Local Search Marketing

Many are calling it the “hottest trend in advertising.” Others say it’s the “yellow pages on steroids.”

For small businesses, no matter how you tag it, local search marketing means money in the bank. The key is to let go of old marketing modes and embrace the new paradigm.

 

Case Studies of Success

Just consider the music school in Milton, Ontario that wanted to increase enrollments for its guitar classes. By following a local website optimization strategy and concentrating on three key words—guitar, lessons, Milton—it was possible to gain the first two positions on Google Search within a matter of weeks. Soon the little studio was filled with the sounds of guitars strumming and the cash register singing.

All kinds of businesses are good candidates for local search marketing. They include just about every type of merchant or service that relies on a local clientele, from bank branches and ethnic restaurants to daycare centers and horse stables.

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Making Marketing Personal

The list of great case studies goes on and on. What all of these businesses have in common is a willingness to leave the traditions of “mass marketing” behind and invest in a new and more personal way of communicating with potential customers locally.

According to a recent study conducted by The Kelsey Group: “83% of U.S. households now use the Internet as an information source when shopping locally for products and services… the Internet will soon surpass newspapers as a local shopping information resource.”

Any business that spends on print media knows that a lot of its advertising money is wasted. But it’s just as true that a company with a website has nothing more than a lonely billboard in cyberspace unless lots of traffic comes by.

That’s the role of local search marketing—to ensure that potential customers find what they are looking for near at hand. All things being equal, buyers don’t want to go out of their way to make purchases. They avoid hassles. They seek out convenience and personal attentiveness just as they do high quality and low prices.

 

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Getting Found Requires Being Seen

Take for example the Honolulu mall walking club that wants get pedometers for its members. Are they more likely to buy them from a sporting goods store in Ala Moana Center or from a distributor in Warminster, PA?

It may seem like a no brainer, but it’s not. The supplier in Pennsylvania ranks #1 in Google Search, while the Oahu store isn’t even on the first page. Competing on the Internet means local sales are not a slam dunk for local retailers anymore.

In fact, the answer to where to shop may very well be “with seller that is easiest to find,” which explains very neatly why high rankings on search engines often trump the convenience of shopping locally. Being local isn’t enough. Businesses have to be “seen” to be local as well.

That’s where techniques like keyword selection, website design, search engine optimization and inbound linkage become critical. They help focus a marketing message and bring it to a local audience, one by one, impression by impression.

 

internet local search

 

The Right Tools

A wide variety of delivery systems are available to reach the market and point would-be buyers to a business. From press releases and blog comments to expert articles, syndication, directory listings and social networking, proven tools can be employed to reach out, grab attention and pull new customers in.

That said, local search marketing isn’t as easy as learning a little HTML, improving Meta Tags and submitting a website URL to a dozen search engines. It helps to have the assistance of an expert—someone who knows exactly what methods to apply to drive traffic and turn impressions into action and sales.

Again, small business owners need to be aware that a sea change has occurred in the way goods and services are promoted. Local search marketing is no longer the wave of the future; it has already crested. Buyers are scouring the Internet right now looking for local deals, and savvy merchants are already taking advantage of the trend. How about you?