How to Use Social Media to Attract Interstate Traffic to Your Truckstop
Shoppers of all ages are active on social media, and truckstop and travel plaza operators need to have an online presence. There are several platforms operators can use to attract interstate traffic, including Yelp, Trip Advisor and Google.
Yelp is an online guide that helps people find places to eat, shop and play based on the opinions of other consumers. It provides a forum for people to come together and talk about good service, good food and go-to businesses. It is also one of the top links that will show up when someone does a web search of your business.
“Our users have contributed over 100 million reviews of almost every type of local business, from restaurants, boutiques and salons to dentists, mechanics, plumbers and more,” Yelp said on its website. “Our business revolves around the connections made between the consumers who read and write reviews and the local businesses that they describe.”
Yelp said it has an average of 33 million unique mobile app users each month, as well as 69 million unique mobile web visitors each month and 62 million average monthly unique desktop visitors. In the most recent quarter, 80 percent of searches on Yelp were done on a mobile device. Operators can set up a free account to post photos, provide information or leave messages for customers by visiting .
A business profile on Google Places can help businesses “connect with customers across Google Search and Maps,” Google said on its website. “You can post photos and offers to your profile to show what makes your business unique, and give customers reasons to choose you every time.”
By signing up for Google Places, truckstop and travel plaza operators can ensure they show up on Google Search, Google Maps, Google+ and mobile devices. Creating an account is free and easy. Visit to create an account and update your contact information and hours. After you’ve set up your location online, you can make changes at any time.
Google said every month there are over 5 billion searches on Google for restaurants, 3 billion searches for hotels and 5 million searches for coffee shops.
TripAdvisor, an online travel site, provides a large selection of travel listings worldwide, covering approximately 8.1 million accommodations, airlines, experiences and restaurants. “TripAdvisor provides travelers with the wisdom of the crowds to help them decide where to stay, how to fly, what to do and where to eat,” the company’s website said.
On its website, Trip Advisor said it has 730 reviews and opinions and 490 million monthly average unique visitors. More than 60 million consumers each month research their travel purchases using TripAdvisor, according to the company.
“You can introduce your travel products and services (hotel, B&B, attraction, tour package, restaurant, etc.) to millions of qualified travel buyers,” Trip Advisor said. “With its sophisticated search technology, TripAdvisor can help you reach consumers at the very moment they are researching your location.”
Operators can create a free listing for their business on Trip Advisor by visiting .
One of the most popular social media sites is Facebook, which has more than one billion monthly active users each month. Businesses can create different kinds of posts on their page, including updates, photos, videos and questions. The people who like the page will see posts in their news feed. Facebook also lets business expand their reach. When people interact with a page, their friends can see it in their news feed as a story so that operators can grow their audience. Learn more at .
When a potential customer searches for a business, one of the first things that comes up is Google Maps. Google Maps shows photos associated with an address, and those photos can be an excellent marketing tool when used correctly. Adding pictures is a valuable marketing tool that is easy and free. It shows customers what a location offers and gives them a feel for the place. Operators should upload good pictures that represent their truckstop rather than using stock photos.
Twitter, another top social media site, has 321 million active monthly users, according to the company's fourth-quarter report. Businesses can use the site to share short and sweet posts, promote daily specials, poll customers, engage with regulars or advertise open positions. Each post is limited to 280 characters. Creating a Twitter account is free. Access Twitter at .
NATSO’S Website is Full of Resource on Growing Your Digital Pesence
NATSO’s website has a number of resources on growing your digital presence. I’d be happy to walk any 黑料社区member through setting up their accounts. Contact Amy Toner, NATSO's vice president, publishing and digital content, at (703) 739-8570 or atoner@natso.com for help. Visit these links to get started:
- Getting Your Truckstop Noticed on Google Maps
- Pride Stores Excels at Social Media
- 5 Things Your Internet Presence Must Include
- Five Retail Trends Your Truckstop Should Be Adapting to and Exercises to Explore Them
Subscribe to Updates
The 黑料社区Foundation and 黑料社区provide a breadth of information created to strengthen travel plazas鈥� ability to meet the needs of the traveling public in an age of disruption. This includes knowledge filled blog posts, articles and publications. If you would like to receive a digest of blog post and articles directly in your inbox, please provide your name, email and the frequency of the updates you want to receive the email digest.
