Do you like flushing money down the toilet?
If so, then definitely stay away from posting as a financial advisor on Yelp.
But if you don’t enjoy flushing money down the toilet, it is time to pay a little attention to Yelp.com.
Not only can this get you positive “FREE” exposure with Yelp.com, but it can also help you get found online in the search engines, and even result in new clients and referrals.
And this is something that you can do in the next 24 hours!
Yellow Pages = Old Way | Yelp = New Way
I assume that you recall the “good old days” when it was crucial to be listed in the Yellow Pages?
I would be willing to bet many of you advertised in the Yellow Pages as well.
And I don’t blame you.it worked!
The Yellow Pages were the only way to find anything from a plumber to an exterminator to a financial advisor (besides a word of mouth referral of course).
But that was before the Internet quickly made the bulky Yellow Pages book obsolete and unnecessary, as you can find anything and everything with a few clicks of a mouse these days.
But now that the Yellow Pages are not “the place to be found,” is there someplace similar online that you should be listed?
YES!
And it is called Yelp.com, and it is FREE
The incredibly popular site (www.Yelp.com) hovers around the 100 most visited websites on the entire Internet here in America, and it was down to the 26th most visited site at one point!
Now I am guessing that most of you have either used Yelp or at least heard of it for your own use as a consumer looking for information on a business or service.
But in case you aren’t as familiar with Yelp, it is a website (www.yelp.com) where consumers can go to find anything and everything, such as best sushi restaurants in their city, best electricians, best dry cleaners, and even best financial advisors!
And not only can they find any business or service there, but consumers can also freely review, comment, share on their social media accounts, get driving directions to the business, or recommend the company or service to anyone listening.
Did I mention that it was free?
Yep, not only is it free but due to Yelp’s explosive popularity and influential ranking with Google, it can help you be found on the first page of Google for certain searches that your prospects and clients are typing into their search bars when they are looking for financial advisors and financial help.
Long story short, not only do you need to be on Yelp.com today, but you need to spend an hour of your time on optimizing your Yelp site.
Here are some great tips on how to best use Yelp to not only be found online for free, but to attract your ideal prospects, and to get them to contact you.
- To begin, go to http://biz.yelp.com to register your business for free
- Note: Do NOT get suckered into upgrading your account. Stick with the free version. It is all you need for now.
- You might be surprised to see that someone has already posted something about you, which is what I have heard from some advisors who get on Yelp for the first time.
- If so, claim it (if it is positive). If not positive, ignore it and start from scratch.
- Make sure to list both your name and your company name.
- Make sure to list your full address so people can find you.
- Add in a professional picture in the bio area.
- Fill out the entire bio with as much information as possible. This text is used in Yelps algorithm to find/show you in their search.
- Fill out the “suggested keywords” with your niche and area. For instance, “financial advisor Atlanta” “financial planner Atlanta” “annuity expert Atlanta”, etc.
- Add in a picture of your office in the additional photos area. If you work from home, add in a picture of you with your family, your dog, your cat, your llama.you get the picture. Point makes it personal and real. Consumers are coming to Yelp to find real services and products, not some robot or a big corporation. They can find those on TV. That is what is so exciting about Yelp; it is focused on helping out the “little guy” entrepreneur and small business owners.
- Encourage your clients to post a review. The reviews are crucial to you showing up in the search. And currently, hardly any financial advisors have any reviews on Yelp. So if you can beat your competitors to the punch, this could be tons of free traffic for you. Of course, if you are with a BD or RIA, check with your compliance before having any reviews posted.
Long story short, this is the new Yellow Pages, with one significant change.
Yelp is the Yellow Pages on steroids!
The amount of eyeballs on this site is fantastic, and it is growing like crazy.
You can’t afford to be on here (especially since it is free).
Finally, after you have optimized your Yelp profile, go in and do the same thing with Google+ Local Business. All I need to tell you is that Google owns it, and they certainly give their local business directory a bit of extra flavour when it comes to showing up in its search engines.
Conclusion
If you are a financial advisor, then there is no excuse not to be a financial advisor on Yelp.
It is free, it is easy, it will hardly take up any of your time (after a quick set-up), and it can be quite profitable in terms of being found online, new clients, and even reviews.
So go out and “Get Found” on Yelp and Google+ today! The free branding and potential leads are worth the hour it takes to optimize it correctly.