How advertising agencies respond to common client concerns

As an agency running ads for small business clients, you manage more than just the campaign. You also collaborate with your clients, track their success, and help them grow—so that both of you can do what you do best.

At first, some small business clients may have questions about working with Yelp or may not fully understand the benefits of the platform. As their personal Yelp expert, you play a crucial role in demonstrating Yelp’s value and showing them how the platform can boost their business without taking time away from day-to-day operations.

Through the Yelp Advertising Partner Program, marketing and advertising agencies get the support of a dedicated Yelp team—plus exclusive resources—to help navigate client concerns and deliver them high-quality leads to drive future growth. 

Hear from successful Yelp partners on how they answer clients’ questions using data, real-life examples, and much more.

I already claimed my Yelp Business Page. Why do I need Yelp Ads too?

If a client believes that success on Yelp is only about having a 5-star rating, you can help them dig deeper. The 100 million unique users who come to Yelp each month* not only read and leave reviews, but they also search for information, including a business’s hours of operation, website, holiday hours, products and services, personal story, and more.

Yelp Ads and Enhanced Profile help get this crucial information in front of clients that have high intent to buy, visit, or hire. Just as lead stories get the top spot in the newspaper, Yelp Ads allow your client to appear in key places on the site, including above other search results—and they only pay when an ad is clicked. 

In addition to exposure, Yelp Ads also provide businesses with high-quality leads. Nearly 90% of users make a purchase within a week of visiting Yelp.** This is why it’s crucial for businesses to make the most of their online presence—including working with professionals who can help them maximize their return on investment, said agency partner Lance Wilson, CEO of Lilikoi Agency in California.

When [customers are searching] on Yelp, they’re making the decision as to whether they’re going to move forward or not. It’s the final step in the funnel,” Lance said. “If you look great on Yelp, it’s a gigantic magnet, it’s a conversion tool, it’s a great lead source—if you work it properly.”

What are the benefits of working with a Yelp Advertising Partner?

If you’re working with a potential client who isn’t convinced that an agency partnership is worth it—especially one associated with the Yelp Advertising Partner Program—you might emphasize how much time you’ll save them. Instead of having to create, monitor, and manage their own ad programs, or coordinate with multiple sales reps across platforms, they’ll be able to rely on you—as their Yelp expert and partner for all things marketing. And since you have greater insight into a client’s web presence, you’ll be able to tailor campaigns that are specific to their needs, without wasting their investment.

As an agency, you can access and edit a client’s business page(s), start and manage ad campaigns, and update clients on their success with comprehensive reporting tools. “We are in it with you,” Ramin Jahedi, CEO of OpticTour in Texas, says to his clients. “We are not trying to sell you ads. We are trying to educate you for future growth.”

Not only that, but working with an agency partner comes with exclusive benefits for your clients:

• Reporting metrics not available to other businesses through Yelp, like keyword analytics and custom analysis for specific time frames or lead types
• Exposure to pilot programs and the opportunity to opt in before other businesses
• Promotional offers available only through agency partners
• A dedicated Yelp team to assist in managing ad campaigns

Another perk for your clients: Since agency partners work directly with Yelp representatives to manage clients’ accounts, your clients won’t need to interact directly with the Yelp team and can instead focus on the work that matters most—running their business.

Lastly, your clients can feel confident in your skills navigating the Yelp Ads program because all agency partners are required to complete a Yelp 101 training course. It covers the fundamentals of Yelp advertising solutions, the benefits of Yelp to clients, and the effectiveness of Yelp advertising campaigns.

How can an agency help me manage my Yelp reputation?

If a client is looking for advice on managing reviews, it’s important to share with them that no one should ask customers to leave new reviews, and existing ones cannot be altered or removed by anyone at Yelp, including an agency.

Instead, they can influence how their business appears on Yelp by reading and responding to all reviews on a proactive basis. Acknowledging a reviewers’ experience, whether it’s positive or negative, addressing concerns when applicable, and providing an exemplary customer experience will ultimately improve their online reputation, since 96% of review readers pay attention to businesses’ responses.

In the end, providing great service is the best way to earn customers’ trust. As Lance suggests: “Make sure you earn a good review, and you get a good review. It’s working with the client really closely to show them the value of offering an amazing customer experience.”

To note, Yelp’s review recommendation software works in the background to showcase the reviews that it determines are most helpful and reliable. These are typically written by active members of the Yelp community who are self-motivated to share their personal, detailed experiences about local businesses. This helps protect the integrity of the content on Yelp so consumers get authentic information and businesses are protected from those that might try to “game the system.”

Separate from the recommendation software, human moderators help maintain Yelp’s content integrity and quality. Using a research-driven process, the team identifies and halts attempts to deceive and misinform consumers—and protects businesses from unfair practices.

Ready to become a Yelp Advertising Partner?

Contact us today to find out how Yelp advertising drives qualified leads for your clients.

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Or you can email yelpadpartners@yelp.com.