Tag Archives: yelp

How Cities Around the World Celebrated Social Media Day

On Saturday, June 30, the world celebrated Social Media Day to pay homage to the digital revolution that has changed the way we communicate. Social Media Day is a global event first introduced by Mashable in 2010 that is now held in over 275 cities. From New York to Dubai, each region had its own method of celebrating the special day over the weekend.

Tech startup Urthecast planned a 500-person flash mob along New York City’s Hudson River Park. Tourists were surprised with an 11-minute dance that involved formations of the @ sign and the hash tag in honor of Social Media Day. The event was organized by Flash Mob of America on Twitter and Meetup.com, and spread by word of mouth.

Social Media Day in Buffalo was held at Statler City’s Lobby Bar where 150 social media professionals and enthusiasts young and old gathered for food, prizes, and competitions like the social media challenge where contestants were asked to complete a five-item checklist of activities using various social media platforms. Television screens in the upscale bar played live tweets throughout the three-hour event while participants tweeted, took pictures and shot videos to share with their social networks. Continue reading “How Cities Around the World Celebrated Social Media Day” »


The Best Mobile Apps to Streamline Your Life

With so many innovative iPhone and Android apps out right now, you can use mobile to help organize every aspect of your life – where you work, where you play and how you communicate with others! We found some of the best mobile apps available today so we can share these useful tools with you.

For productivity:

The Cozi Family Organizer Android app helps you manage the entire family’s schedule in a central location where all members can access. Organize calendars, to-do lists, appointments, meetings and events so you never miss a beat.

Another great app that helps you multi-task is RedLaser (Android), which allows you to compare prices of products from hundreds of thousands of retailers including Best Buy, Amazon and eBay on one platform. Just scan a bar code with your mobile phone to compare prices locally and online. Continue reading “The Best Mobile Apps to Streamline Your Life” »


Google’s One-Stop Shop for Nonprofits: What is Local Marketing?

Local marketing uses methods of promotion to bring customers to your brick and mortar location. In the case of nonprofits, successful local marketing can bring in supporters and volunteers for your organization.

Google Places is a free method for businesses and nonprofits to connect with local customers, donors and volunteers. 97% of consumers search for local business online, so Google Places is a helpful platform to ensure you’ll be there when customers are searching for you. You can add photos and videos, highlight special offers and respond to reviews from your Places for business account. Google Places allows businesses to proactively reach customers and build a close relationship with them.

Another popular local marketing solution is Yelp.com, a free service for local businesses to post information, pictures and website links. Customers can write reviews to share with the public. With over 66 million users and 25 million local reviews, Yelp boasts a very large and loyal following – the perfect place for nonprofits to spread their message to the community.

Foursquare uses location-based tracking to allow users to check-in to places they frequent. The social media platform has proven to be a very successful clientele retention tool, especially in urban areas.

Facebook Places is similar in that it allows users to check in at local businesses. Its advantage is that it completely integrates with the social network to drive traffic to the organization’s business page.

Google Places, Yelp, Foursquare and Facebook Places are all pieces of a complete local internet marketing strategy. Blue Interactive Agency can help you develop social media marketing strategies to benefit your nonprofit organization. Offering a wide range of services including Facebook marketing, email marketing and SEO strategy, we help our clients reach their online marketing goals. For any questions, call us at 954-779-2801.


Yelp for small business

Yelp is a website with the slogan, “Real People. Real Reviews”. Users of Yelp are free to post reviews of local businesses such as restaurants, nightclubs and more, a useful resource developed with the customer in mind-think TripAdvisor.

In a surprising move, Yelp is scheduled to begin allowing small business owners to publicly respond to posted reviews next week. Previously, the site stringently adhered to its preference to limit business access to the pages.

Yelp is attempting to appease both sides, which is a delicate balance. On the trapeze that is marketing, it is important to alleviate skepticism in favor of neutrality. While the voices of businesses were previously muted, it has become an issue that both sides were not being heard. For the most part businesses appreciate reviews and can gain from them a chance to improve and grow. Competition can lead some businesses to behave poorly and post negative reviews of their competitors, a practice that Yelp frowns on.

Users are not supposed to use the comment section to make attacks on competitors or to advertise, and while Yelp does not screen comments prior to publish, users are able to flag inappropriate material and comments for review by the customer service team. Brought to you by Blue Interactive, your Fort Lauderdale web design.