5 Reasons Why Yelp is Important for Your Business

Small or growing businesses need to take advantage of every opportunity they can to get more exposure and bring in more customers online. Yelp was created to help people find good local businesses that they can trust to deliver good products and customer service. For businesses, yelp can also be a vital part of your marketing strategy.

Yelp has more than 80 million unique visitors every month and many of those visitors write reviews about their experience with a particular business. Fortunately the vast majority (about 78%) of those reviews range from neutral to great with very minimal negative reviews. People can use yelp to find your business and read positive recommendations about what you do.

These are some of the main reasons Yelp is helpful for business owners:

1. Influence People at the Right Moment

The moment when someone is looking for a business on Yelp is at a critical point when they are ready to make a purchase. If they see your Yelp page and read a positive review they can be easily influenced to use your business and possibly continue to be a customer for years to come. When people are reading Yelp reviews they are usually on the verge of becoming a customer and a couple positive reviews will be enough to get them into your store.

People use Yelp not just as a way to see what businesses are close by in their area but as a way to help them make purchasing decisions. Most Yelp users make a purchase soon after seeing a listing and they may write their own positive review if they have a good experience at your establishment.

2. Respond and Interact with Customers

Should you receive any negative reviews or complaints on your Yelp page, you can use the site as a way to address these issues either publicly or privately. This can be a powerful tool to make your business appear invested in each customer’s experience and responsive to correct any potential issues. You can show empathy and caring for people who have a bad experience which can still leave people with a good impression of you in spite of the negative review.

You can also interact with people that leave positive reviews to show that you appreciate all your customers and their feedback about what you are doing. Thanking people for their positive response can help encourage more positive reviews and communication between you and your customers.

3. Create a Brand Image

With a Yelp business listing you can add your own content so that you have more control over the way your business is presented. Yelp customers can add their own photos along with their reviews but they may not always be the best images. Adding your own photos to the business listing can be a good way to tailor your brand image and make your Yelp page look more appealing.

You can claim your Yelp page and upload your own personal business photos so that people have a better first impression of you. Creating your own Yelp listing or claiming an existing one lets you have more control over the content that is available for customers to see.

4. Use Yelp as an Authority

In terms of internet marketing, Yelp is useful for website rankings and getting your business seen online. In SEO terms, Yelp is considered an “authority” site meaning that it can carry more weight and help boost traffic to your site. If you claim your Yelp listing you can add a link directly to your website and it will boost your rankings in Google.

With a link to your website people can read a brief overview of your business and then click through to a landing page where they will have more information and can make a purchase or reservation.

5. Make it Easier to Find Out About You

With Yelp you can add listings that provide people with crucial information about you that they can see immediately when they search in Google. Your Yelp can list your location in Google Maps, your business hours and a description of the items you have. Restaurants can have a menu available for customers to view online.

Having this information readily available through Yelp can make it much easier for people to find your business and make a quick decision about whether to visit your store. This is especially useful for mobile or voice searches when people are looking for information on the go. Someone in the area can find you because your location is close and they know you are currently open.

If you don’t have a Yelp listing or haven’t claimed an existing one there are numerous benefits to getting more involved in Yelp. With Yelp you can provide a way for customers to find and interact with you so that everyone benefits.

The post 5 Reasons Why Yelp is Important for Your Business appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/5-reasons-yelp-important-business/

8 Tips to Become a Guest Blogger

One of the most effective strategies in building up more traffic to your website or blog is to create content specifically for other more established companies. Guest blogging on other websites can be an easy way to see a huge jump in traffic and get people more familiar with you and your brand. Using the existing visibility of another business can give you a much needed boost as you make more connections online.

Becoming a guest blogger can be a major benefit to you but it can take some effort to get involved in this type of blogging. You’ll need to know how to give the company what they want so that you can both mutually benefit from the exchange. Once you become a frequent guest blogger you can enjoy a steady flow of traffic to your page.

