Business Information for Entrepreneurs by an Entrepreneur

In earlier blog posts, we have explored the reports of Yelp's questionable business practices. Yelp is a website where your business can get reviewed and ranked by local customers. However, business owners have yelled 'foul' at the alleged practice of using negative comments to leverage paid help from Yelp. If businesses did not buy an advertising package, owners claimed that Yelp did further damage to their online reputation, even by writing "anonymous" negative reviews themselves against a non-paying advertiser.

Yelp's advertising methods were so widely hated that a class-action lawsuit was filed against Yelp in California for extortion. The complaint claimed that Yelp removed poor reviews and added only positive reviews for paying advertisers. The claim further stated, "business listings on Yelp.com are in fact biased in favor of businesses that buy Yelp advertising."

Yelp, of course, denied any wrongdoing or practicing any 'foul' business favoritism that might be unethical. However, due to the outcry and the lawsuit, Yelp has just announced a few changes in April of 2010 that they hope will appease current and future advertising clients.

One of the changes is the ability of viewers to see which reviews have been removed by Yelp. This will hopefully help viewers make their own judgments whether Yelp gives special favoritism or advantage to paying advertisers.

The other step Yelp will take is removing a feature where paying advertisers can pick their choice of best review to be prominently placed on top of all reviews. Due to the confusion over this practice, Yelp has decided to eliminate it altogether.

Yelp's chief executive and co-founder, Jeremy Stoppelman, said, "It will underscore the point that it really is and has always been a level playing field for businesses, and will showcase the unique challenge we face, in certain situations where it's obvious businesses are trying to change ratings."

With these policy changes Yelp hopes to change their failing image. Despite the complaints, Yelp is an accredited company with the Better Business Bureau, and it maintains an "A" rating with the BBB. The BBB states that Yelp has received 85 complaints over the last three years, but that all complaints have had a response or are satisfactorily closed.

Yelp continues to try to be the leading website for local business reviews. These new changes may help appease paying customers, but it is the reviewers who will ultimately determine whether Yelp's services are valid and in demand.

In the fall of 2009, Citibank commissioned a Small Business Survey with the topic of social media. The result was a surprising answer to the question, "do you find social media helpful in generating leads or expanding your business?" A whopping 76% of the 500 small business owners with less than 100 employees said that social media was not at all helpful in promoting their business or gaining more customers.

More survey results showed that small business owners don't seem to focus on social media at all. 86% said they do not use social media sites for information or business advice.

But what if they're not doing it right?

Compare these results to the results of the Small Business Success Index conducted by Grow Smart Business. This poll showed that although 75% of small businesses had a web page on a social networking site like Facebook or Twitter, only about one in five actively used social media in their business promotion.

Only 20%? It's no wonder that so many small business owners find Twitter or Facebook not at all helpful. The ones who do find it helpful are the ones actively building a network of followers and potential customers. Although the success results from 2009 are low, 45% of small business owners do expect social media to be profitable in the next 12 months.

So who are the businesses that make social media work? It's small firms like The Grilled Cheese Truck in Los Angeles, for instance. You wouldn't think that a simple grilled cheese is anything to follow on Twitter, but the buzz about the LA sandwiches has exploded and demand is extreme. But what's the problem? The truck stops at a different location every day. Only the followers on Twitter know where the truck will be. The Grilled Cheese Truck as reached "legendary" status in all of LA, and residents from all parts of the city clamor to get to the truck when it arrives.

That is the bread social media promotions were made of, no pun intended. If you have a social media page for your business, the key is to not let it sit stagnant, hoping customers will find you. You must be creative and use social media as a way to generate buzz and acquire a following. Will your small business be profitable through social media in 2010?

Blogs were the "in" medium a few years ago. Before the huge explosion and demand for social media where you could get micro-bites and small chunks of updates from friends, family, and other interesting people, there were blogs. People followed, read, and commented on their favorite blogs, and they even decided to start one of their own. Businesses found the value of blogging as a way to attract customers and improve their SEO with regular blog posts and updates.

However, now that the blog frenzy has switched to social media sites, can a blog still work for your business? The answer is "yes" if you start a blog with a strategic plan.

Start A Blog For Free

Blogs are easy to start and maintain with free online hosts like Blogger or WordPress. This means you do not have to outlay any money to get a blog started. Simply open an account with the blog host of your choice and start making updates. Or install the free WordPress software on your website's server, add a link to your navigation bar, and begin blogging away right on your website.

Do You Need a Separate Blog Domain?

If you are starting a new online business, it is easy to incorporate a blog as your main business website. If you already have a business website, tie your blog into your business website domain, such as "mybusiness.com/blog".

If you do start a new blog as your business website, opt for purchasing a full domain name. You can reserve a domain name for just a few dollars a year, and blogging hosts can guide you step-by-step on how to tie your domain to their blogging program. This will help your customers remember your URL much easier than depending on a long name tied with Blogger or WordPress in the domain.

Choose a Simple Yet Attractive Theme

A blog host usually provides a long list of themes for your blog. Choose one that is business-like and attractive. Avoid themes that are too flashy and are difficult to navigate.

Start Blogging and Promoting

The next step is to write blog content. There is not enough space in this article to explain the finer details of blog content, but be sure to post regularly, incorporating your keywords into the title and throughout the text. To bring traffic to your website, announce new blog posts on your social media with a teaser line.

Getting people to read your business blog can be a great way to stay in touch with more details, like a regular newsletter. Show your readers how your products are made. Share triumphs in your business. Write posts that are helpful to your customers. Your blog readers will remain loyal if you provide a blog with value.