| |
Posts Tagged ‘Local Internet Marketing’
Sunday, December 4th, 2011
Open your email on any given day and you will probably see a lot of emails from restaurants, Wal-Mart and others. For instance, I opened an email from Red Lobster a couple of days ago and had a coupon for a Lobster dinner (my favorite!). Of course, I printed it and will go. That my friends, is email marketing.
Email marketing campaigns, according to some skeptics is dead. But it is not. Many people subscribe to these emails especially for the coupons. Groupon, for instance, has many coupons to print and it saves a ton of money. In today’s economy, every little bit helps.
Now, along comes Facebook. Believe it or not, there are still some people out there who don’t know what Facebook is. They will give you a funny look when you say “friend me”. Next time, you are on Facebook, take a look at the numerous ads that are on any given page. There are literally thousands of people using facebook and email marketing to promote their businesses.
You can do this, too. It is good for businesses to promote their product. Since not many people use or read newspapers much anymore, the traditional way of advertising is far less effective today than in the past.
Moving into today with today’s technology with Facebook, Twitter and others, in addition to email marketing will keep businesses alive and well. It is almost like learning how to use cell phones fifteen years ago. None of us knew how to use them very well, but we thought they were cool. Now, even children have cell phones. Email marketing and Facebooking are in the same boat. If it’s new to you, but cool, you will get the hang of it.
Give new thought to the way you market your business. I believe that once you are comfortable with it, your business will grow and flourish and it will just become second nature to use this type of advertising, just like it is now second nature to use cell phones.
Tags: advertising, e-mail marketing, facebook, internet marketing, local business, Local Internet Marketing, online marketing, social media marketing, Twitter
Posted in E-mail Marketing for Small Business | 10 Comments »
Friday, December 2nd, 2011
It’s wonderful to have small mom and pop stores in local towns. That is what defines the town. Most people will stay loyal to their local shops because that is what helps the community stay alive.
Sadly, a lot of those same mom and pop stores are closing simply because they don’t have enough business in today’s world. This is due to more people using the internet for their purchases. For some, it is much easier to sit at home, in front of a computer, and purchase whatever you want and have it shipped, instead of visiting the local stores.
This is why it is more important than ever for those same stores to get a website and add a few products to the site and let people purchase from the site. It not only boosts the business owner’s revenue, but it puts that same business owner in the driver’s seat as far as keeping their doors open.
No one wants to see the quaint little corner market or antique store close. These businesses have been the mainstay for many small communities to stay alive and there is a bit of history and nostalgia associated with local business.
A challenge to all small business owners. Start a website, build your presence on the internet and get your business rolling again. The internet is here to stay and you should just hop right on and take your piece of the pie too.
You don’t even have to be computer savvy to do it. Hire a web designer. That person will get a domain name for you and design you a website according to your specifications. You will be surprised at how easy it is. You can then still retain the old world charm in the store itself, but your pocketbook will thank you.
Tags: business, internet marketing, local business, Local Internet Marketing, small business, web design, website development
Posted in Small Business Internet Marketing | 4 Comments »
Monday, July 18th, 2011
One of the ways to ensure that your website ranks well for local geo-phrases is to write about local events and places, but you have to be careful how you do it. If your blog is for a local brick and mortar business that is trying to attract customers from within a specific geographic area, then one way to “humanize” that blog is to write about the people and places in your area – in a good way, of course.
First and foremost, you want to build good will with the people in your community. One way to do that is with customer spotlights, or feature stories.
Look at your local newspaper to see how this is done. Most community newspapers devote a part of their story space each issue for local features. These usually include a photo with a write up of a local person. It can be a celebrity, a person in the community who is active in real social work or community improvement, or it can be someone who is doing, or has done, something extraordinary.
Here are five different types of stories about people in your community that you could write for your blog no matter what product or service you offer:
- Someone who has used your produce or service in an unusual way or who has done something extraordinary with your product or service.
- As a community service, you could highlight people in your community that you think are performing a valuable service to the community. It could be a business person, a politician, or a community organizer.
- If you have a prospective customer profile, choose someone who fits your target group but who is not a customer and ask them to try your product for free, then solicit their feedback and report it with brutal honesty.
- You can also write up a personality profile of your 100th customer for the day, or think up another fun event where one person can be a winner and just write up a 300-500 word personality profile on the person telling who they are, what they do for a living, what their hobbies are, etc. Expect nothing in return for this. It’s a fun community service idea.