There are some tips on how to become a guest blogger:

1. Write High Quality Content

Before attempting to blog for another company make sure that your writing quality is up to par for what an established business or “authority” blog would expect. The subject matter of your blogs should show a certain amount of expertise and be free from any grammatical errors. Most importantly your content should be interesting and appealing to readers in a way that encourages people to like, share and interact with the post.

2. Start Small

If you have never attempted to guest blog before and are relatively unknown, you will have to work your way up to eventually posting on authority sites. Look for smaller, lesser known sites that might be interested in publishing your content. Find blogs or sites that are in your same niche industry and represent the type of brand that is similar to yours.

3. Work on Your Guest Post Pitch

In order to connect with another site and ask them if you can write a guest blog you will need to be able to sell yourself and your brand in a way that convinces them it will be a beneficial exchange. Developing a good “pitch” is essential in helping you to get other businesses interested in posting your content. Write a template email for your pitch that tells them who you are, why you are a fan of what they do and how your expertise can help them.

4. Customize Your Pitch for Each Company

It is helpful to have a template for when you offer to guest blog for someone but don’t send out a generic email to every person you contact. Make sure to customize the pitch and be specific about what you like about them and tailor your writing to the style that they represent. The more specific you are the less your email will seem spammy or insincere.

5. Look at Existing Guest Posts

Whatever type of blog you are hoping to guest post for, it is important to have an idea of the tone and style that they expect from their bloggers. Read and review their existing guest posts so that you can fit your style to what they present to readers. You should always produce the best content that you can but make sure to customize it to suit each blog and you will have more success.

6. Don’t Get Discouraged

When you are just beginning to try getting your content on other blogs there may be many cases where the company rejects your pitch or simply ignores you. The rejection may not have to do with you or your writing but just that they don’t need a certain topic or aren’t looking for a new guest blogger. Don’t take any rejection personally and make sure to continue pitching to as many blogs as possible.

7. Interact with Other Blogs

Becoming a guest blogger can be easier when you become a part of an online community and are already interacting with other sites. If you leave comments on the site and express interest in what they do by engaging with them you are more likely to leave a good impression. When you are already communicating with people on the site they will recognize you as someone who has valuable opinions and cares about what they are doing.

8. Promote Guest Posts

If you do become accepted as a guest blogger make sure to promote your post as much as possible. The other site will appreciate it if you share their content and contribute to promoting them on your own site. Do all you can to benefit the host site and they will be more likely to ask you back to blog again in the future.

The more guest blogs you write the more you will build your reputation as a writer and be able to experience the benefit on your own website. Word hard and write often and you will begin to see the results you want.

The post 8 Tips to Become a Guest Blogger appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/8-tips-become-guest-blogger/

Are Social Media Influencers Right for My Brand?

One of the more recent trends in marketing that has become a staple for businesses online is the use of social media influencers to recommend and sell products. Building an audience on social media can be difficult for struggling brands that need to get the word out about what they do. Social media influencers provide an outlet for businesses to more easily reach people on social media platforms such as Facebook, YouTube and Instagram.

Some brands might see social media influencers and the impact they have but wonder whether it will really work for them. Do social media influencers work for every type of brand? It is in fact possible to find the right influencer for your brand as long as you know who your target audience is and where to find them.

The myth that social media influencers and the platforms they use are only for millennial audiences is not true. Older generations use social media and can also be influenced by recommendations online but you need to find the place where your demographic “hangs out”. Social media influencers can have a tremendous impact on your brand if you use them to your advantage.

Understanding Social Media Influencers

The reason businesses are so interested in social media influencers is that they often speak directly to a large audience online. Influencers have built up their own following simply by being themselves and creating interesting content that people want to see. Their followers tend to listen to what they say and trust in their taste because it always comes across as completely genuine.

Even though followers of an influencer may feel that this person recommends products based on their own positive experience, the reality is that many are paid to promote certain brands. However, people see them as an authority in their field of influence and because of their existing relationship with their audience, influencers can have an affect on people’s purchase decisions. Social media influencers have a larger than normal following, but also usually have a niche audience that they are speaking to.

