Something that a lot of small businesses, especially restaurants, have a problem with is managing a reputation on the web. Since most consumers these days are on the web, small businesses depend heavily on the way that things written about them on the web make them seem. Other than social media sites, one of the more important places for small business owners to keep an eye on is Yelp. Things written about a business on Yelp have the potential power to make or break a business, and it is for that reason that many small businesses hate its very existence. Of course, Yelp has done some great things for other businesses, giving them the great reputations that they deserve. However, since Yelp knows how impactful their website can be for businesses, positively or negatively, the company has decided to create an option that will only focus on a positive impact.
With the world going mobile, Yelp has decided to hop on the bandwagon and begin hosting display ads on its mobile app. This will begin happening in the United States next week, and according to AdAge, only a very few brands have already been lined up. The only brands so far that will be showing ads upon the arrival of Yelp’s mobile display ads are Taco Bell and InterContinental Hotels Group. Since they are the only two brands that have joined in, any time a Yelp user makes a search related to travel, the InterContinental Hotels Group will have an ad shown, and the same goes for Taco Bell whenever a Yelp user makes a restaurant related search.
Since Taco Bell and InterContinental Hotels Group have already claimed the spots for Yelp’s mobile display ads for March, other brands will not be able to use the service until April. However, these two brands will miss out on the features that Yelp will be adding this month to their mobile display ad platform. These features include the standard geo-targeting options, as well as cross-device tracking based on Yelp users’ account activity.
AdAge gives some stats about Yelp that should make their mobile display ads quite appealing;
Just less than half (45%) of Yelp searches come from mobile devices, the company said, with mobile searches peaking on weekends. The service was accessed on 9.2 million unique mobile devices last quarter. Yelp is the 24th largest mobile media property, according to digital analytics firm comScore.
According to an image provided by AdAge, the display ads will appear just as one would expect. Below the options tabs in a company’s page on Yelp, and just above Review Highlights, a standard mobile banner will appear, allowing companies to place their display content smack in the center of what users are viewing.
There are many business marketers out there that dread the things that occur on Yelp that are out of their control. Now, businesses have at least a slight chance to use Yelp to their advantage, granted people don’t see the bad reviews before seeing the banner ads.
