Tag: Local Search

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Marketing

Online Marketing – Your Call To Action

Today’s consumers are no longer passive receivers of advertising messages.  Rather, they are increasingly sophisticated and skeptical.  They actively seek out information, opinions, products and services that interest them.  The Internet is their vehicle for doing so.

Customer-EngagementThe web is trillions of the pages on a couple of hundred million websites, viewed by 1.2 5 billion people.  These individuals are from every country and walk of life, and increasingly interact with the sites they visit.  They link to, modify and comment upon what they see.  Their interaction with the Web changes it every moment.  This interactivity is probably the single most important benefit to your ability to attract prospects.

You now have the power to effortlessly create new content and receive feedback almost immediately.  This allows your current clients and prospects to experience your content the way they prefer, pass it around, and comment on it.  In the process, you are able to shape their opinions about you and your business.

A critical component of your success is embracing the power of the Internet and using it to enhance your overall marketing plan. Setting up a business blog, getting involved with social media and listing your business in local search directories are all ways to influence the customers you want to attract.

If you’re not involved in the online space, now is as good a time as any to get started. No more procrastination, no more fear, just take the plunge and discover a whole new way to attract and retain customers.

Categories
Local Search

3 Tips For Local Online Marketing

Reaching a local audience has become a vital marketing strategy.  Consumers are increasingly searching online for local business information.  This locally focused traffic typically results in higher conversions and sales.

Local search, and the tools associated with local online marketing, is an effective way to get qualified traffic to your site.  Here are three tips to help you bring in local customers:

1.  Optimize your site for local search.  You do this by developing a target keyword list based on the most popular search terms for your business.  Then align your keywords with your geographic area.  For example, “Las Vegas Plumber,” “NY Car Insurance Company,” or “Bay Area Estate Planning Attorney.”  Include these keywords in your meta tags, title tag and the text on your site.google-maps-for-mobile-devices

2.  List your business with Google maps. With applications for the iPhone and other mobile devices, as well as an automatic top spot on Google searches that specify locations, Google Maps is the killer app of local online marketing. You should make sure your business is listed so that it will help attract customers. Once Google has verified your address with either a telephone call or postcard, your listing will appear. You can write your own descriptive text, offer coupons for potential customers to print out, and even adjust the indicating arrow in case, for instance, the entrance to your business is on a different street than its legal address.

3.  Incentivize customers to join your mailing list.  Most people these days are aware that their email address is a valuable commodity, and they also fear spam.  So simply asking customers or potential customers to opt in to your email marketing list may not be enough.  However, providing an incentive can yield desirable results.  For example, offering a chance to win a prize, receive exclusive coupons or advance notice of promotions will entice current and potential customers to join your mailing list.  Once you have their information, make wise use of it.  Follow up with good quality information they can use, either via a newsletter or an autoresponder series and occasionally give them a call to action to purchase one of your products or services.

By optimizing your site for local search traffic and creating content people want, you establish credibility which inspires trust and motivates your prospects to make that first contact to hire you or, to locate your store so they can visit your shop and buy from you or, get their credit card out to buy from your online store.

Categories
Local Search

Understanding How Consumers Search Online

Over the past five years, it has gotten increasingly complicated to reach and get the attention of consumers. Consumers are more distracted, less engaged and more in control of their media than ever before. That’s why it’s more important than ever for local businesses to have a balanced marketing plan in a variety of media.

local-searchAccording to a report by TMP Directional Marketing in 2008, search engines became the most referenced primary source of local business information. Search engines were followed by Print Yellow Pages, Internet Yellow Pages and Local Search Sites (such as Google Maps or Yahoo Local).

While most local businesses have a presence in offline media sources, few have an online presence. The TMP report showed that online local business searchers look for specific information such as phone numbers, addresses, driving directions and whether a business has the product or service they need.

Once a consumer has conducted a search and found the information they are looking for, they then make a selection on which business to contact and/or make a purchase from based on:

  • Business location,
  • Brand, or
  • Familiarity with the business.

Although ranking is not a top factor a consumer considers when selecting a business to contact, the position of a local business listings often makes the difference in whether it is considered in a consumers search. Noteworthy, however, is the fact that few searchers typically go past the first page of results when selecting a local business from search.

The TMP report also revealed that the majority of consumers chose to contact businesses offline via an in-person visit or phone call following their online search.

Consumers are now using the Internet as their primary source for local business information. In terms of numbers, online search accounted for 61% of all primary sources of local business information. And if your marketing strategy does not include an online marketing mix, you’re leaving money on the table.

No longer are consumers looking to just one or two different sources when seeking out local business information. They are using multiple sources, many of which are online. To ensure that you are found, you must create a diverse media mix that will allow consumers to easily find your product or service offerings, regardless of their access point.