Yelp Releases Some Impressive Mobile Marketing Numbers

Yelp released some very important and impressive data about their users last week concerning the mobile marketing app they have. “In December 2010 alone, yelpers called a local businesses every other second — and that was just via a Yelp mobile app!” We think that is pretty powerful and should silence those small business owners who have swore the site off after receiving a single bad review. THat is a stat that can not be ignored. Are you engaging your customers on Yelp? Or better yet, is your competition engaging your customers on Yelp?

The Yelp Mobile Marketing app is on smart phones. Users can use it to upload photos, leave reviews, find places to spend money and most importantly, touch to call a local business for information, reservation or place an order. Other data from users in December 2010:

3.2 million unique visitors used a Yelp mobile app*
35% of all searches on Yelp.com came from a Yelp mobile app
Every other second a consumer generated directions to a local business
A photo was uploaded every 30 seconds from a Yelp mobile app.

While the app is available on all smart phone platforms, the iPhone app was recently named the #15 app of all time! Consider the growth it will be experiencing as the Verizon iPhone is going to put the device in more hands then ever. Using this app for mobile marketing to offer check in offers or sale and special information puts your business in front of an influential and desirable demographic.

42% of users 18-34 years old
65% are college grads
64% income over 60K year

Inside this data we can tell that these are not passive users. They are using the app to make a purchase decision. This number is only going to grow as mobile marketing is exploding. What does this mean for you the small business owner?

Clearly your customers, existing and potential are migrating to mobile. Use mobile marketing to connect with them through apps such as Foursquare, Yelp, the new Google Places app which we will talk about tomorrow and SMS marketing. If you do not, you will be left behind soon wondering where your business went. Just as you have an established presence offline in your community, you need to use mobile marketing to establish your presence on people mobile smart phones.

About the author

Author: Shane Farrell. Shane has been in the restaurant business his entire live. Working as a cook in fine dinning, owning multiple pizza parlors around Boston and as a one time owner of the oldest bar in Boston, The Red Hat. Now he uses his experience to write marketing guides and articles and act as customer support liason, all in the name of helping his fellow small business owners succeed. Google +