Using Social Media to Drive Brick-and-Mortar Traffic

Lauren Owens - August 14, 2012

You already know that social media is a great way to drive web traffic and stay in front of your core audience. But it’s also a great way to drive traffic to your brick-and-mortar location. By using Yelp and Google+ Local, businesses can connect with customers and would-be customers where they live online.

Let’s start with Yelp. While businesses cannot set up their own pages in Yelp – businesses must first be reviewed by “Yelpers” – they can unlock those pages. Unlocking your page(s) in Yelp lets you take a modicum of control of your Yelp page. You won’t be able to delete negative reviews, but you will be able to respond to reviews – both positive and negative.

With an unlocked Yelp page you can also:

• Track visits to your Yelp page.

• Add photos of your business.

• Create Groupon-like Deals through Yelp.

• Advertise your business on Yelp.

Unlocking your Yelp page helps you to characterize your business in your own words (and with your own images). It also gives you a powerful “in” with a large number of web users who are passionate about shopping local – and spreading the word.

Google+ Local is a different story entirely. The reincarnation of Google Places, Google+ Local is like a locally-optimized Facebook page for businesses. What’s best, Google+ Local pages show up in the search engine results. Keep your Google+ Local page updated with fresh content and promotions, and you’ll be sure to see increased traffic to both your website and your brick-and-mortar.

Just remember that social continues IRL (in real life). If a customer who found you through social has a negative experience in your store, you can bet they’re going to Yelp about it.