Image Credit: HubSpot
Which Social Media Sites Matter?
If you had to list the key social media sites that will make or break your company’s social media presence this year, what sites would you list? Let me guess: Facebook. Twitter. Instagram. Maybe LinkedIn, depending on your industry. Some of you may even include Pinterest, YouTube, and/or Google+. While these social media sites should absolutely be an integral part of any brand’s social media strategy, the trick is finding time to make your presence on these sites amazing while still maintaining healthy listings on lesser, location-sensitive sites.
What Are Social/Local Listing Sites?
Social/local listing sites are social media sites organized to help users identify the location of a specific company. These sites include:
There are various other location-based social media sites. Some include rewards programs that your clients can redeem when they check in, share about you online, or make repeat purchases. Regardless of the amount of resources you decide to invest in location-based social media channels, it is important at least to maintain correct information on the sites listed above.
Why Do Listings Sites Matter?
Because of the way search engine optimization (SEO) is taking shape lately, it is becoming increasingly more important to have location-based social sites set up with accurate information about your brand. Now, if your business is in manufacturing, chances are that digital location-bases services will do you little to no good, since you are not trying to drive traffic into your business. But, say your company is a fitness studio, a church, an entertainment center, or a clothing store, you may want to do everything possible to guarantee that people who look for you find you. According to Google Places:
More people search for businesses online than anywhere else, so it’s important to make sure your local business listing can be easily found on Google.com and Google Maps. With Google Places, creating a great listing takes just a few minutes and doesn’t cost a thing.
Listing sites are significant primarily because 1) they drive traffic to your website and 2) they increase your search engine rank, which can potentially send more people to your website in the future. In addition, many of theses sites have historically seen high quantities of mobile traffic, as customers and prospective customers search for directions, specific businesses near them, or phone numbers for these local listings.
Here is an interesting infographic developed by Nielsen that sheds some light on the significance of Yelp, specifically:
Today’s customer has grown more sophisticated and comfortable with using the Internet for transaction. Many have become comfortable selecting businesses based on others’, even strangers’, recommendations. Not only are consumers willing to listen to a complete stranger’s advice, but often they will listen to a recommendation and make a purchase almost immediately. The wonder of listings sites is their ability to feature recommendations in the same place as business information with quick access to directions and phone number, which can drive traffic right in your doors!
How Do I Manage My Listings Sites?
Step 1: Find your page(s). It is possible that your company doesn’t have any listings created at all. But, if you’ve been around for a while, chances are, a listing has already been created for your location. Here are two tools I recently fell in love with that help identify your brand’s listings:
Step 2: Claim your page(s). Create a log-in if needed, and submit the information necessary to gain ownership of the page/listing.
Step 3: Merge your pages (if you have multiple listings for the same brand). Merging will help ensure that people find the right location and will help Google more readily identify the accurate listing and pass that information on to prospective visitors.
Step 4: Edit your page. Add pictures, video, address, phone number, logos, and any other pertinent information for people to discover your page, understand what you are about, be convinced of the validity of your brand, and find your business.
How Much Time Does This Take?
Though managing your company’s listings on a number of social media sites sounds like a peripheral social media task to those who are focused on targeting and content creation, I advise you to take a second to make sure your listings are healthy. Before we go on, let me define what I mean by “healthy” listings:
- There is only one listing for your business. (Trust me, I see duplicates all the time, and they don’t help your brand.)
- Your listing uses your proper company/brand name.
- All your company’s information is accurate (including address, phone number, email, etc.).
- The logo featured on the listing is up-to-date.
- Photos on the site show your company’s location as it looks currently.
- The number of comments on your listing are growing as people talk about their experiences at your company.
- If possible, comments left by customers have received the proper replies from you (whether positive or negative, that will boost your brand reputation).
Once each of your listings is healthy, you have relatively little work to do. I recommend checking your weekly statistics and seeing how that site is or isn’t driving traffic to your website and to your phone number or directions. Most listing sites will enable administrators to receive automatic emails with these statistics. I would monitor these statistics and continue to tweak your information/description for maximum traffic-driving. And, if someone comments, respond if it is pertinent. Other than maintenance and possible responding, keeping social local listing sites up-to-date is relatively easy, leaving you time to keep focused on your primary social media channels.
How do people typically learn about your local business? How have you used Yelp or other listing sites to drive traffic to your location? Share in the comments below.
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