Get that five-star rating! This social network connects brands to corresponding target markets nearby! [Every Thursday: FYO!]
Looking for a cafe nearby?
How about a relaxing spa that’s only 30 minutes away?
Are you searching for the perfect venue for a wedding reception?
Worry not!
Be it a cafe, spa, fine dining restaurant, grocery store, mall, or other places, this social network will help you find what you’re looking for.
Yelp is a public company based in San Francisco, California that develops the Yelp.com website and the Yelp Mobile App, which both publish crowd-sourced online reviews about businesses.
Established in July 2004 by its CEO Jeremy Stoppelman, its website Yelp.com now has 178 million online visitors per month.
Non-business owners use Yelp with a goal in mind: They want to connect with local businesses and make wise purchasing decisions.
These users also see Yelp as a place where they can share their experience and feedback about different businesses, as well as read reviews from other users.
Positive reviews make a business look trustworthy. The more users see positive reviews from other people, the more likely they are to engage with that business.
Yelp can provide business owners with a wide array of tools to showcase your products and services and connect you to Yelp’s online community.
If you have a business, Yelp can help you:
- Manage your Yelp business page.Yelp’s business page allows you to upload photos, add the link to your website, and update your business details (working hours, address, contact number, email, online reviews, etc.).
- Connect with your customers and prospective customers.Once you’re registered for a business page, Yelp will help you connect with your prospects, as well as those who have given reviews and feedback about your business.You can join people’s conversations about your business in two ways:You can respond to them either by sending them a direct message or posting a public comment on your page for everyone else to see.
- Grow your business.Every month, millions of people make purchase decisions on Yelp.In a recent Boston Consulting Group study, researchers found out that businesses that advertised on Yelp saw a USD 23,000 average in annual revenues, which was USD 15,000 more than businesses who simply have a Yelp business page and don’t advertise.Yelp also provides detailed analytics of user visits to your business page, so you can keep track of visitor engagements, customer leads, and revenue estimates.
How else can you use Yelp to your business’ advantage?
Through Yelp Ads.
An average of 142 million people use Yelp to help them make purchase decisions.
If your business is registered for a Yelp Ad, it will be featured every time consumers search for a business like yours.
It enables you to advertise your business on a cost per click basis, depending on your maximum specified budget.
You may advertise on the platform through videos, photos, promos, and infographics.
Why use Yelp Ads for your business?.
- Targeted local advertisingTargeted local advertising is the strategy of targeting a market that is close to the location of your business.This type of advertising allows you to set up ads that are most beneficial to specific markets (or those who are just nearby) to ensure you’ll have a more impactful return on your investment.If you want to expand your business’ reach, this strategy can be a good first step for you!Yelp Ads puts your business at the top of the search results of Yelp’s online visitors nearby who are planning to make a purchase or avail a service.Aside from Yelp’s own web page, business profiles and queries on Yelp also appear on Google and Yahoo’s search engine results for greater online visibility.
- Premium placement on Yelp’s search pageYelp Ads drives traffic to your business page.Once people click on your ad, they will be directed to your business page and can scroll through your business information.They can also check online reviews and feedback from people who have already been to the place of your business or have availed your product or service.In addition to driving traffic to your page, Yelp can make your ads appear on your competitor’s business page as a recommended site!
- Presence on desktop and mobile devicesSince the innovation of technology on mobile devices, over half of Yelp’s searches come from mobile users.Yelp Ads was designed to have a friendly interface across all platforms—desktop, laptop, mobile website, and mobile app.
Here’s how you can further optimize your Yelp business profile:
- Claim your Yelp listing. Expand your online reach by ensuring you put in accurate information and categories for your business.Adding a Yelp button or badge to your Yelp business page can also help establish your business’ legitimacy, as well as adding a Yelp sticker to your store window.
- Upload photos! Post at least five photos and make sure those photos are really from your own business. Remember to check for the images’ resolution: The higher the resolution, the better!Good quality photos can be thought provoking. They provide people a glimpse of your business’ quality.If they find your photos visually appealing, they might just avail of your products or services.
- List your business hours. Make your business more accessible to your target market by informing them of your daily business hours. Keep it updated by adding closures due to emergencies, holidays, and vacations.
- List your current phone number and address. Provide your target market with the right location and a concrete way to contact you (and make sure someone is always available to answer the phone). It can help improve your business’ online reputation.
- Provide an accurate business description. Make sure your search keywords are also accurate. These keywords will help your business ads appear on top of a person’s search results.
- Use Yelp Deals. A little incentive can go a long way! Offer your customers and prospects a discount using exclusive deals and gift certificates on your business page.
Do you want your business to experience its big break?
You can start by taking one step at a time. Target people locally!
Once you’ve established your business in the local scene, expand your reach and visibility.
You can even let your loyal customers do the marketing for you—through positive online reviews, ratings, and shares.
Advertise through Yelp!
There’s no limit to how many you can reach!
About The Dynamic Marketing Communiqué’s
“Thursdays: FYO! Find You Optimization”
Why should you stop thinking SEO and start thinking FYO?
We’re not saying that you should abandon Search Engine Optimization (SEO).
Don’t get us wrong, of course, we know this is something very important, especially in today’s digital marketing age.
The internet landscape is vast, and a world of its own. You really need to distinguish yourself and make your brand/company/website known and easily searchable.
Better yet, get to the top of page one for Top Results on Google or any other search engine.
However, what is the purpose of SEO? It’s that customers Find You!
That’s what matters. So, while SEO is one factor of FYO… it really is only one, and we ought not to abandon all the myriad of ways digitally and offline for improving your FYO.
How can we look at this from a different and better perspective?
Let’s say you have it in the bag! You and your team are experts in SEO. Awesome. But did you ever wonder what else you could do to push it further and give your SEO skills a boost?
FYO! Find You Optimization!
You need your target audience to FIND YOU—your brand, product, service, or offer. This is SEO plus other tools that increase visibility online (and offline).
Every Thursday, we publish content on how you can get your target market to find you, beyond the typical “type and search.” There are other things you can do along with your SEO to give your online advertising process a boost.
Try considering other tactics beyond it—WOMO (Word Of Mouth Optimization), RO (Referral Optimization), and “All-Other-Means-Of-Getting-Your-Target-Market-To-Find-You” Optimization (AOMOGYTMTFY, if you’d like a long acronym).
Part of a great marketing strategy is knowing how to adapt new methods and make use of different types of marketing and promotion that best fit your business goals and which give you the results you want.
Hope you’ve found this week’s insights interesting and helpful.
Stay tuned for next Thursday’s FYO!
Cheers,
Kyle Yu
Head of Marketing
Valens Dynamic Marketing Capabilities
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