A common and increasingly popular example of a social media influencer is the “beauty guru”. This is a person on YouTube or Instagram that has been recognize by their followers as having special knowledge or expertise in makeup or beauty related products. They often test out new products, create tutorials or find creative ways to review or talk about beauty items.

Social media influencers exist in all kinds of different niches and as long as they are seen as an authority on a certain topic, people will be influenced by what they say. An influencer could be a celebrity, an industry expert, a content creator or just everyday people that become well-known online. No matter what type of brand you have, there is most likely an influencer that can help you promote your products or services.

Identifying the Right Influencer

How do you find an influencer that works for your brand? The first thing to think about when looking for a social media influencer is what you consider to be your brand message. You need to know beforehand what you want to say about your brand and what you want people to know.

In addition to developing your brand message you also need to know who your target audience is and what kinds of things they are looking for. Your target audience needs to be both people you want to reach and those who are more likely to be interested in purchasing your products. You don’t want to waste effort marketing to an audience that would have no need or no interest in your brand.

Once you have a better idea of your target audience you will need to find an influencer that has many followers in that audience. This doesn’t mean looking for an influencer with the most followers but looking for someone that matches your brand the most and speaks to the right demographic. Your influencer should share a similar message to your brand and an audience that is more likely to buy from you.

A great way to start looking for effective influencers is finding people that already like and mention your brand online. When someone genuinely loves your company their message is going to feel more authentic to followers and they won’t see it as an advertisement. If they are already interested in your brand then it is more likely they are good fit as far as their message and the type of content they create.

When you find the right social media influencer you will be able to have a direct channel to communicate with your target audience. Start developing relationships with social media influencers now so that you can create more loyal fans online.

The post Are Social Media Influencers Right for My Brand? appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/social-media-influencers-right-brand/

5 Reasons a Podcast Will Help Your Business Marketing Strategy

Staying relevant in modern advertising means finding a way to reach people that doesn’t always follow traditional marketing. New options such as podcasts can give businesses the opportunity to communicate with their target audience and let them know why their product matters. Staying ahead of competition means telling a story about how your product stands apart from the others and podcasts offer a way for businesses to do that.

Podcasts usually don’t include regular commercial breaks as there are on the radio so their advertising messages often become part of the program. This can make the message about the product seem more natural and authentic in a way that listeners are more likely to respond to. In addition to your regular written and visual content, podcasts can be a great kind of audio content to include in your marketing strategy.

These are some of the reasons podcasts can help your business.

1. They are Easy for People to Consume

Audio content is one of the most accessible types of advertising content for potential customers. Instead of having to read lengthy text or keep their attention on a video, podcasts deliver the information quickly and easily. Users don’t have to shift their focus away from what they were doing to pay attention exclusively to your content.

People can easily listen to podcasts while they are driving, exercising, or working without it taking their attention away from those activities. Even though they are easy to access and consume, podcasts can also be highly engaging. Audio content can often be a welcome break from the monotony of other types of content that people are constantly bombarded with online.

2. They are Inexpensive and Simple to Create

There are not a lot of steps involved in making a podcast and the equipment required for making one is reasonably priced. All you need for a podcast is a good quality microphone and headphones and editing software that will allow you to record and produce the content. The editing software is often free online and simple to use even for people with no experience.

Making a podcast can also be much less time-consuming than other types of written or visual content. All you need to do is record yourself speaking naturally. You might prepare some talking points before hand but podcasts are typically not scripted. After recording you can do some minimal editing and your podcast is ready to be put online.

3. They Help You Stand Out from Competition

Because podcasts are a relatively new form of advertising, you can benefit from having less competition. You can create your own podcast for a niche audience and depending on the topic, you may not have to worry too much about competing for listeners. It can help you stand out from your competitors because you offer something that none of them do.

4. They Increase Traffic

One of the main reasons businesses should get involved in podcasts is that they offer a way to reach out to new audiences and build up a bigger fanbase. With a podcast there will be a wider range of audience that becomes familiar with your brand and your products. You are exposing your brand to potentially thousands of listeners for free essentially.

