Yelp is an online reviewing tool and application that was founded in 2004 as a search engine for local business. Several million users use Yelp and there are an estimated 60 million registered users with 20 million reviews. Yelp is used to find the best restaurant, aesthetic practice, or particular business in a market and customers select a business based on a star rating system from user reviews.
In the Local Consumer Review Survey(2012) created by Search Engine Land, one of the many take aways was that a high number of people are using the internet to find local business’s and that they use customer reviews to make their spending decisions.
Approximately 72% of consumers surveyed said that they trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, while 52% said that positive online reviews make them more likely to use a local business.
You ask, why do we need to use this social media tool with so many other tools such as Facebook, Linked In and Pinterest? The answer is that Yelp is a reputation management tool. It is critical to see if your business is already on Yelp and if it is, you need to claim the business page. Yelp is yet another internet signpost for your business, and one not to be ignored. It allows you to communicate with your customers and continue with your brand building.
Research your competition and see what they are doing. Are they using Yelp? How are they presenting themselves? Are there photos, menus and links? Think about how you can represent yourself better. It is important that you have a completed Yelp business profile, as it can turn up in Google searches before your own web site. Allow Yelp to be an intricate tool in building your business.
At Acara Partners, we understand that navigating social media applications and tools can be overwhelming. We know how to properly set up your YELP business profile page, photo gallery, links to your web page, and all the detailed business information to make sure that you’re putting your best face forward. Don’t let your competition get a step ahead of you.