Yelp has had it's issue with the leading search engine Google over the years, as detailed in the article "Yelp CEO: Google is a Monopolist That Screws Us Over and Here's How."  The move is a strategic alliance with Google's direct competitor making both entities, Yelp & Bing, more valuable in their quest against Google.

The 2nd announcement, "Check out Yelp on Apple's new maps app for iOS6!," teams Yelp up with another Google competitor, the almighty Apple.  Yelp listing data and reviews now populate local business listings within Apple's Map App for their iOS6 devices(as seen below).   

While Apple's Maps App had some issues and bad press out of the gate, durring the Q1 2013 earnings call, Apple's CEO Tim Cook assured investors that the Maps App will improve, “We’re going to keep working on this until it lives up to our incredible high standards.”  He went on to state, "There are already more than 100 million iOS devices using the new Apple Maps, with more and more joining us everyday."  That represents huge potential for businesses who take the time to claim their listings and cultivate some positive reviews on Yelp.  

Both of these strategic alliances make Yelp a very important piece of a Local Online Marketing Strategy for businesses, many of which are already listed on Yelp via user submissions or through listing databases that Yelps uses to populate their site.  

Now is the time to claim or create your listing with Yelp, update your information and cultivate positive reviews for your business to take advantage of these new opportunities for exposure via Bing Local Listings and Apple Maps App Local Listings.    

Be a Social Media Rock Star with Visual Content & Instagram
It's no secret that visual content generates the most engagement on Social Media.  Many sites, Facebook included, have adapted their platform to highlight great visuals in their news feeds, cover photos and backgrounds.  One platform has based it's entire content philosophy on Photos...Instagram.  They say a picture is worth a thousand words, however, with the viral nature of Social Media, engaging photos are worth much much more.  As users engage (comment, like, share) your photos, they are spreading your brand through their friends news feeds generating enormous reach and opportunity for your brand or business.  

But I Don't Have Enough Time to Update Social Media Sites -- Instagram to the Rescue!
The biggest road block for many businesses getting involved in Social Media is time.  "I don't have enough time to update all of my sites," "It takes too much time to generate content for my sites" and many variations of those complaints hold many businesses back from reaching their true potential with Social Media.   Fortunately, Instagram has solved this issue.  Instagram has integrated to allow users to share their picture across 6 major Social Media sites: Facebook (iPhone users can share on Facebook Pages), Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, Foursquare and of course Instagram.  In just a few quick minutes you can populate great quality photos to 6 major Social Media sites representing your business and start to generate valuable engagement with your fans.  

How to Use Instagram to Publish to 6 Social Media Sites at Once:

1. Download the Instagram App for iPhone or Android and create a business account with "YourBusiness" as the username.
2.  Login and use the photo function (middle button) to capture a photo or upload one from your phones gallery that relates to something interesting about your business.
3. Apply a filter to make it look professional. 
4. Click through to add some text to explain what the photo is or the message you wish to share with your followers
5. You can share on your business accounts by clicking and logging in to each one: Facebook Page (iPhone only at this point), Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Foursquare (Foursquare gives you the option to use your personal profile or Brand Page -- Create a Brand Page for Your Business Here -- and "Check-in" at your business location or wherever you may be).  
6. When you click the "check" button to complete the post, all at once you are populating your business pages for Instagram, Facebook Page, Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr and Foursquare with great visually engaging content.  
   

What should I share?

• Behind the scenes photos to show the fun, exciting things happening day to day at your business
  Ex. Coffee roasting company showing a shipment of new beans arriving, the roasting process or customers enjoying the coffee.
  
  
• Promotional or weekly special graphics to entice fans to stop by your business
  Ex.  Restaurant sharing pictures of the actual plated food on special each day, sidewalk sign listing the daily special or cook preparing the daily special.  NOTE: come up with fun new ways to show similar concepts, do not repost the same photos week to week.
  
  
• Highlight your staff enjoying the work they are doing for your company 
  Ex.  Photos of interns and volunteers working hard, president or CEO using the company product or staff parties to show that your company is human and occasionally has fun on the job.
  
  
• Timely and relevant pictures of community or national events
  Ex.  Car dealership showcasing photos of staff participating in a local golf fundraising outing, staff members celebrating national holidays or the boss enjoying a donut on National Donut day.  
  
  
• Company events as they happen
  Ex.  Art gallery posting photos during an opening exhibit, children's workshop or volunteer day.
  
  
• BE CREATIVE
  Think of other unique ways to use photos to share your company, products and services with your followers.  This is a great opportunity to let your fans have a glimpse behind the scene and tell the story of your brand through great visual imagery.  

