Seen on the tube - Yelp are advertising in London

As most readers of this blog know, we follow Yelp closely. It is the biggest single review site on the planet, and it is a massive influence on consumer behaviour in relation to medium and small businesses in the US. The question for us and our clients is: will the same happen here in the UK?

Well, we know Yelp have made a big investment here, but there have been few outward signs. Until now...

Eliza D is a real-life Yelper - Eliza Dropkin, living in San Francisco, working for Move Loot, who spent a year studying at SOAS in London and has written over 100 reviews of everything from the London Eye to a Chinese deli in Soho, all from October to December 2012.

What next?

We have no reports of any Yelp salespeople pitching client businesses - yet. But we know what you can expect; the Yelp pitch is simple:

• An advertisement - sponsored listing - at the top of search results
• Sponsored advertising on your competitors' listings

Here is Yelp's own description.

You may expect an email something like this...

...and there's a report of their sales pitch and pricing here. Entry level appears to be around £200 a month. For those who would like to delve even deeper there's a purported voice recording of a (US) Yelp sales pitch here and their Glassdoor listing here.

If experience in the US is anything to go by they will target businesses with reviews as a first priority.  If you are approached we would suggest that you contact us before making any commitments.