4 storytelling tips for Black-owned businesses
Yelp’s community managers (CMs) help bridge the gap between businesses and customers by hosting events, amplifying business owner stories, and more. Their work is particularly powerful for Black business owners, who face a legacy of discrimination and disproportionate barriers to success.
We spoke with three CMs across the country who are dedicated to promoting Black- and other minority-owned businesses. As Black women, they feel strongly about connecting with Black business owners, working to increase their visibility and empowering them with tools and resources—like how to tell a great story.
Below, they share four tips for telling your Black-owned business’s story and making meaningful connections with customers who care.
Anitra T.
Community Manager in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma
“I start [by sharing] a business that I really love with one group of folks, and then those folks tell their folks, and now all these folks know about this great local business that they wouldn’t have known about otherwise.” —Anitra
Brittany B.
Senior Community Manager in Houston, Texas
“I like to think that CMs are an amazing bridge between our amazing local business owners and our Yelp community, and of the most influential people within the Yelp community, [Yelp Elites].” —Brittany
Erica E.
Senior Community Manager in Atlanta, Georgia
“When I [speak] with businesses, I want them to see me. I’d like them to see that I am a Black woman with locs from Florida, here in Georgia, and for them to see, ‘Wow, you look like me and you’re really helping me do this.’” —Erica
1. Tell your story in your own voice
Erica: “At every [Yelp Elite] event, I ask business owners: ‘Tell us your story. Bring your great attitude. Do your thing. If you don’t want to speak, I’ll tell your whole story for you.’” [As a customer,] it really takes it to another level when you can hear it in their voice and you hear the passion and you hear the things that they’ve gone through to put that plate in front of you, to open their doors to you and to get where they are right now, whether they have a [5-star rating] on Yelp, or if they’re continuing to grow.
“[Business owners are] opening their doors to us. They might as well be welcoming us into their homes. And so understanding their story is so important. Those stories matter, not just to us, not just to Yelp Elites, but to all Yelp users. Because when you’re eating these great dishes, when you’re going to these great businesses, you’re wondering whose hands are preparing them.”
2. Demonstrate the value you bring your community
Anitra: “I’m born and raised in Oklahoma. I’ve been here for 40 years. A lot of the businesses I’ve partnered with in this last year are Black- or minority-owned businesses in an urban community. Being able to have someone share their story is what’s most important to me [as a CM]. If I have to make the social media posts for you, if I have to do the heavy lifting, I’m more than willing because I want everyone to know that you’re here, and I want them to know why you are here.
“[For example,] there’s a grocery store that [opened in my neighborhood] maybe a year or so ago [called The Market at Eastpoint]. I remember going for the very first time and it bringing tears to my eyes. It brought tears to my eyes because my great grandmother lived in that area for 70, 80 years, and she never had a grocery store that was convenient for her to get to. And now it’s there, and so many other people get to experience that and pour back into a community that would not have had access to those things if it wasn’t for a Black-owned business [like The Market].”
3. Champion your story year-round
Erica: “As we’ve been having the Black History Month conversation as a community, a big thing that I’ve been telling our counterparts and our allies is that if you find that you don’t have an event with a Black-owned business for February, please don’t fuss. Do it in March. Do it in April.
“Black History Month is 365 for us, okay? We don’t take this skin off when we go to bed, when we go to events, when we’re writing our reviews. I attended an HBCU, Florida Agricultural and Mechanical University in Tallahassee, Florida, and it’s very important for me to continue to champion us. I feel the same way about Latinx-owned businesses, women-owned businesses, LGBTQ-owned businesses, [and all other minority-owned businesses].”
4. Partner with a CM to amplify your impact
Brittany: “It’s business, but we all grow through connection. And that has been one of the most important things that I’ve learned in this role. If any business owner were to have only one interaction with a CM, I think it’d be to tell their story. Because our main job is to be able to tell your story in your way.
“It can be really intimidating working with a company like Yelp in a sense because I think everyone has that fear of being misunderstood or their story being misinterpreted. But you never know where that string is going to connect and attach to somebody, and that’s where we find that beauty, and that’s when we really create that momentum.”
How Yelp can help
- Connect with a community manager: Submit an inquiry to host a Yelp Elite event, plus check out www.yelp.com/events to see local events happening in your area.
- Fill out your “From this business” section: This is the place to tell your story directly to customers checking out your Yelp Page. Learn how to craft the best response.
- Add the “Black-owned” attribute to your Yelp Page: This free, searchable attribute helps consumers find and support Black-owned businesses in their communities. Research shows that businesses that adopted it saw an increase in customer engagement and reviews, leading to real economic gains.
- Visit Yelp’s Black-Owned Business Resource Hub: Yelp’s hub for Black-owned businesses offers more resources, inspirational stories, on-demand videos, and more.
These lessons come from an episode of Behind the Review, Yelp & Entrepreneur Media’s weekly podcast. Listen below to hear from Anitra, Brittany, and Erica, or visit the episode page to read more, subscribe to the show, and explore other episodes.