Local online marketing is an effective way to reach your local prospects if it is executed appropriately and consistently maintained. However, many businesses don’t have the first clue about where to start. We’ve made it easy, providing 7 simple steps to put you on the path to achieving your goal of increased local leads.                                 

If You Don’t Have a Website, Get One…Now!

Today is a day of technology. The Internet rules and, though you don’t have to love it, you certainly do have to learn how to use it effectively if you want to keep up with your competition. Without a website, you are losing a lot of potential customers.

Your local customers will often refer to your website to find out your hours of operation, telephone number, and other general questions. Openly displaying this information on your website gives your business credibility with your potential customers.

Google’s Local Business Center Exists for a Reason…Use It!

Listing your business on Google’s Local Business Center is imperative for your local marketing efforts. Much like favorable word-of-mouth advertisement, this allows individuals to post reviews of your business for others to base their decisions on. However, it also lends exposure to your business online and the search engines will love that.

Have a Website, but Not Promoting It? WHY???

Promoting your website is one of the most important factors in achieving results. If your site is optimized appropriately, the search engines will be your best friend.

Let’s think about the reality of this: About 43% of the searches that are performed on Google are local searches. That means that if two million individuals Google something today, like courier service, roughly 860,000 will be looking for something in their local area. Think of the possibilities!

One thing to remember is that whether you are using SEO, PPC, E-Mail campaigns, social networking or link building, QUALITY IS KEY. Nobody wants to see a web page that’s written just for the search engine spiders, an e-mail that’s full of run-on sentences, or a PPC ad that doesn’t follow through on its promise. In addition, the search engines don’t want to see your link on a page that no one has visited in months.

Let’s Be Social

Social networking is a hot topic right now, and why not? You can build a fan base that likes your page and wants to see what you have to say. To do this, you will need the help of Facebook, Twitter, Linked In, and a good blog site like Blogster or WordPress. This will allow you to reach out to your audience and let them in on new developments, new products, sales, etc.

To E-Mail or Not To E-Mail?

The E-Mail campaign is still a great tool for the local business, which is why every business should have an opt-in form on their site for their visitors to fill in. All it takes is a few key points, a little creativity with words, and the click of a mouse and you can start building the trust of your audience.

Team Up!

It never hurts to partner with another business in your area for a promotion. By doing this, you have the opportunity to reach out to a completely different client base and vice versa.

Don’t Give Up!

One of the biggest mistakes a business can make is giving up on the techniques that work once they hit a certain level of success. The truth is that running a good business is all about maintenance. So, once you begin to harvest the fruits of your labor, don’t forget that those plants still need water!