Many long-time owners of businesses in resort towns often to feel like they operate in a bubble, and in some ways they are correct. The rules of game are somewhat distorted in vacation areas due to the seasonal nature of the business and the reliance upon tourists for the majority of their traffic. However, the resort area business owner should also be aware of the fact that the bulk of their customers reside in the ‘real world’.
In that world online review sites, especially Yelp, are increasing popular and important, especially for service sector businesses such as hotels, restaurants, bars, and even ski areas. A quick Yelp search on any resort town will yield numerous results. Yelp is basically a site where users can post short reviews about their experiences at an establishment. Importantly, it is also a tool that business owners can use to post sales, specials, and events. This aspect of Yelp makes it a very effective means of advertising. The beauty is that the potential customers are already online (or on their smart phone) searching for exactly what the business is offering.
Vacationers are often sitting on the beach, or on the chairlift, using their i-phones to figure out where they are going to eat dinner or have drinks that night. Yep, I know, they should be relaxing and enjoying the experience, but they are attached to those dang things! Like Facebook and Twitter, setting up a Yelp account is quick and easy. Monitoring reviews, answering those reviews, or creating posts about specials and events takes but a few minutes. Yelp can also be utilized as a type of focus-group; a business owner can monitor posts and use that information as valuable feedback about their products or services, and then tailor their offerings accordingly.
In short, Yelp can be a valuable tool for resort area small business owners. And like Facebook and Twitter it is yet another simple, and free, source of advertising.
Jan
21
Brian
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