp and requested the review be removed.  They refused to delete the bad review that was, quite obviously, for another business.  They gave some bogus "algorithm" explanation and said that negative reviews can actually be good.  Say what? 

In summary, Yelp can be a good source for customers to make an informed choice, but it can also have a negative impact.  And, knowing that you can pay for 5-star reviews makes Yelp that much less credible. 

LinkedIn.... I thought that LinkedIn may be a good resource but I only found a few margarita machine rental businesses.  It doesn't appear to have enough interest, or a following, to be a successful online tool for my business. 

MeetUp....  Attending local MeetUp events can open doors for me to share my business.  I am interested in learning more about the following MeetUp events:

NC25 - Professional Women's Networking Meeting
HARVESTON LAKE WALK! - Every Tuesday, 8:30 am, Fall Hours, Temecula
8:15am Morning Walk Group- Monday-Friday
Coffee and Connection Mixer

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