You can quickly start to acquire more customers through podcasts and bring more traffic to your site because at the end of each episode you can include call to action or CTA. You can tell listeners the link to your landing page, email subscriber or any other tool that you think will be the most helpful in bringing in new customers. Each time you include a CTA you will see more traffic on your site and more email subscribers from interested listeners.

5. They Help Build a Relationship with Your Audience

Not only will podcasts bring in more customers, they can help create loyal followers that care about your brand. Audio content tends to be more personal and when people hear you speak they will get to know your personality and your genuine passion about what you do. As you discuss relevant topics people will feel more of a connection than they might with other types of written or video content.

Listening to your voice makes it easier for followers to like and trust you because they feel like they know you better. That trust that you develop can improve your brand image and help people become more in tune with your company. People will naturally feel more drawn to your business and will be interested in what you are doing.

Podcasts can act as a great supplement to your existing marketing strategy to start building up an audience of listeners that learn to care about you and your brand. With simple audio equipment you can start talking to potential customers and seeing the positive results.

The post 5 Reasons a Podcast Will Help Your Business Marketing Strategy appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/5-reasons-podcast-will-help-business-marketing-strategy/

How Important are Brand Values in Your Marketing Strategy

The way that you market your brand can involve much more than increasing numbers of sales and customers. Your marketing strategy is also a way to present an image of your brand in the mind of your target audience. How do you want your audience to interpret the core values of your brand and what your company is really about?

Brand values are a permanent part of your business even while advertising strategies, logos and products are constantly changing. Your values define your company in ways that potential customers can identify and connect with. A business that focuses on their brand values will be able to communicate more effectively with a coherent message through their marketing plans.

If you haven’t taken some time to think about what your brand values are then it might be a good idea to consider what your company represents and what you want your audience to know about you. Brand values matter because customers are constantly interacting with brands online and through social media. They need to understand your brand image and see more than just a picture of a product in order to become loyal followers.

What are Brand Values?

At the core of every company should be a set of brand values that influence everything from their brand’s look, voice, message and relationships to customers. Your brand is more than just your logo and visual identity, it involves your company’s personality, purpose and overall mission. Without brand values guiding your message your company will just seem like any other business vying for people’s attention.

A good way to start developing a set of brand values is to think about what is important to you and your business and make a list. You can think about what you care about, the negative things about other brands you want to avoid and the experience you want your own customers to have. Brand values can also mean standing for something that you feel your company can offer people.

Brand values can be any number of things that people associate with a company and their products. Does your brand focus on making natural and humane products? Do you donate a portion of your profits to charity? Do you care about innovation and change or social issues?

Your brand values don’t necessarily have to mimic another established brand in order to be successful. They need to be true to your company and what makes your products or services unique. Once you have made a list of what your brand cares about and what you stand for you can condense it down to one or two phrases that truly define your brand values.

Including Brand Values in Advertising

Once you have determined your company’s values and the image that you want to present to your audience, you can start working on communicating this message. It is important to remain consistent with your values and represent them in every way that you possibly can so that people recognize and remember what your business is all about. Being consistent about your values at all times can keep your brand more trustworthy and reliable in the minds of customers.

Being consistent about your message does not necessarily mean that all your ads and social media channels need to look exactly the same. You can have variety in your marketing strategies but make sure that your core values are reflected in the voice and message of your ads and social media posts. The look and imagery of your brand may continue to evolve but the values they communicate should always remain the same.

Whenever you are designing an ad or working on your marketing plan, you can use new and interesting ideas but also think about how they are related to your values. When you write taglines, text for your website, social media posts and other messages make sure your values are somehow reflected in what you say. Your values are what will help people remember you and they will begin to associate positive qualities with your business.

A company’s brand is much more than just external aspects that present an image or a voice. People will be willing to pay more for a brand that represents values that they agree with or care about themselves. A business that stands for something is more likely to win loyal customers and their message will spread to a bigger audience.

