Category Archive: General Small Business

Nov
07
2009

Marketing Local Business Online

November 7, 2009

The Marketing Local Business Online Agency Coaching Course is almost ready to launch! Local Marketing Source, LLC plans to launch the course on Thursday November 12, 2009. Make sure to register to your right if you want to be informed when the course goes live.

LMS has been providing some great content lately, such as the Selling Local Internet Marketing Services video. This is about 25 minutes of a 60+ minute webinar with open questions.

You can check out our Squidoo Lens on Marketing Local Business Online.

Below you’ll get previews of three of the 39 videos included in the course.

Introduction Preview

Here is a preview to the Introduction video of the course. This video is shortened from it’s 20 minute length.

This video is the preview from Chapter 5,

Website Conversion for Small Local Businesses

This is a short preview video of Chapter 4

Driving Traffic and Conversion

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.scott-gallagher.net/marketing-local-business-online/

Jun
16
2009

Local Citations are key to Google Local Business Listings

by Administrator

June 16, 2009

Anyone that knows anything about SEO, your ranking authority is based on a variety of factors, the most important being links. You’ve heard me say for years now that it’s not only quantity, it’s quality of links.

Published in 2008, MLBO refers to geographical and theme based links. I never study PR, I don’t care about what the algos want, I simply conduct marketing on the Internet. Therefore, when referencing geographical and theme based links, I’m saying to get a profile, post or something that references your company on a website that is somewhat related to your business.

A citation is like a link in terms of how the search engine values that citation. The different is the citation does not actually link to the site itself, it merely references the site. This is an example, and intentional citation, for one of my national clients.

Chicago Courier & Rush Delivery – Naparex

27 N. Wacker Dr. Suite 878

Chicago, IL 60606

http://www.naparex.com/chicago-courier.html

There are a couple of things to note on this citation that you need to know. While there is a valid link to the Chicago page for this business, this citation is not about the link. That link helps SEO purposes, not the LBL’s in Google. The fact that the company name (with a keywords inserted, including inserted in the Google LBL) is present with the physical address, suite number and zip code. This gives authority and confirmation to Google that there is in fact a business at this location.

The more citations you have, with or without links, the better your LBRs will be.

The point is Google is trying to create authority that you are in fact at the physical address that you claim you are at. If you are listed, for example, on the local university site with your address, that domain has much more authority and trust than say www.localbusinessdirectory.com. If you read MLBO, 18 months ago I discussed how to get a University to link to you and endorse your site. I also said that this is paramount for Local Organic, prior to the LBR’s being listed in the mainstream results. Funny isn’t it, each algo update our rankings improve and now after hard data, we, the experts, are saying this is likely the single, most relevant factor in ranking in the LBR.

It’s still just old skool Marketing.

It just makes so much sense to me, but why not others? Why do these ‘experts’ keep chasing the algo!?! Expose yourself to relevant sites, local and theme sites. Don’t ever worry about the ‘nofollow’ links, put them up anyhow. Don’t worry about pages with high PR. Relevancy and trust are determined many more and different ways. Create transparency for your business on the Internet. Get your information out there.

4 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.scott-gallagher.net/local-citations-are-key-to-google-local-business-listings/

May
29
2009

Twitter for local business

by Administrator

May 29, 2009

Twittering for success with locals

The typical first response I get when discussing Twitter is “I don’t get it”. A statistic once spreading the net in April of 2009 claimed that over 60% of Twitter users simply do not get it’s concept and leave within the first month. Many claim Twitter is simply a passing fad and that there is no real business application to this new medium of communication.

Naked Pizza in New Orleans would have you believe otherwise. Within the first 30 days of applying that application to it’s business, their sales are soaring a minimum of 15% due to an exclusive Twitter promotion. Another business in Chicago has discovered that “Sweet Tweets” brings in floods of Twitters to it’s yogurt shop operation in Chicago. With over 700 followers, Twitters must prove they’re following the shop in order to receive a free yogurt.

The ‘experts’ said it would never fly

The experts said in 1994 that the Internet was not a viable business application. Thomas J. Watson, past president of IBM, estimated in 1942 that the world peak demand for computer was ‘maybe five’. The telephone was discounted in 1882 by President Chester Arthur as a non viable means for human communication.

Twitter can, and likely is, a larger means of communication than the telephone. The micro blogging site Twitter is different and like most new technologies, is being shunned upon as something no more than a pastime. One almost can not fathom that there are 4 billion registered mobile phones on the planet, and in 1985 many wondered by one would want to be accessible while mobile. If you’re one of those who are shunning Twitter, then in my opinion, you’re not a visionary and are someone who is typically a follower.

