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 (51-60)
I think it depends upon what your business is. If your business is a restaurant, specialty store or hair salon or similar personal oriented business I'd say it can help. If you're something like a contractor or other technical skill type business not so much because customers of those businesses usually don't want random personal opinions but more focused opinions from professional PR oriented agencies in the industry.
Yelp is not small business friendly. They do not allow all reviews to be posted do to what they call the "filter system". Example: most times if someone giving a review that has not in the past the "filter system" finds it as fake and if you contact customer service about it they pressure you to purchase leads from them and say that may help make a difference. I stay far far away from yelp.
I have had no luck with Yelp even after looking up a name or number the info seems way out of date or false !
I have had good lead generation from Yelp, including a good bathroom job last winter. They have different programs depending on your needs, and some are pretty expensive, but I have found there pricing to be transparent and it has generated a lot of leads that turned into jobs.
I agree John, workanship speaks for itself. I'm booked 6 months in advance.
I have tried different companies over the course of decades, They are all non-productive and basically there to take your money, Some start out productive and then get bought out and become less effective. Word of mouth and networking are your best options.
Agree totally HomeAdvisor a total waste of monies. Charges for leads were by no means what we were quoted.
I will never recommend HomeAdvisor.
Revlocal -we help companies get reviews and be found on line. We create a system through text or email and post the reviews on google, or Facebook . I can help if anyone is interested . Message me.
I find that most people will check three sources on a contractor, they may not directly find you from yelp but they may cross reference you through Yelp.
they are a total fail! IMHO