Millions turn to smartphones and tablets every year to make decisions about where to eat, shop and hang out. If your business isn’t taking advantage of this mobile traffic, potential customers could be walking right past you every day on the way to your competition. Yelp gives your business the opportunity to create a local business profile to help connect with mobile users and even track your mobile traffic.
During the first quarter of 2013, over 102 million users relied upon Yelp to help them find the best places to shop and dine. You get a free account, free listing and free analytics tools. What isn’t to love? With local businesses always trying to find lower cost advertising, any free tools shouldn’t be ignored. Since Yelp users can quickly check reviews and details about your business, you need to make sure your business is properly represented so they choose you over the competition.
Why Set Up A Yelp Profile ?
The entire process takes only minutes and you’ll be introducing your business to millions of potential customers. Local advertising isn’t enough. Yelp lets you advertise locally and to anyone who may be coming to your area. Once created, all you have to do to maintain your profile is update information that may change and add any deals or promotions you wish to run.
Once you’re listed on Yelp, you can actually talk to your customers. If someone had a problem with your business, message them either publicly or privately to find out how their experience could have been improved. Thank positive reviewers and encourage them to visit again. Interacting gives your local business a friendly personality that further increases word of mouth advertising and ultimately, customers.
Add Your Yelp Listing
Start by claiming your business on Yelp. In most cases, your business is already listed, but the details are incomplete. Enter your business name and zip code to discover whether your business is listed or not. Click Unlock next to the listing that belongs to your business.
If your business isn’t listed yet, you’ll need to manually add a listing. Fill out all details. You may have to wait several days for Yelp to review the listing before continuing the process.
After claiming or creating your listing, you can finally add details to help optimize your profile. Add pictures, interact with visitors through reviews, update business details and add in deals to help convert viewers into new customers.