It’s just marketing

The fact is, marketing a local business on the Internet is merely the process of being where prospective customers are. You attend trade show, chamber meetings, networking events and go on sales calls. You own business cards, brochures, websites and give aways. These events and collateral are simply tools in your marketing toolbox to built, establish and nurture relationships. Over time, you earn the right to do business with these prospects you meet. The electronic world is no different. You are not using the Internet to sell your services, you use the Internet to find relationships, take them offline and earn their right to business.

Users of practically every product and service are collaborating in special places on the Internet. For examples, if Facebook were a country, it would be the sixth largest country on the planet. There are 600,000 new people every single day joining this network. It’s a social networking site, a place to network. Twitter is averaging 8,000,000 tweets a day, with 45% of it’s users in the U.S. Currently ranked as the fastest growing website on the planet, Twitter is experiencing growth of 1382% per month!

Sales start with Networking

The goal is to make the effort to be in the places that prospects are hanging out in Twitter. Just like approaching a conversation of four people at a MCAA convention, you’re welcome to join, however don’t jump in and cannibalize the conversation. Introduce yourself, shake some hands, and engage in the current conversation. Stay relatively quiet for a little while, and when the timing is right, share your business. Once you have earned the right, then plug your product and service. You’re goal is to take the conversation away from Twitter to either your website or offline.

Think like your buyers. You can search all the Twitter conversations and you need to search for local users and those that are talking. For example, a potential client for a delivery business may be in the medical niche. The decision maker might be a hospital purchaser. If this person were to engage in conversation, some of their conversation might reference their career, even with their closest friends. So this buyer might say something like “today was a rough day at the hospital, I got four cold calls from sales people trying to sell me some new computers”. So, search for the words ‘hospital’ and ‘sell’ or ‘sales’ for people in your local area. Twitter will show you all these people who are saying those words. Once you have found someone who you think qualifies as a potential buyer, follow them. Over half the time, they’ll follow you back and the average person only follows 100 people. Send them a personal hello. Tell them you are networking with locals. Over time, this person will see your tweets, which are intended later to spark curiosity, and drive them to your website. Of course, your website will be set up properly to handle the best call-to-actions.

This takes time. It’s difficult to outsource and it requires a level of intellect. There is no get rich quick Twitter strategy and you won’t see immediate results. This is no different than the old school world of networking. Marketing your local business on the Internet is no different than marketing in the old school world, just using a virtual world. Don’t look back in 2012 and say, I should have learned that a century ago, in 2009.

5 comments

Permanent link to this article: http://www.scott-gallagher.net/twitter-for-local-business/

May
04
2009

Google Local under Scrutiny

by Administrator

May 4, 2009

Since Google has introduced local business results into the mainstream results, along with several other results, we are seeing how Google is greating a strong SERP with blended results. We now see shopping results, local business results, videos, standard organic and PPC in the SERP. For the most part, each of these components use a different algorithm.

While a locally based offline business with a desire to find business using the Internet has several options on which methods to deploy resources, it is almost impossible for a small company to deploy every tactic. In fact, it would be merely impossible. We do know however that the search engines drive more traffic to a website than all other mediums combined. Therefore understanding Search Engine Marketing (SEM) is critical. As I always have discussed, I recommend three methods in order to increase visibility in the SERPs. These are

Efforts in the Organic Results (SEO)
Efforts towards Local Business Results (the map)
Efforts towards PPC (Google Adwords)

Google’s Local Business Results are playing havoc for thousands of small businesses around the globe. This algo is as strong as the organic algo were in 2002. It sucks! There are so many challenges being faced with business’ records being combined, including wrong addresses, phone numbers and simply wrong data.

There is also a challenge with what Google is trying to do. Every local industry is different and has different business models. The transportation industry is getting horrible results in the local listings because locally based transportation companies servicing a major metropolitan area is typically located in the suburbs. Google is looking for addresses in the city, yielding the wrong results. The Florist industry has been hijacked by spammers, who have blackmailed local florists for cash to give them their results back. The locksmith industry has been spammed with thieves, claiming to be locksmiths and stealing your keys to your home and vehicles.

Last week while discussing the nightmare in the Local Business Listings with another local SEOer from a San Fransisco Web Design and Local SEO firm owner, Miriam Ellis, I learned and concluded that the Local Results efforts being put forth by Google is simply a little premature. It’s a mess! It’s no secret that Americans are using Google to find local businesses. It’s no secret a web surfer will click on either an organic listing, local listing or paid listing. We know exactly how to market ourselves to achieve rankings in the organic and paid listings, however local is still up in the air. We do know a lot about that and in MLBO you’ll find the strategies that do work, however there are a lot of changes happening daily at Google and there are still a lot of problems at Google. There are still a lot of unanswered questions about ethical companies trying to market themselves. We determined several scenarios with local businesses that may appear spamming to the search engines, yet be completely ethical, moral marketing strategies.