Looking at other successful company’s ads can give you an idea of how their values are represented in everything they do. When you understand how brand values are at the center of every advertising strategy it will help you develop your own technique and skills in marketing. If you always consider your brand values you will create more relatable and effective ads that speak to the people you want to reach.

The post How Important are Brand Values in Your Marketing Strategy appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/important-brand-values-marketing-strategy/

Are Groups The New Pages For Facebook?

This January, Mark Zuckerberg dropped a bombshell for marketers on his Facebook page:

“[W]e’ve gotten feedback from our community that public content — posts from businesses, brands and media — is crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect more with each other…” As a result, the company is “making a major change to how we build Facebook,” starting with the “News Feed, where you can expect to see more from your friends, family and groups.”

For most marketers, these changes weren’t necessarily a surprise. Facebook’s been doing this for years, slowly weeding out content from public pages in favor of posts from family and friends. What was notable about this announcement, however, was Facebook’s advocacy for groups, in addition to the usual suspects of family and friends.

The inclusion of groups got marketers thinking… are groups the new pages for Facebook?

Can you rely on Facebook Groups?

Even if you’re already eagerly visualizing your brand’s big debut into Facebook groups, you’re probably feeling at least a hint of trepidation along with your excitement. You’ve been beaten down over the years, with each algorithm bringing a new blow to your organic reach on Facebook. It only makes sense that you’d be wary about doubling-down on groups only for Facebook to change its tune later on.

While nothing can be guaranteed in the ever-changing social media landscape, there are some clear signs that you can trust Facebook’s making a serious investment in groups and they’re here to stay (at least for a little while).

Although it feels new, Facebook’s focus on groups has actually been brewing for a little while. In mid-2017, Facebook held its first Communities Summit for Group Admins in Chicago.

What precipitated this event? According to Zuckerberg, “We recently found that more than 100 million people on Facebook are members of what we call ‘very meaningful’ groups. These are groups that upon joining, quickly become the most important part of our social network experience and an important part of our physical support structure. For example, many new parents tell us that joining a parenting group after having a child fits this purpose.”

Then, this February, Facebook followed up with a Communities Summit in Europe that hosted over 300 group “power admins.” At the event, Facebook announced many of the initiatives they’ve launched based on feedback from the first summit, and continued gathering important feedback and ideas from the elite group for future releases.

What can you do with Facebook Groups?

If you haven’t paid attention to Facebook Groups in a while, you can do a lot more with them than you may realize. Facebook’s made strides to nurture engagement in groups and offer admins more advanced management tools on par with what you see with brand pages.

Engagement features

Last October, Facebook introduced two new features that enhance and personalize the community experience of groups.

1. Welcome posts invite group admins to tag new members by name:
2. Clicking on a member’s name heavily emphasizes their group activity, along with the normal things they have in common with the person who clicked (as opposed to the default search on Facebook, which shows the common interests alone):

Changes like these make group members feel closer than a random stranger on Facebook, inviting more engagement.

Facebook knows that both groups and their Facebook Live video feature boast spectacularly high engagement rates – so they decided to combine the two with their new Watch Party feature. Group admins can choose a public Facebook video for their group to watch at the same time. It’s like simultaneously watching a video together and commenting on it with your friends.

Admin tools

The first sign a social platform is starting to care about a demographic is when you see it adding analytics features that rival the ones they offer to paying advertisers. You’ve seen this most recently with Snapchat’s recent concessions for influencers. Facebook’s new suite of tools for group admins is more sophisticated than ever, and significantly streamlines group management.

Group admins can now easily manage everything from a central administrative dashboard, including viewing insights and approving new member requests. Up to 10 group announcements can be pinned to the top of the page. Group rules, similar to what you find on Reddit, now have a dedicated section.

Facebook also recently expanded their Group Insights tool to include “helpful personalized tips, like scheduling posts at times when members are most engaged.” If that sounds a lot like the insights available to Page owners, it’s because it is.Other, small changes reveal Facebook’s recognition of the importance of group identity when it comes to engagement. For example, admins can now personalize their group pages by selecting a color scheme. This feature isn’t even available to regular profiles!

