This is the second in a two part post about how Denver Restaurants can improve their marketing efforts in a down economy. Yesterday's Denver Restaurant Marketing Post discussed how restaurant visits are down from last year and how mobile advertising can be used to bring in more diners to Denver Restaurants. Today's blog post discusses how Denver Restaurant owners can make sure that their restaurants are listed in local search directories in order to bring in more Denver Diners.
Denver Restaurants and Local Search
Local Search is already a crucial tool in marketing Denver Restaurants. In most cases, it is free, and will bring higher visibility to your website. I'm going to describe in detail one of the most important local search websites - Yelp. At the end of this post I'll describe other local search listing sites you should also explore.
Yelp
Yelp is a website that assists people in finding local goods and services. From their website, Yelp was founded to "help people find great local businesses like dentists, hair stylists and mechanics". So - the Denver Yelp page isn't just limited to restaurants, but they do a fantastic, in-depth job with restaurants. Yelp is a very large site which receives around 25 million visits each month. If you want to get more visibility for your Denver small business, you need to explore Yelp.
The Yelp.com page for the Wynkoop Brewery
The photo above is a screenshot of the Yelp listing for the Wynkoop Brewing Company. The listing is crafted around the perspective of someone looking for a place to grab a bite to eat or drink while in Lodo. Helpful information includes the overall rating from reviewers, photos of the restaurant, a map, reviewer comments, and important restaurant related information (delivery, wheelchair accessible, parking, etc.). The bottom line is that Yelp is a valuable resource for anyone trying to evaluate which Denver restaurant they want to visit.
Denver Restaurants on Yelp
Once you control your own Denver restaurant listing on Yelp, you'll be able to promote your restaurant in a variety of ways. Yelp has a wide array of tools for small business owners. Once you get signed up, you'll be able to promote your restaurant. You'll be able to:
- Post accurate information about your restaurant
- Post photos and information about upcoming events
- See how many people are visiting your business page on Yelp
- Communicate with your diners both publicly and privately
You may wish to also let your frequent diners know about Yelp so that they can help spread the word about your Denver Restaurant and why they keep coming back. Positive reviews in Yelp can obviously assist in bringing new diners through the doors.
Yelp Denver Restaurant Paid Advertising
Due to the large amount of traffic, Yelp may also be an advertising opportunity for Denver restaurants. They mention that packages range between $300 and $1000 per month (as of December 2009). Restaurant ads will appear above Yelp search results and on the pages of similar business pages.
Other Listings
Below is a list of other local search and online city guides that you should consider exploration for your Denver restaurant (or small business):
How Does this Help Me Market My Denver Small Business?
While this post is obviously aimed towards Denver Restaurant owners, all Denver Small Businesses should take advantages of local search directories, including Yelp. Small business owners in Denver metro need to focus on establishing and controlling their own listings within these local search directories. Local listings give Denver small business owners a way to list their businesses on the Internet at no cost. Small Businesses can upload photos, provide contact information, and link back to the main business website.