- Hold a contest. Write about the winner on your blog.
There are more ways to use local people and organizations to geotarget your blog. These are just a few fun ways.
Tags: geotargeting, Local Internet Marketing, local SEO
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
Wednesday, March 23rd, 2011
So you’ve set yourself up a Twitter account and you’re raring to go. Good for you! But how do you increase your followers?
First, keep in mind that you are not a celebrity. If Ashton Kutcher or Oprah Winfrey is your name, then you might need 1 million followers to keep the world notified of your whereabouts and goings on. But if you are a small business owner in Wayzata, Michigan and trying to connect with other local persons, it really doesn’t matter how many followers you have or how many people you are following if they don’t fit your ideal profile.
The object of Twitter is to help you connect with people you’d like to do business with so, with that in mind, let’s talk about how to grow your Twitter followers.
- First and foremost, keep a consistent tweet schedule. That is, find 10-15 minutes two or three times a day when you can manage your Twitter account, accept friend requests, and send out tweets.
- Make sure your tweets are quality tweets and not fluff. Quality is better than quantity.
- Use Twellow to find friends that meet your target market profile.
- DO NOT follow people then unfollow them when they follow you. You could get your Twitter account suspended.
- Add your Twitter link to your website and your e-mail signature. Also put your Twitter address on your business cards, letterhead, and other correspondence.
- You can use a tool like SocialOomph, HootSuite, or Seesmic Desktop to keep your Twitter account updated and manage certain aspects of your Twitter account.
- If you use the auto-DM features of these sites, be sure that you keep your message simple and don’t include links. Auto DM turns a lot of people off, but they’re mostly turned off by the spammy links. So don’t add links to your auto DMs.
- Pre-scheduled messages are controversial. Some people say don’t do it and some say it’s OK. I think it’s OK to pre-schedule some of your tweets as long as you also tweet in real time. Don’t rely entirely on pre-scheduled tweets.
- Finally, don’t forget about the interaction. Start and enter discussions with your followers. It’s also a great way to make new friends as conversations on a particular topic will often invite others to join the conversation.
Tags: business, Local Internet Marketing, small business, Social Media, Twitter
Posted in Social Media | 2 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, May 13th, 2009
When it comes to local Internet marketing options, you have more than one. It’s not all online, but then it’s not all off line either. Local Internet marketing is its own little game apart from the global game played by big players and solo entrepreneurs who compete against them. Your competition is not the guy in Hong Kong (unless you’re in Hong Kong), but the guy across the street or on the other side of town – you know, the one who just slashed his prices to try to put you out of business? Yeah, that guy.
So how do you use local Internet marketing to compete against other small businesses on your own turf? It really isn’t hard. Here are some local Internet marketing options that can help you gain the edge:
- Geographic SEO - Search is still your best option. People in your neighborhood will go online to find businesses like yours in their vicinity. Make sure you use locally geo-targeted keywords in your online content.
- Maps – All the search engines have them. Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, etc. Get your site listed. It’s free.
- Online Directories – Not all directories are general directories. There are a ton of local directories too. List your site in those.
- Review Sites – Sites like Yelp allow customers to write reviews of local businesses they like. Get your customers to write about you.
- Articles – Yes, even articles can help build your business. Online and off line publications will publish your well-written articles. If you publish articles online then you get back links to your website. Publish them off line and you can have your web address included in the URL.
- A Company Blog – If you’ve heard of a blog then you’re off to a good start. But why don’t you have one. There is no single online tool more capable of increasing your search engine presence fast.
- Networking - Like article marketing, networking is something you can do both online and off line. In fact, online networking is a lot like off line networking. And you should do it because it works. But don’t give up on off line local meet and greets just because you’re online.
Local Internet marketing is global Internet marketing in your backyard. You can use all the same tools, but local Internet marketers actually have a few things going for them that the big global players don’t have. Use your tools wisely and you’ll see the pay off.
Tags: business, Local Internet Marketing
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 3 Comments »
Tuesday, May 12th, 2009
A story in WebProNews reports that mobile phone usage has increased by 74% in the last two years. This has startling implications for local internet marketing.
First, because your customers are likely as on-the-go as you are, they probably have mobile phones. And when they want to find you they will pick up their mobile phone and perform a local search. Google Maps, Yahoo! Maps, and MSN Live Maps are all set to lead people straight to your business location and all a person has to do is perform a search from their mobile phone and drive right to your business front.