You can now access Instagram profiles and pictures on the Web.  Previously, Instagram was only accessible via your iPhone or Android App making it cumbersome for users to browse the profile and photos of another user.  You can also update your profile by logging in at www.Instagram.com   One feature that is missing from the Web side of Instagram is photo uploading, you must use the IPhone or Android app for that.  It will be interesting to see the evolution of the Web profiles, it is already clear that they are a great asset for your Businesses Online Branding tool belt.    

My profile at www.Instagram.com/TonyDiehl - 

It is well documented that Google dominates online search.  Today, when consumers need to find things, they turn to Google.  In order to deliver the most relevant results, Google has 100's of coders & mathematicians constantly tweaking an algorithm based on location, date/time, popularity of particular websites and their page content and hundreds of other little variables to deliver the most relevant search results based on the keywords a user searches.  Fortunately for business owners, there is an easy way to significantly increase the search visibility for your business website and it's called Google+ Local.  

In the summer of 2012, Google decided to upgrade Google Places, it's local listing directory, and transition it within their Google+ social network.  The new arrangement is known as Google+ Local, with user reviews calculated to a Zagat score, business details  photos, check-in functionality and more.  

As an added bonus, they've also allowed local businesses to create and merge Google+ Business Pages (similar to a Facebook Business Page) with their Google+ Local Listings creating a SEO (Search Engine Optimized...the hairy algorithm stuff that ranks your website higher) power-packed listing and content publishing platform.  

For businesses looking to rank higher in Google search rankings, creating a Google+ Local Listing and merging it with a Google+ Business Page is the place to start.  Review the steps below to get started, click here to learn more about Google+ Local

Start by listing or claiming the Google Listing for your business, click here to begin the process.  

• NOTE:  when creating a Google Local Listing, make sure you are logged into a Google Account that you want to use for your business and not your personal Google Account.  You may  need to give access to this listing in the future to anyone managing your Social Media or Internet Marketing efforts and you do not want to give them access to your personal account.  We recommend creating "YourBusiness@Gmail.com" as an account to create your Google Listing, Google+ Business Page and establish your Youtube Channel with.  Create a new Google Account here: www.Gmail.com
  

Fill out or update your listing including business details, up to 3 categories, images, videos, service area/location and MOST IMPORTANT website address for your business.  The more information you supply Google on this listing, the better chance of ranking high in search results. Finally, in order to verify your Google Business Listing, Google will automate a post card with a Pin# that you must log back in and enter.  This usually takes about a week.  At this point, sit tight and wait for the post card so that you can verify your Listing.  

Once your Listing is verified you can create and merge it with a Google+ Business Page, ie. the content publishing part of your listing.  Follow the steps below.

To create a Google+ Business Page Click Here.

NOTE: Be sure to select "Local Business or Place" from the category options as seen in the image below.  This will prompt you to search for the physical Google Listing for your business that we created and verified in the previous step.  Enter the phone number that you associated with your Google Listing in Step 1 to find your Listing.

CAUTION:  If for some reason your Google Listing does not appear when you are prompted to search for it, you may want to wait a week or so and try again.  If you proceed beyond this step without properly selecting the Google Listing that was created in Step 1 of this process you may not be able to merge it with your Google Listing in the future.  This may initiate Googles system to create a second Local Listing for your business which could cause issues in the future.  It is best not to proceed with creating a Google+ Business Page unless you are able to match it up with the Local Listing.  Proceed at your own risk if you choose to ignore this warning and properly link to your Google Local Listing.  

Once you have selected your Local Listing, you will have to verify that your new Google+ Business Page is associated with the your business location through another postcard with a Pin#.  To initiate this, locate the "Verify" link on your new business page on the right side under the profile picture or at the top beside the page name.  Click to initiate the verification post card and wait a few days to receive it.  Once you receive the post card in the mail, navigate back your new Google+ Business page and click the same "Verification" link to enter your Pin#  

Congratulations!  At this point, Google should merge your Business Page with your Listing creating your new SEO power-packed Listing and content publishing platform with Google.  Use your new Google+ Local Business Page to post your blog updates, share exciting business news and encourage your customers to connect with your new Page for updates and specials.  

BONUS: Create a custom short URL for your new page!  While Google has only begun rolling our custom URLs for select pages, you can still create a short link to your page by visiting www.GPlus.to and following the instructions.  The end result should look something like this www.GPlus.to/StickableMedia  and forward to your Google+ Business Page.  Use this short URL to direct fans, customers, friends and colleagues to your new page to connect.

To view a Google+ Local Business Page that has been successfully merged, click here!

Yelp is a mix between local business listing site and social media site.  It allows a passionate user-base to connect with friends, review local retailers and share those review as well as images, tips, check-ins and more with their friends.  Yelp compiles the totals from these reviews on each businesses page to calculate an overall rating out of 5-stars.  Additionally, the site serves as a search engine for local businesses, products, services with ratings to help users make informed purchasing decisions. 

