One of the most difficult things for marketers to do is combine the art of driving targeted traffic to a specific place and then also closing the deal. When successful it is possible to make serious money because that targeted traffic is ready to buy, and a good sales pitch can really help to seal the deal. In an effort to capitalize on the already wildly popular site Yelp, the company is adding in a new feature for businesses which have a presence on their page. It is possible to add a new call to action option at the bottom of the page which will encourage visitors to make a purchase.
Companies who have listed their business on Yelp can now help guide potential customers to take a specific action. If, for example, a restaurant owner has a page on Yelp they can place a link at the bottom which will allow viewers to quickly and easily make reservations for dinner. A theater can allow visitors to buy tickets to this weekend’s show. The options are virtually endless.
Since Yelp is already getting over 102 million unique visitors each month, and the vast majority of these visitors are visiting for the specific purpose of deciding where to make a purchase, this is a very attractive feature. Local businesses can harness the power of these visitors to quickly convert them into sales. Making the sale immediately helps avoid the risk that the visitor will decide to visit the restaurant, in this example, only to see another diner on the way and change their mind. Once the reservations are made or the tickets are sold there is very little chance that the sale will be lost.
Businesses which take advantage of this new feature are likely to see a dramatic increase in their overall sales through the site. According to the Yelp press release companies which used Yelp to advertise their business saw an average of $23,000 in annual revenue from the site. Those which simply used Yelp’s free listing profited around $8000 from the site. Having the ability to directly market and engage visitors should dramatically increase the income businesses can see from this already powerful tool.
Whether you own a local business or you’re offering SEO & Marketing services to local businesses, this is something which really can’t be overlooked. When done properly it can result in immediate and measurable improvements which is key for all successful marketing.
Click HERE to see the full press release from Yelp.