Another way local Internet marketing is changing is through direct dialing from the Internet. Sites like Superpages and CitySearch allow businesses to put their business phone number in their directory listings and allow mobile phone users to click a link and dial directly from their mobile phones. That’s a very powerful feature.
Services like Twitter bring social media to mobile phone applications and allow business owners to communicate directly with their local customers in real time. You can actually perform customer service right from your mobile phone without being face to face with your customer.
These are just some of the ways that mobile phones are revolutionizing Internet marketing. I have a feeling it’s only going to get better.
Tags: Local Internet Marketing, mobile phones
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 4 Comments »
Tuesday, March 17th, 2009
Keeping your customers satisfied in these economically hard times is the smartest investment of your time and efforts. As a small business, you are in a unique position–you can show you care. Larger businesses don’t have the one-to-one relationship you do. Now is the time to think about your customer’s needs and take the time to reconnect.
Four Keys to Connecting With Your Customers:
1. Send an email or pick up the phone. If you have clients you’ve known for years, now is the time to check on them. Don’t solicit new work. Ask if how they’re doing, and if they’re satisfied with your product or service. Take the time to listen. If they’ve recently been laid off, they might appreciate someone who lets them vent for a few minutes. This is about support and connection. Ask if there’s anything you can do to provide them better service. It’s much harder to let a service go if there’s a strong connection.
2. Redefine Your Focus. It’s time to get really good at what you’re good at. By that I mean, let go of what isn’t working. It’s time to streamline. Upgrade, update, and become relavant to the new market. What’s in? For some businesses, it’s all about going green. For other businesses, it’s on specializing. Find out what’s relevant for you.
3. Join forces. Partnerships just make sense. You have products, services, and business goals in common and complimentary to other businesses. You might find them in your own or nearby community, or you might find them online as you blog, do keyword searches, or on a forum. Get to know them and find out what’s working and where you can join forces. When forming a partnership, be clear. Know what you have to give, and what you expect in return. Start small and build. Trust is built one rung at a time.
4. Get active on the ‘Net. It’s time to shore up holes in the wall. You may not be booming with new customers, so when you’re not, use your time to finish your web pages, adding content, keywords and links to every page. Consider your next online step. Start with direct customer interaction. Consider an e-newsletter, or regular emails with coupons, discounts, and helpful how-to hints.
Yes, these are economically challenging times, but don’t lose heart. Many economic gurus believe that small businesses will come out on top when it’s all said and done. It requires a crazy mix of taking one day at a time and having a really solid game plan. Connecting with your customers might just be the determining factor–so be consistent, call or email. Be of help, and do all you can to keep your small businesses name on your customer’s mind for all the right reasons.
Tags: internet marketing for small businesses, Local Internet Marketing
Posted in E-mail Marketing for Small Business, Networking for Small Business, Small Business Internet Marketing, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »
Sunday, January 11th, 2009
Local internet marketing is a unique way to reach a very targeted audience, namely, people in a specific area. A mistake that many business people make is to assume that the area has to be YOUR area. Not so.
Basically, when people are looking to buy, as opposed to just researching a product, they will type in a specific location. The conversion rates for webpages that target a specific area is much higher than those that target general markets. So, it makes sense to aim for local internet marketing, even in an area apart from yours.
With local internet marketing, you aren`t just targeting a market that is more specific in location, you`re looking at people who are ready to buy. Your internet marketing success is going to be considerably higher because of this, so it`s definitely worth a try.
Using local keywords can be a huge help in boosting business, and lets face it, we all need to do that these days!
Tags: audience, internet marketing, Local Internet Marketing
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | No Comments »
Friday, November 28th, 2008
Local internet marketing is one area of promotion that can really benefit your small business and it doesn`t have to cost much at all. Since you are sticking to a limited area, it`s possible to use this method of marketing even on a budget.
Why Use Local Internet Marketing
- More targeted audience. You`ll be aiming at a specific demographic living in a specific area, so your market will obviously be more targeted.
- Better conversion rates. When people want information, they tend to do general searches, but when they are ready actually buy, they usually opt to do local searches.
- Lower cost. It is simply more cost effective to market in a smaller area than to aim for the entire country or world.
Local internet marketing is the way to go if you have a service or product that can be sold locally. People like to buy in the area and are more likely to make purchases.
Tags: Local Internet Marketing, marketing, small business
Posted in Local Internet Marketing | 1 Comment »
|
|
|
|
| |
|
