The Livewell Collective - July 2019

DOES THE REVIEW SITE DO MORE HAR “Yelp is destroying my small business.” These words are becoming more and more common. Small-business owners are taking their stories public, claiming Yelp is hurting their brand. But is this true? Can Yelp harm businesses? At a glance, Yelp is a website and app where people can promote their businesses, and consumers can post reviews of those businesses. Yelp can be a consumer’s deciding factor in which restaurant to visit, which cleaning service to hire, which grocery store to shop at, and so on. Business owners claim that Yelp tries to extort them. For example, Yelp calls a business to sell ads. The business declines and, suddenly, good reviews get buried. Some business owners have even claimed that the best reviews disappear altogether. In their place are the lowest reviews, or even poor reviews that weren’t there before. When people search for the business, the worst reviews are front and center. Additionally, business owners have noted that Yelp cold-called them with the news that they have won an award for exceptional reviews. However, Yelp charges for the award, which is a plaque that can be displayed in the business, costing hundreds of dollars.

3 STEPS TO BRING IN NEW MEMBERS REFERRAL CAMPAIGNS MADE EASY

In the past, we’ve talked about how simple tricks like branded merch and community events can generate plenty of word-of- mouth for your box. But when you’re really making a push for new members, it can help to be more direct. Here’s our guide for putting together a stellar referral campaign to swell your ranks this summer. EASY AND MEMORABLE No referral campaign can succeed if it inconveniences members or slips their mind. Narrowing the process down to as few steps as possible for the member making the referral and the staff logging it will keep things running smoothly. Ideally, members should be able to bring their buddy, sign them up, and get rewarded. Whatever criteria you choose, coaches should mention the rules and reward often. SWEETEN THE POT Providing a worthwhile incentive is key to member participation. While you don’t want to break the bank, you don’t want to insult members with paltry prizes. Many gyms offer discounts on membership fees for each referral. If this isn’t feasible for your box, consider offering gift cards for your retail products. You get a new member, and the referring member gets to enjoy their favorite recovery drink or energy bar on the house. COORDINATE PROGRAMING Too many fitness referral campaigns fall flat because gym owners fail to account for the influx of new members in the workouts they

offer. Many of the referrals you see are friends and family of members who probably haven’t been to the gym in a while — if ever. A lack of beginner-friendly classes can scare away newbies fast. This is especially true of CrossFit

Boxes with reputations for intensity that already intimidate many would-be members.

The specifics of your campaign should be

molded to the needs and culture of your gym. Have a competitive bunch? Make a contest measuring who can get the most referrals in six months. Have a knack for designing unique merch? Create a custom T-shirt exclusively awarded to those who’ve made a referral. Once you have the basics in place, get creative, and go hustle!

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