Release Date: May 7,2019
Community institutions hosting "Just Review It" to celebrate Small Business Week
This Small Business Week, May 5-11, 2019, Summit County’s civic and leading community institutions are coming together to support an initiative dubbed “Just Review It.” Community members are asked to celebrate by writing online reviews about favorite small businesses, artists, nonprofit and civic organizations.
Participating organizations include, ArtsNow, Akron/Summit Convention & Visitors Bureau, Better Business Bureau of Akron, Inc., city of Akron, Collide: Cuyahoga Falls, county of Summit, Cuyahoga Falls Chamber, The Devil Strip, Downtown Akron Partnership, Greater
Akron Chamber, South Summit Chamber, The University of Akron and Urban League of Akron.
“Our community has a thriving business and creative sector, and we’re thrilled to be part of the team helping to show them some love—and tangible benefits—during Small Business Week,” states Nicole Mullet, executive director of ArtsNow. “Online reviews are a powerful driver of
traffic and revenue for local organizations, businesses, and entrepreneurs, including artists and makers.”
According to the 2018 BrightLocal study, 73percent of consumers say that positive reviews make them trust a local business more, 90 percent of consumers report reading online reviews before visiting a business and on average and a one-star increase on Yelp leads to a five to nine percent increase in a business’s revenue on average.
In November, a pilot of “Just Review It” was conducted by ArtsNow where a small group of individuals gathered together and wrote over 100 positive reviews about favorite Summit County establishments. The short event received such positive feedback from the organizations that ArtsNow began sharing the idea with various community partners, and Small Business Week’s “Just Review It” was set.
To participate, simply review favorite locally businesses, organization or entrepreneur during the week. Consumers are invited to share reviews on social media by tagging the “Just Review It” event on Facebook (https://www.facebook.com/events/2441919665902350) or using the hashtag #JustReviewItSummit.