Whether you are looking for a new restaurant to try out or you need a babysitter for tonight’s late-night fun, you can find what you need with a quick phone call or text message. Thanks to the rise of online review sites and companies like Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook, it is now possible to locate business information easily without having to leave your home.
Traditional Review Sites
If you are a fan of traditional review sites like Yelp or Google, you will undoubtedly have enjoyed the new features implemented in recent years. Thanks to the popularity of online reviews and the increasing use of smartphones, it is now possible to have essentially real-time conversations with customers wherever you are. This in turn has enabled traditional review sites to evolve and provide more personalized services to their users, making them more interactive and exciting to use. For instance, if you visit Yelp in the middle of London, you will notice that it is fairly easy to find what you are looking for even though the site is largely populated by reviews posted by users from the United States. The online review sites are also taking advantage of the fact that more and more people are doing business online, ensuring that they have a strong local presence in every city.
Social Media
While traditional review sites like Yelp have long been a repository for local business information, the internet has also provided a home for countless bloggers and journalists who want to share their opinions about businesses and products.
If you use social media to explore local restaurants, bars, and clubs, you will undoubtedly stumble upon a variety of reviews and content posted about these locations. From food blogs and restaurant Instagram accounts to Twitter feeds and YouTube videos, everyone has a platform to share their opinions and experiences to the world. The important thing to keep in mind is that even though these platforms may seem like they are primarily used for fun, they can also be a tool for business. Platforms like Yelp, Google My Business, and Facebook ensure that every business has a strong online presence and that customers have everything they need in one place. So if you are ever wondering ‘what is the best place to eat near me’, you can simply search for your city or zip code on these sites and gain access to a variety of local businesses, all ranked based on some metric that measures their popularity.
With all of these options, it is quite easy to discover local businesses and their products. However, for some, simply being located nearby may not be enough. If you want to engage with customers and get the word out about your business, you should consider trying out some of these marketing methods.
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
If you are a business owner who wants to grow your customer base and improve your Google search rankings, you should consider trying out some of these search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. The internet giant Google introduced Google My Business to help connect customers with your brand even if they are not located near your place of business. Launched earlier this year, Google My Business allows local businesses to create a free Google profile that lists all their important information (opening hours, contact details, and photos).
The platform also provides you with a map and allows you to add a custom greeting to incoming phone calls.
This is a perfect place for customers to find what they’re looking for without having to leave the comfort of their homes. If your business is located in London, they will not have to come all the way across the Atlantic to find what they need. This can also be a helpful tool for customers who are looking for a local business and don’t want to leave the map to find your number.
Email Marketing
Even the most basic of businesses can take advantage of email marketing to grow their customer base. To put it simply, email marketing is the act of sending email messages to customers with the intention of increasing product sales. Although you don’t need a huge budget to get started, you do need to pay for your email marketing provider’s services, which can range from $15 to $25 per month for the average business.
The most successful businesses in the United States use email marketing on a regular basis. According to HubSpot Blogs, companies whose email marketing tactics used to range from $15 to $25 per month can expect to earn $2.28 to $3.72 per day. So if you are looking for a way to make money from home, this is the perfect alternative.
Mobile Phones
Thanks to the rise of smartphones and the internet, customers can now access business information at the tap of a button. Even when you don’t have wifi available, you can still access the internet through your mobile phone’s data plan. If you are looking to find a restaurant or bar near you, you can consult Google’s local database or utilize apps like Zomato and Rescueme to find businesses that are nearby.
If you are a business owner who wants to grow your customer base and improve your Google search rankings, you should consider trying out some of these search engine optimization (SEO) tactics. The internet giant Google introduced Google My Business to help connect customers with your brand even if they are not located near your place of business. Launched earlier this year, Google My Business allows local businesses to create a free Google profile that lists all their important information (opening hours, contact details, and photos).
This is a perfect place for customers to find what they’re looking for without having to leave the comfort of their homes. If your business is located in London, they will not have to come all the way across the Atlantic to find what they need. This can also be a helpful tool for customers who are looking for a local business and don’t want to leave the map to find your number.