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Posts Tagged ‘local business’
Saturday, July 31st, 2010
If you run a local business then you might be tempted to write a marketing blog just like everyone else does, but is that the right approach? It might not be. But I wouldn’t say that categorically.
There are times when, as a business, you might want to do something a little more out of the ordinary – like write a blog that is a community-oriented, community-driven hyperlocal blog. The big question is, Why?
Think about your audience for a minute. Let’s say that you are a service business that can only deliver its service from a storefront. You can’t do it online, in other words. Therefore, your customer base – your target market, if you will – is inherently local. Why not target local geographic keywords, in addition to your niche keywords, to attract your local audience.
Suppose, for example, you run a local body shop. You work on automobiles. You could write a blog that keeps tabs of local accidents – in Minneapolis-St. Paul, for instance. If you could get photos and video footage of local automobile accidents, or run accident reports picked up from the local police and fire departments, and comment on those then that might be something people would read. Instead of promoting your business, you promote safe driving. Be sure to put your business logo all over the blog and let people know you are the primary sponsor. You could even sell advertising to other businesses related to auto body work such as auto mechanics and auto parts stores.
I think the idea of hyperlocal blogging is almost here. It’s just a matter of time before it takes off like a rocket. And it could be sooner rather than later.
Tags: blogging, local business
Posted in Blogging for Small Business | No Comments »
Thursday, July 1st, 2010
Not too long ago Google ran a trial of a new feature for Google Maps, called Tags. Today, they’ve announced that they’re rolling out Tags to all 50 states.
Essentially, what Tags are is a way for local businesses to identify specific offerings they have that might entice customers to patronize them. If you offer any of the following then you can Tag your local business listing on Google, called Google Places:
- Coupons
- Videos
- Websites
- Menus
- Reservations
- Photos
- Custom messages
In essence, if you’re doing business online and you serve a local audience then you should find a way to add a Tag to your Google Places profile. It will make your business more competitive and easier for customers to find you.
Tags: google, local business
Posted in search engines | No Comments »
Friday, June 25th, 2010
Now that WhitePages.com is getting serious about local business, maybe it’s time to start thinking about having your local business listed there.
For the record, I didn’t know WhitePages.com consistently ranked in the top 50 websites for traffic. That’s nice to know. So I guess the lesson to learn there is how you, as a small business owner, can capitalize on that information.
The first step, of course, is to get your business listed there. Then, you might want to consider advertising there. Seriously. If it is one of the most trafficked sites online then it should be a good place to get your name in.
Another way you can use WhitePages.com is to keep tabs on your competition – both national and local. You can see where your national competitors have local store locations and your local competitors are listed as well.
When it comes to marketing online, there are never too many places to have your name and number. WhitePages is a trusted name brand off line. I think, like the Yellow Pages, it will come to be a trust name brand online as well.
Tags: local business, online marketing
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Thursday, April 22nd, 2010
If you haven’t claimed your free listing in Google’s Local Business Center then you may not ever get to. It’s being renamed to Google Places.
If you’re interested, Frances Mary Krug has the low down on why Google doesn’t have its own domain name for Google Places – yet. You can read it at Search Marketing Standard.
So far, I haven’t seen a whole lot of changes in the way the program works, but I’d expect to see a few down the road. One thing that is new is the ability to define a service area and hide your actual physical address, which is a good feature if you run your business out of your home. You can learn more about this and other Google Places features in this YouTube video.
Google is adding other new features to the service as well, but some of them are paid services. These include:
- The addition of Tags for businesses in certain cities ($25 charge)
- Photo shoots of your business
- Customized QR codes
- Add real-time updates to your place page (cool feature)
You can learn more about these and other features of Google Places on the official Google Blog.
When you consider how many searches are local (Google says it’s one in five) then having a listing at Google Places makes a lot of sense. Wouldn’t you agree?
Tags: Google Places, local business
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 4 Comments »
Sunday, April 18th, 2010
Yellowbook has been a standard for local advertising since the early 20th century. Ever since the telephone became an important business tool there was a need for a directory of local businesses so that consumers could look up the businesses by category that they wanted to patronize. It is a system that has worked for many years.
The Internet, of course, has taken local business advertising to a brand new level and Yellowbook is at the forefront of that as well. For a few years niw, their website has been a great online source for consumers. Now, there is one more reason to join Yellowbook – the iPad.
Yes, the iPad. And in case you haven’t noticed, it’s been all the rage since Apple introduced it just a few days ago.
So what does the iPad have to do with Yellowbook? Easy. Yellowbook now has an iPad app, which means that consumers looking for businesses in your local area can search and find the businesses they want to patronize right from the palm of their hand.
The iPad is the latest technology that puts the power of the Internet and personal computing into the palm of your hands. Already, millions of people have purchased one and that means a whole new market for your to reach for your local business. If you were driving around town looking for a place to eat lunch would you stop and pull out your laptop, reach for your mobile phone or grab your iPad? Most people would reach for the iPad.
I think the age of mobile has fully arrived. It may not be as ubiquitous as YouTube, but the day is coming. Start planning for it now. Yellowbook is a good first step.
