There are all sorts of businesses across Ireland listed on Yelp. We sat down with Andrea H from Tropical Popical, to ask how they approach the world of online reviews. She has some great tips to share with other local businesses, so read on!
Give us a few lines telling us about Tropical Popical – what is it?
Tropical Popical is a nail bar on Dublin’s South William Street. We’re big fans of creating little works of art on the smallest canvas – nails!
Why did you first decide to open your own business?
I was travelling the States with my sister and we were getting our nails done every 3 days. Over there, it’s much less fuss, not a big deal to get a mani and people were getting their nails done all the time, not just for special occasions. We wanted to open somewhere that was fun to go to, and that stepped away from the calm spa experience and went more for loud music and loud nail designs instead.
How did you first come across Yelp?
As we were travelling across the US, we’d use Yelp to find the nearest and best nail bar when we needed a paint job. Nobody breathes without Yelping over there and it was so handy to be able to make sure we were going to the place that suited us best rather than the one that had the biggest marketing budget.
How many customers do you think you get from Yelp?
We’ve definitely seen a rise in people coming to us through Yelp since when we opened. A lot of them are tourists but more and more we’re finding that Irish people are using it to find out where the best places to go are as well.
What kind of photos do you add to your profile and why?
We add pictures that help give people an idea about what we’re about. We’re not for everyone so we want to make sure we create an honest picture of what we’re about so we find like minded souls.
Do you use a check-in offer? If yes – why?
Using the check in offer encourages Yelpers to interact with your business page. They’re more likely to leave a review if they’re there already and it adds value to using Yelp and the more people that Yelp, the better.
What kind of reviews do you tend to receive, and how do you respond to feedback?
We get a range of reviews from 5* beaming reviews to people who’ve just got a bee in their bonnet and want to get it off their chest. For us, we’re always trying to improve our service and offering so whilst getting a bad review sometimes makes you want to cry, if it’s written with genuine issues, it helps for us to know what we need to change or do better. When replying to bad reviews, I always read them and then wait a few hours before responding when all I’ve detached myself from the emotions that can arise from a negative review on your business. If you go into it with the objective of fixing the problem rather than just defending your business it’s always better.
If you had a top tip for a business just getting started on sites like Yelp – what would it be?
Jump in and don’t take everything personally.
