Question

Topic: Advertising/PR

Advertising With Yelp For Small Business

Posted by katie on 3/2/2017 at 10:19 AM ET 125 Points
I am on the fence with Yelp advertising, and have heard conflicting reviews from other businesses that advertise with Yelp. We are a small business at the gateway entrance to Glacier National Park that just cannot seem to attract the numbers we want to see, even though the 2 + million seasonal visitors drive right by before hitting the park. Are travelers really going to use yelp to find us, will we see the ROI at $3.48 per click? It seems like quite a risk for a small business. The typical advertising platforms don't seem to be working enough, and still considering google ad words or advertising with trip advisor as well. Though, we are also stuck in a swamp of keywords of generalities. What keywords are really going to work with these online searches? Place to Eat, or Things to Do near Glacier is so general. Any thoughts?
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RESPONSES

  • Posted by joy.levin on 3/2/2017 at 11:31 AM Accepted
    A few ideas here:

    You could test out each of the platforms (Adwords, TripAdvisor, and Yelp) to see which delivers the best ROI for you. This will take some time, and while you can be flexible about budget, recognize that you will likely achieve learnings faster if you allow for a large budget upfront.

    You don't mention the specific type of small business that you are, but you can also use a tool like
    SEMRush (https://www.semrush.com/) - this will give you some ideas as to what keywords might work for you.

    You can also try SpyFu (https://www.spyfu.com/) - these tools are great because they let you see (for free, to some extent) what it is your competitors are doing and what is working for them.

    You are definitely smart to make sure the ROI is there for you, but I think you will need to do some of this research and some testing to maximize the investment.
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 3/2/2017 at 12:21 PM Member
    It would be helpful if you told us the type of business(es) you are - restaurant, lodging, store, etc. certain types of businesses are more likely to do better on yelp than others, so knowing this is important.
  • Posted by katie on 3/2/2017 at 12:40 PM Author
    Thanks for the advice. We are a difficult marketing/ branding scenario because of our number of offerings. We are a Made in Montana gift shop, outdoor gear and logo-wear shop, a horseback trail ride outfitter with rides leaving from this specific location among others, an activity reservations center, onsite bar offering local libations as well as coffee and local ice cream, within the gift shop are educational geotourism displays, an in-house authentic Mexican restaurant owned by another company (they pay rent to our company), as well as an outdoor animal petting zoo for kids. Retail and alcohol sales keeps the lights on. The Mexican restaurant brings people in.
    Thanks! Katie
  • Posted by joy.levin on 3/2/2017 at 2:00 PM Member
    Thanks for the response - I can definitely see that you are engaged in several verticals! You might try looking in SEMRush or SpyFu for competitive keyword data in each of these, and then experimenting, to see which can deliver the best ROI.
  • Posted by Gary Bloomer on 3/2/2017 at 6:35 PM Accepted
    I'd forego Yelp for the time being until you know what passers by are MOST likely to be attracted to.
    Of everything you offer, what could be scaled back? What could be ramped up? Where are your biggest sellers? Are you on a main drag, or off the beaten path? What options might there be for highways signs with wording you can switch out?
  • Posted by Peter (henna gaijin) on 3/3/2017 at 6:24 PM Accepted
    I would skip the Yelp advertisement, and instead focus on locals advertisements and promotions. If there is a tourist magazine/map distributed at hotels, maybe advertise in that. Maybe also consider billboards on the road leading to your location. And make sure your signage is up to snuff.

    You may also want to consider some sort of promotion to get people in the door. Things like how many coastal stores offer a free taste of salt water taffy. Free taste of something to all visitors. Something that you would put on the signage out front to entice people to stop.
  • Posted by darcy.moen on 3/3/2017 at 7:29 PM Accepted
    Yelp is a feedback and opinion web site. People go to Yelp to either complain about some perceived slight they experienced at your facility/business, or others go to Yelp to read reviews others have left about your business. Its not a search engine.|

    Many folks who use Yelp are simply checking out your reputation and seeing what others have said or experienced at your business. They are not looking for a product or service. In fact many Yelp users are typically chronic complainers, or just extremely picky. Do these sound like the type of customer you want coming to your business?

    Save your money and invest in social media ads, or search engine ads as you can target better quality customers. Yelp advertising is a waste of money. I really don't recommend feeding the Yelp beast anything.
  • Posted by Shelley Ryan on 3/17/2017 at 5:38 PM Moderator
    Hi Everyone,

    I am closing this question since there hasn't been much recent activity.

    Thanks for participating!

    Shelley
    MarketingProfs
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