The Social Review Platform Is a B2B Powerhouse
User-generated content, such as social media comments, forum activity, and ratings and reviews allows your customers to help tell your story. As an integrated marketer, you understand that when your customers engage with your brand, post images, or otherwise talk about you, they are helping to build trust, inspiring inquirers to convert, and encouraging your audience to visit your website, boosting local SEO. Below are four reasons you should claim, complete and capitalize on your Yelp listing as a B2B company.
Getting to Know You
The first and most obvious reason to claim and fill out your small business profile is to share information about your business. Similar to a Facebook business page, you should include your address, phone number, and link to your website. Yelp strongly favors complete profiles, so make sure to be as thorough as possible including directions, full text, and include any photos or video. Search engines also index Yelp results (see below), so optimize your profile with keywords to improve your ranking and allow for backlinks between your profile and website. The takeaway is that although you may think that Yelp doesn't apply to your business, Google likes it, therefor it is important to your online rankings.
Go Behind the Scenes
As a small business, you have access to Yelp's free detailed metrics about your performance. The dashboard provides critical insights through charts and statistics, including the amount of traffic your profile receives, how many times your profile appears in Yelp search results, and user activity such as website clicks, mobile check-ins, and photo uploads. Metrics detailing how your users are engaging with your business over time helps clarify whether you are meeting the needs of your clients.
Show, Don't Tell
Social proof is the greatest capital an active Yelp business page provides. As customers leave positive reviews, upload interesting or enticing product images, or interact with you and each other, they influence the decisions and actions of others. The more high-ranking reviews you receive, the more likely you are to attract new business. Our always-on culture relies heavily on social proof including likes, reviews, shares, or star ranking systems. One study found that 90% of respondents trust online reviews for their buying decisions.
Think Global, Shop Local
Without question, the most important reason to have and maintain your Yelp business listing is for its local SEO value. For small businesses, Yelp could be essential to digital strategy as keyword-studded reviews can positively affect Google rankings. According to one survey, online reviews are thought to account for up to 10% of how Google decides to rank search results. Bizible found that the number and quality of reviews are the most significant contributors to rank, while Search Engine Watch explains that Google's algorithm means that an active Yelp presence gives local businesses a higher ranking than they may otherwise have.
Conclusion
Did you question the integrated marketing value of a Yelp business listing? We hope the above shed some light on the benefits of the social review platform for those in the B2B space. Check back with us next month for tips on encouraging your customers to leave positive reviews to help you maximize your listing.
