Is Yelp an effective lead generation and marketing tool for contractors?
Bruce from Genesis Construction Services IL, LLC weighs in.
Here's what he had to say: waste of money.... 2 reasons. 1) my business doesn't get foot traffic. People don't find contractors to renovate bathrooms there. 2) they charge by the click or phone call. I was charged for hundreds of calls or clicks during the time I had Yelp. I never once got a call and never booked an appointment on-line. I say they are fake. They did not offer any refund and held me to the 90 day contract or pay the fee to get out. I did the math.... they screwed me out of alot of money either way. DO NOT use Yelp."
What do you think about Yelp as a contractor? Do you agree with Bruce's view that Yelp is ineffective?
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60 Comments
Answers (31-40)
It's important to use social media for your specific niche. Not all channels are right for all businesses.
I would evaluate your marketing plans and decide how your ideal customers like being approached or finding sources.
Chances are they will stick with the status quo until someone can show them several benefits to making the effort to change.
Absolutely---been there done that---real learning curve---with most of them they are that way---even using the YP...you want to work your own way to make it the best way that you can for your business...it has a lot to do with Patience especially in the construction business---we are always working ourselves OUT of a job!!!
It was a big help in the first 3 years of my business. Now it is just a review platform and I have not advertised in the last 2 years. Did not get enough of an ROI. I will not advertise anymore with them.
I will pay for an Enhanced or Premium Profile though. To keep Competitors off my profile.
yelp did nothing but cost me money. Never generated a lead
Terrible feeding off of the working ma
I agree with Bruce. Yelp is a scam. It's definitely not for contractors.
This really depends on what you are looking to do to generate leads. Yelp is really more about giving customers a sense of security for doing business with your company. Angie's List is more reputable but you should research what is more effective in your area and type of business. This is why marketing consultants or firms are in business to provide you with those answers to help you grow your business.
no I believe not I don't believe the leads are good and also most important is other companies sabotage other companies when you're dealing with contractors and that's what has happened to my profile many times and no I'll never spend $1,000 a month on their services when you get one client out of 20 callers and the rest are fake it's a big waste of gas
I agree with Bruce! I've tried Yelp for myself and my clients - I ended up refunding my clients because I recommended it.
Hire a decent Lead generation company that guarantees the leads are:
Valid
Exclusive
and HOT
Leave Yelp to restaurants.
I am currently starting a mentoring / consulting business with a program for acquiring a customer base for startup and developing construction companies out of the Chicago area.
For construction you start with the plan rooms and bid sites, unless your target market is residential. Web based marketing my give you a couple of projects a year, depending on how much you put into it, but the majority of project would be won from bidding off bid sites with a strong focus on repeat business.
You start with cherry pick your favorite projects to bid on. Then you need to know how to get your foot in the door.