Using Google, Yelp, Classifieds, and Business Listings to Elevate your Local Reputation

Using Google, Yelp, Classifieds and Business Listings to Elevate your Local Reputation

Google business listings, Yelp, local classifieds, and other websites are great ways to connect businesses to local areas. Let’s say, you are a digital marketing company in Toronto. When we build out a local digital marketing strategy for a website like this, we want to ensure we are targeting an audience in Toronto. Unlimited Exposure takes the same approach for any company we work with. Success in the local marketplace is most achievable when a local-first marketing approach is taken. Listing websites like Yelp play a huge role in connecting your brand with a location. Then, when someone Googles your brand, they’ll find street and city. Subsequently, if one puts in a localized query, it’s more likely your site’s name will pop up.

 

User-powered sites like Yelp can have a negative impact though. If you’re not monitoring your digital presence, the possibility of negative reviews could sink your brand very quickly. Yelp specifically has more than eighty million visitors every month. There’s a lot at stake. That said, for local businesses, you’re missing out if your business is not registered here. According to a study published by Harvard Business, every Yelp star on your listing has the potential to increase revenues for the average business by up to eight percent. Thereby, it’s important to ensure you’re registered on these listings with the correct information and link back to your website. Also, keep a monitor on your listings to ensure any negative reviews can be addressed and to get a gauge on what consumers are saying about your business in the local marketplace.

 

Fill out all information

 

The purpose of Yelp, Google listings, classifieds, and business sites are to connect your brand to your locality. Be sure to fill in as much information as you can. You never know how people may come to you via Yelp or where they will click afterwards. Create a page where they are most likely to leave a positive comment or to click on your website.

 

Be constructive in your responses

 

It’s important to address negative reviews. This will let readers know you care about your image and it’ll let the person who left the review feel as if they’ve been heard. No business is perfect. At some point in our business history, everyone has received a negative review. Address every negative comment with honesty and grace. If there’s a way to resolve it or make it better, reach out. You may be surprised at the positive responses you receive by handling matters like these.

 

Use images of your business

 

A lot of these local business listings and Yelp-like sites allow you to post pictures. Take the opportunity to do so. If a person can see your business, services, or products, they may feel more compelled to click. If there’s a way to upload a video about your company and you have one, this could be another channel through which video marketing could be deployed.

 

The more visitors to a site like Yelp, the more leads it is likely to generate. Tapping into business listings is a time-tested strategy that provides websites the chance to market according to geographic area. Engaging in these local communities is key to getting consumer attention and building positive relationships that can hopefully be spurred into a sale. For locally-based businesses looking to make an impact, Unlimited Exposure can help. Contact us today!