October 25th, 2009 by Joanna Lee
How to Build a Business Brand on Yelp, LinkedIn, Facebook, & Google – BizTechDay 2009
How to Build a Business Brand on Yelp, LinkedIn, Facebook, & Google
Moderator: Shawna Causey, Comcast Business Class
Panelist: Ryan Hayward, Product Development & Marketing, Local Business Center, Google
- 80% + are looking for businesses through Google & Google maps
- Business Listing is free
- Helps you get more business
- Can see a daily report of your traffic
- Anatomy of your listing on Google: Business name, business hours, description of business, photos, reviews of that business, location on Google maps and Google street view, photos are provided by the business, Google pulls info from City Search and other websites
- To optimize your business on Google: add photos, keep all info up to date, add a thorough business description, select all appropriate categories and describe specific products sold, give unique details and use specific keywords
- google.com/lbc, add your business, verify that it’s really your business
Yelp
Panelist: Michelle Broderick, Marketing Director, Yelp, Seattle, michelle.yelp.com
- How Yelp can help your business: to connect people to great local businesses
- 20 to 25 million people coming to Yelp monthly
- 5 million local reviews
- 85% of reviews are positive
- Make sure you claim your page
- Connect with your reviewers for free to respond to reviewers
- Flesh out you business page, put in your promos, put a photo, about your business
- Make sure your business is engaging
Panelist: Hazel Grace Dircksen, Founder, Socialbees, Silicon Valley, @socialbees, Facebook.com/socialbees
- Helps small businesses develop a social presence on Facebook
- 300 million people on Facebook
- 10 million are connecting with businesses
- Use a Facebook page instead of a Newsletter
- Create a custom tab for ads
- Make it fun, engage and connect with your fans
Questions from the moderator:
1) How do you get started on getting listed on Google? Ryan: Check for your own business on Google, see what’s on there already.
2) How do you set up your business on Yelp? Michelle: Go to yelp.com/business, unlock your business page, join the conversation about once a week, put your URL in, add fun facts about your business, how and why you started your business,
3) How do you set up your business on Facebook? Hazel Grace: Start with a personal profile, then add a fan page (for businesses) by clicking on the advertising button at the bottom or join/start a group.
4) Give an example of a successful viral campaign on Facebook. Hazel Grace: Feel your Boobies, an organization that promotes breast cancer awareness.
5) Give an example of a successful campaign on Yelp. Michelle: A café business blew up a gigantic sign of Yelp and stuck it in her window, people asked her about it, and she explains that she’s well-loved on Yelp. She has all her specials and promos on it.
6) Give an example of a successful campaign on Google. Ryan: A 12-location business was on the verge of bankruptcy. Employee used Google Analytics & enhanced content on Google, business started to flourish. She became the manager of all 12 locations.
7) What kind of data/statistics do you see on Google? Ryan: How many times your business was viewed by people, how many people clicked on your website, from what zip codes people are looking for you, Google alerts you on when your business is mentioned, Google Adwords can promote your business.
8) What stats do you get from Yelp? Michelle: How many people viewed your page, an alert every time you get reviewed, check feedback from all reviews to get data.
9) What stats do you get from Facebook? Hazel Grace: Demographics of fans, how they interact with your business, who’s interacting with your business, compare yourself with other fan pages, see what people are saying about you.
10) What’s next for Google? Ryan: Local Business Center: more enhancements on data collected, more info on how to use your data, more social aspects
11) What’s next for Yelp? Michelle: International focus, launched UK and Canada, mobile
12) What’s next for Facebook? Hazel Grace: Fan pages to replace company newsletters, local business focus, new iPhone update.
13) One thing businesses are doing wrong?
Hazel Grace: Facebook: businesses abandon their fan pages, no new updates or flair, overusing and double posting.
Michelle: Yelp: abandoning their profile, come across too desperate, faking their own reviews.
Ryan: Google: outdated data, not having enough content.
Question from audience via Twitter:
How do you use these channels to connect with B2B? Build a community of people that are looking for your type of business, make sure you are connected because business owners need services/products, too. Not too different from B2C.