Tags: ipad, local business, yellowbook
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 1 Comment »
Saturday, March 13th, 2010
According to the Kelsey Group, 97% of consumers research products and services online. Here’s the break down (as presented by Matt McGee):
- 90% use search engines
- 48% use Internet Yellow Pages
- 42% use comparison shopping sites
- 24% use vertical sites
And I love the conclusion Matt draws later:
That speaks to the importance of being visible on a number of channels — your own site, your blog, Google Maps, Citysearch, important industry sites, and so forth. Diversity of presence makes a big difference.
This is not only important now, but it will become more important in the future. Don’t let organic SEO be your only targeted marketing. Pursue other avenues as well. If searchers find you through a Google search then find you again in the online yellow pages then on two or three social networks and finally are recommended by a friend, chances are they’ll do business with you if you have what they need – and if you are local.
Tags: local business, online business, search
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, March 5th, 2010
I’m excited about an Internet marketing workshop that is coming to town and have an exclusive discount just for Small Business Mavericks readers. The workshop is called Local University and will be presented by GetListed.org.
The workshop is for local Twin Cities business owners and will be held at Westin Edina Galleria on May 13, 2010. You’ll have your choice between a morning (8 a.m. to noon) and an afternoon (1 p.m. to 5 p.m.) session. The sessions are identical.
There is room only for 200 participants so you’ll want to get your seat early. But the agenda is awesome!
Minnesota business owner and SEO expert will discuss the basics on search engines and representatives from both Bing and Google will be on hand to give their own presentations. Also, Internet marketing veterans Matt McGee and Mike Blumenthal will have their own insights to share.
The cost for the workshop is only $129, which is a huge value in itself, but if you are a reader of Small Business Mavericks then you can get a $40 discount. Your coupon code is smbmavericks. Enter the coupon code, choose a session (morning or afternoon) and learn all you can about Internet marketing from Local University. To sign up for Local University, click here.
Tags: internet marketing, local business, Minneapolis, Twin Cities, workshop
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, January 29th, 2010
Greg Sterling has a great article on local social media and the phenomenon of online word of mouth advertising. It coincides perfectly with my last post on the subject of social media.
One thing has become clear: Social media isn’t going anywhere. And I fully agree with Mr. Sterling’s observation that Facebook is headed in the direction of a hostile takeover of Yahoo!s No. 2 position where Internet traffic is concerned. If you think about it, Yahoo! was one of the Internet’s first social destinations (remember when they were a directory with just a few thousand listings?).
When it comes to social media, however, the best opportunities are still local. Through Facebook, in fact, local businesses can connect and build relationships before ever meeting in person. The same goes for Twitter. And then there’s Yelp and some other up-and-coming local directory sites that show some promise.
I think the future looks bright for local social media. Are you in?
Tags: local business, Local Internet Marketing, Social Media
Posted in Social Media | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, January 20th, 2010
One way to make money online is through affiliate marketing. There are some Internet marketers who specialize in affiliate marketing and make good money doing it. This is when you take someone else’s product and market it to the max, earning a commission every time you make a sale. But is this a good way to make money for small business owners?
I wouldn’t suggest that you add affiliate links and banners all over your website, but you can earn some additional income by promoting one or two affiliate programs related to your niche. The key is to choose noncompeting products and services, complimentary even.
Let’s say that you are a farrier and you run a local horseshoeing business. You know that not everyone who comes to your website is interested in your horseshoeing service. Some people might actually be interested in buying horseshoes or in learning how to become a farrier.
You could do some research to find related products and services that you feel comfortable promoting. Let’s say you find a book about becoming a farrier. You might join the affiliate program for that book seller (if they have one) and sell the book on your website along with custom horse shoes crafted by a blacksmith in another state. If you lead a customer from your website to buy the book or order the horseshoes from the blacksmith then you earn a commission. Otherwise, perhaps your site visitors will do business with you.
By choosing affiliate products related but not competing with your service, you give your site visitors another reason to trust you and maybe they’ll do business with you down the line. At any rate, you help them today and earn a little bit of extra income doing so.
Tags: affiliate marketing, local business, small business
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 9 Comments »
Wednesday, December 16th, 2009
Yahoo! explains on its website how, and why, they are now adding local shortcuts for certain types of business searches even when the searcher hasn’t included a location in the search query. I find this a little bit intriguing.
Suppose you search for “set of tires” but you have not designated a geographic location. You could be interested in the best deal on tires that you can find and maybe you’re willing to have those tires shipped to you if you can get them at a good enough price. But Yahoo! offers you some local search options anyway. That’s not necessarily bad. After all, you have a choice.
My question is, does this help you? If you are conducting a search and you get an automatic local search option even if you have not specified a location, are you being forced to search local? I mean, you aren’t being coerced, but does the search engine giving you the local search choices make you want to perform a local search when you had no plans to do so?
I do believe this is going to be a good development for local businesses. But, truth be known, Yahoo! wasn’t the first to do this. Google and Bing have already tried it. Will you use it? Will it help your local small business?
Tags: local business, local search, small business, yahoo
Posted in search engines | 2 Comments »
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