Why this matters...Google tried to buy Yelp in 2009 for half a billion dollars only to be turned down by CEO Jeremy Stoppleman at the last minute (read story here) and has most recently teamed up with Bing Search and Apple Maps (read story here).  With this kind of attention and money swirling around Yelp you can bet that user reviews posted and hosted online of local retailers is a great space for your business to be and Yelp is a great place to start. 

Additionally, statistics show that consumers trust opinions from friends and peers posted online above all other forms of advertising (read more here).  Yelp listings tend to rank high in search engines, so when consumers make purchasing decisions in your industry by searching your products and services, their decisions are being influenced by Yelp listings and reviews.  This is a trend that is sure to continue.

Now is the time to take control and manager your online reputation with Yelp.

Claim Your Listing:  To list your business or claim an already existing listing for your business click here:  https://biz.yelp.com/claiming

NOTE: You will need to create a Business User account to claim or create your listing, we recommend establishing and using the email address "SocialMedia@YourBusiness.com" to register accounts.  This email can simply forward to YourBusiness@Gmail.com as a homebase for Social Media registration, management and notifications.  We do not recommend creating Social Media accounts with "contact@YourBusiness.com" as you do not want leads for your business getting lost amongst notification emails.

Optimize Your Listing:  Be sure to thoroughly fill out your business profile including Basic Business Info (Important: add up to 3 categories to help users find your listing), Additional Business Info, Hours, Specialities, History, Meet the Owner/Manager and Recommendations (great opportunity highlight some business you support).  You can also add pictures by clicking Photos from the left menu option.  

Check-in Offers, Deals & Gift Certificates - You can add some additional offers, deals and certificates for users who find you on Yelp.  Be sure to review all the details, Yelp retains 30% on Deals/Certificates sold through their platform.  Also, review any offers/deals with internal staff so that they are aware and know how to transact them when users bring them in.  There is nothing worse than getting a deal online and when you go to claim it, no one at the business knows what to do.

To view and respond to reviews, simply click "Reviews" link from the left hand menu within your business account.  From here you will see the live reviews of your business.  You have two options to repsond: 1. Send Private Message  or 2. Add Public Comment   

NOTE: Yelp does a great job covering the Review Response process, we highly recommend that you take the time to read this brief but informative section and watch the quick videos to learn how to properly respond to reviews on Yelp:  https://biz.yelp.com/support/responding_to_reviews

Objectives when responding to reviews:

• Show that you are listening and you care.
  
• Gain valuable insights and feedback from real people
  
• Address any issues that may have been exposed
• Resolve the problems
• Respond to the User reviews to let the user know that you are thankful for the feedback, the issue has been addressed and resolved and invite them back for a second chance to earn their business.

Controlling the online reputation for your business is not only important it is essential.  As consumers trust in advertising continues to fall, they will look to friends, peers and their opinions posted online to help make purchasing decisions.  Get control, monitor and manage the online reputation for your business through Yelp.  

In a recent study by Lab42(See Graphic Below), 50% of consumers felt that a brand's Facebook page is MORE USEFUL than it's website.  
This makes perfect sense.  While a Website can provide static information about products and services, it does not show what people are saying about those products and services.  This is right in line with Neilsen's global trust in advertising, which shows that 92% of consumers trust recommendations from people they know and 70% trust opinions posted online by strangers, while only 58% trust a branded website.  

Consumers no longer rely on how well a company can sell them on products and services, they want to know what their friends and peers are saying...and they are finding these opinions through Facebook and various Social Media profiles.  Ultimately, these opinions are influencing purchasing decision above all other forms of advertising.  It's time to invest in a solid Social Media presence and start generating positive digital word of mouth about your brand and it's products and services through Social Media.  Get started today with Stickable Media's FREE Digital Brand Assets Control Package which will guide you through securing, developing and unifying 20+ Social Media profiles and Business Listing site, click here to download.

ANOTHER INTERESTING STAT:  The #1 reason for a fan to unlike a page... "brand posted too frequently"  
When posting to Social Media, remember, quality over quantity.  While you might be tempted to post that cute kitten photo, remember your brand advocates are un-liking your page when you over post.  At least 70% of the content you post should be valuable to the core audience that you are trying to accumulate around your brand or business.  30% or fewer posts should be about products and services.  

Before posting to Facebook, ask yourself "How is this content valuable to my core audience?"  if you cannot find a damn good reason, don't post it.  Scrap it.  Go back to the drawing board and come up with something that makes your core audience go "WOW that was great and insanely helpful, my friends need to see this!"  Generate content that gets that kind of response from your core audience and your brand will spread naturally through the digital word of mouth features in Social Media, ie. Shares, Comments, Likes, etc.


What stat stood out most to you from the graphic below?  Comment below.