Developing your brand’s strategy for Facebook groups

If you want to have any organic reach on Facebook as a brand, groups are the way to go. Here’s how to go about it the right way.

Posting in groups

It’s no coincidence that Facebook’s groups now share many similarities with Reddit. Group admins have a lot more power. Custom color schemes put the group’s identity first, before Facebook’s own blue branding.

As such, brands should expect group members to treat their Facebook groups with the same fierce loyalty and protection you see on Reddit.

In order to succeed with groups, it is absolutely essential that brands tread lightly. Engage first before promoting (if you promote at all), and always engage authentically. If you don’t, you won’t just risk low engagement. You’ll risk very public ridicule and shaming.

Brands can post in groups as a Page. This maintains your professionalism, but it also keeps your brand faceless. To add humanity to your brand, consider leveraging the personal brands of your employees. They can work in tandem with your Page account to share official announcements, answer FAQ, and participate in discussions related to your industry.

Creating your own branded groups

You can also create your own branded Facebook group via linked Groups. These help your fans stay connected to your company through Page-branded groups featured on your profile.

Plenty of branded Facebook groups have enjoyed success on Facebook, but there are just as many half-hearted efforts that failed. To make your branded group one of the former, consider the following three things before you create your group.

1. Set your goals.

Is it sales? Then you’ll want a small group for prospects that’s highly cultivated by your sales reps who answer questions and make them feel like VIPs.

Maybe you have a team of brand ambassadors, and your email newsletter isn’t proving effective. A group just for them might work.

If you want a larger public group with the potential to grow, focus on a topic related to your industry. This will be about engagement, driving brand visibility and demonstrating thought leadership – not pushing your products. But, your efforts will result in higher group engagement, improved brand perception, and indirect boosts to your customer retention and sales.

2. Define your audience.

Depending on the topic and size of your audience, it may make sense to have several groups for different goals. For example, if you’re trying to enter a new vertical, establishing your thought leadership through a branded Facebook group is a great choice.

If your brand speaks to multiple verticals, or widely variant types of users, consider creating multiple groups. The more personal and niche you can be, the better.

3. Plan your logistics.

Assign the team members who will be responsible for managing the group and fostering engagement. Set up the rules. Develop a content calendar like you do for all your other channels.

For your group to succeed, you need to have a plan and keep it alive. Especially in the beginning, as the onus will be on you to make it worthwhile for fans to stick around.

Using group features

If you decide a branded group is right for you, leverage the tools at your disposal. Personalize your group with a color scheme, and make it friendly with Welcome Posts. Keep it lively with regular Group Announcements. Make the rules of engagement clear with Group Rules, and enforce them so it stays a safe space.

Group Insights provide many of the same insights you rely on to optimize your engagement on your brand Page. Use them to:

• Discover the best times to post for optimal engagement.
• Attract more members. Fully complete your profile to increase your chances of showing up in people’s searches for related keywords.
• Understand your audience better – both for the tone and content of your posts in the group itself, as well as broader market research applications.
• Find new potential groups to join. Recognize demographic interests among your most engaged users. Similar people might be interested in hearing from you but just haven’t heard of you quite yet. Search for groups related to those interests.
• Analyze your popular posts to give members more of what they like. Coordinate Watch Parties around topics your fans care about. Share exclusive content for group members..

Facebook groups: the path to meaningful interactions

In an increasingly pay-to-play social media landscape, Facebook Groups offer your brand the opportunity to interact with fans organically. Just make sure those interactions are meaningful.

Michael Quoc is the founder / CEO of Dealspotr, where brands, shoppers, and influencers can connect on the first social platform centered around today’s best promo codes. Previously, he was the Director of Product Management at Yahoo’s media lab, where he led the launch of several innovative services in the live video / mobile social networking areas. Michael has been awarded nine patents relating to mobile and social network applications and technology. Tweet him at @michaelquoc.

The post Are Groups The New Pages For Facebook? appeared first on SEM Blog.

source https://www.emarketed.com/blog/groups-new-pages-facebook/