Skip to main content

Yelp Reviewers and Stranger Marketing: via Seth Gogin

Seth Godin, of course, is one of my favorite marketing bloggers.  Today he writes -

You will never, ever run out of strangers.

And so, the goal of perfectly pleasing an infinite number of passersby is a fool's errand. They come with their own worldview, their own issues, their own biases.

Since they don't know you or trust you and don't get you, they're not inclined to give you the benefit of the doubt or invest what it takes to understand you.

Sure, some of them will applaud or smile or buy. And if that's your mission, have fun.

But perfection in stranger-pleasing? Not going to happen, not worth the journey.

For some people, some of the time, the only response is, "it's not for you."

Seth Godin and Yelp Reviewers
Read it here.

My Thoughts on Yelp Reviewers


Yelp is a wonderful thing.  I love Yelp. I hate Yelp. One of the "unintended consequences" of Yelp is that specific micro group of Yelpers who don't use your product or service, or use only the mildest, least expensive, least commited version of it... and rather than become an engaged customer feel that they are entitled to slam your business online. They "move on" to the next business to vent their negative energy at... but you are left with a negative review, often for the most ridiculous of motives.

Yelp has empowered strangers, many of whom fit Seth Godin's pattern above: they can't be pleased, pretty much by anyone.

Now there are many great Yelpers and many great reviews on Yelp but if you don't pro-actively encourage positive reviews, the only reviews you may get are from this type of "stranger" Yelper.  Hard to please. Difficult person. Not a happy camper.

Comments

Popular posts from this blog

Quality Issues on Social Media Marketing Workbook?

Grrrrrrrrrr.  Amazon is reporting "quality issues" on my Social Media Marketing workbook . But, oops - there are NONE.  I've called in to complain and get them to remove that annoying "warning" but so far, nothing. Oh readers.  Those fun folks who have trouble with their Kindle and blame it on us poor and struggling authors. #OHWELL.  Always, contact me if you have issues with the books. I'll move heaven, earth, and Amazon to fix it.

Conflation: To Blend or Confuse (Perhaps with the Purpose of Misleading Someone)

There's inflation (to get bigger) and conflation (to bring together). You may have heard people say something like "she's muddying the waters," evoking the idea of someone stirring up the dirt so you can't tell where the water begins and the dirt ends. Or two rivers coming together like the mighty Rio Solimoes (the Amazon) and the Rio Negro. In arguments, conflation is used when you try to point out to your opponent (or audience) that the thinker is taking one thing and confusing it or muddling it up with another. An example might be something like: Hitler was a terrible person. He was really immoral. Hitler believed that the world was round. The world can't be round, because Hitler was immoral. Oops, you're conflating Hitler's moral character (or lack thereof), with a statement of truth or falsehood ; whether the world is flat or not. We're conflating two separate logical concepts. The world either is, or is not flat, independent of H