On Monday, Aug. 14, Destination Niagara USA and Niagara Falls Community Development will welcome a representative from social media giant Yelp to speak directly with local business owners.
In 2014, Nielsen reported 78 percent of consumers turn to review sites to find a local business, and 85 percent of users who make a purchase at a business they found on Yelp do so within one week.
Destination Niagara USA said hosting a Yelp representative to speak directly to Niagara Falls businesses on the value of managing their pages and responding to customer reviews will help increase visibility, build loyalty and bring new customers to the door.
"In today's market, more conversations are taking place online than ever before, and word-of-mouth is an extremely powerful marketing tool," President and CEO John Percy said. "By connecting Yelp directly with our local businesses, we believe it will assist them in capturing a larger share of the millions of visitors who travel here each year."
Niagara Falls Community Development Director Seth Piccirillo said, "The internet is the first place people turn to before planning a trip or a night out, especially with the growth of internet-based vacation rentals and ride sharing. We want these trips to include our remarkable small businesses and neighborhood spots. Local use of Yelp will help grow a citywide tourism district."
This free, one-hour information session will take place at 9 a.m. in Niagara Falls City Hall Council Chambers (745 Main St.). All local businesses are welcome to attend.
Destination Niagara USA works to ensure Niagara County is a preferred international destination for group and leisure travel. It supports its mission to expand the economic prosperity of Niagara County by generating individual and group visitation.
Niagara Falls Community Development aims to provide neighborhoods with better housing, public spaces and economic opportunities through strategies based on real community input.