I also want to point you to a fantastic interview among 20 expert local business marketer regarding Local Search Ranking Factors. Check it out, a lot of what you read is included in MLBO however and inline with my teachings, it’s just this is coming from another source.

Interview with 20 experts

All in all, I stand firm that SEM is marketing. Regardless if today some strategies may come off as spammy for the local results, move forward with your strategies if you feel what you are doing is ethical in the offline world. Google will shake itself out and determine what is ethical and moral and I believe Google will get this right.

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Permanent link to this article: http://www.scott-gallagher.net/google-local-under-scrutiny/

Apr
28
2009

Local SEO is Bullshit! SEO is all Blackhat!

by Administrator

April 28, 2009

Sometimes I like to be devil’s advocate and stir the pot. Since releasing MLBO, I have been getting amazing feedback, success stories and a lot of interest. I haven’t made a penny from it, yet I find myself immersing myself in my greatest passion, learning and teaching. I’m about to teach one of my philosophies that I’ve danced around with. I know many will agree with me, however many will disagree with me and I’m hoping to create controversy. I will add that I am not the first by any stretch of the imagination to write about this controversial topic.

Local SEO will not exist in a few years

OK, local SEO, is Local Search Engine Optimization or Search Engine Optimizer. I no longer call myself an SEOer. I’m an Internet Marketer. I do not ‘optimize’ a site for the search engines. I market a website using the Internet.

Is White Hat SEO just sugar coated Black Hat?

Alright, so the question of black hat and white hat rise. My clients hire me to get their site to #1. Some don’t care how I do it. Others buy my philosophies. I study black hat techniques and I can in fact play a game like Howie Schwartz. These techniques are used to dupe the search engines and simply won’t last for a sustainable business. Mom taught me, if you’re going to do something, do it right. Black Hat works, just won’t forever.

So what is black hat? Keyword stuffing, duh. What about optimizing a keyword into the H1 Tag? Enhancing the Title tag? Keyword Density? Keyword Proximity? Internal Linking with proper anchor text? I can argue that each, and every one of the above mentioned concepts is black hat, if you are using them for search engine purposes and NOT for an enhanced user experience.

On-The-Page SEO shouldn’t have a list, just quality Design and Marketing

What about validating your code? Using CSS over tables? Optimal use of flash and java? We know the search engines like certain standards, so we employ them. What about a dedicated IP, shared hosting, slow sites? Large pages? No alt tags on images? Large image sizes? These are among many factors that need to be considered when an SEOer gets to work. And this stuff only represents about 30% of your rankings weight, I haven’t touched on outside factors yet!

Point is, if you are top of your game for designing, and coding, you’ll know or will know enough to hire a quality developer who goes by the book. Your site should validate! You should reduce the size of your images! Tables are sloppy way of programming! Flash was designed to be a movie, NOT a entire website! It’s obvious to me, the search engines want a well built website using the technology the way is was meant to be used. As far as keywords, page design, content, it also makes sense. For example, you would not want to come back to this blog if new content never came in. So, the more fresh content I have, the more I’m favored by Google. Sure, you need to know what keywords people are using to find your site and put those keywords on your pages, but this isn’t optimizing a page for the search engines, this is marketing and understanding your audience, speaking their jargon. It so happens the search engines understand this and place value on those pages, and in turn we SEOers have reversed engineered the Search Engines and rarely have I found educations that says…UHM, lets just focus on proper marketing.

Don’t look for links, that’s not what SEO is about

So what about off the page stuff, that other 70%? It’s all about links, right? Of course it is. So I’m taught to analyse competitors links, in fact I teach strategies. I value links, spend efforts on the links that favor the most PR. I have people posting on forums, blogs, directories, writting articles, doing video. How shameful of me. Wait, sure, if we reversed engineers that this works, then deploy it, but in fact, I’m creating transparency and exposure in the most democratic medium we’ve ever seen. It’s no different than my local business by handing out flyers, business cards, attending trade shows and chamber meetings. Speaking at local events and getting involved with the school and churches. Transparency and Exposure. Sure, I also focus my time on the exposure that yields the highest traffic, like in the days selling cellular phones, it was the mall, not the park. If I wanted to meet womyn, it was the bar and to create trust and authority to pick up the woman, I brought my ‘player’ friends, not the geeks that I enjoyed spending time with chewing the fat on about computers.

The point is I learned sales and marketing at a young age and I’ve now realised that absolutly everything I do on the Internet can be related to my old school world. Links are merely endorsements and relationships. Like marketing my businesses in the old school world, it took time and hard work. I walked the pavement, knocked on doors, picked up the phone and made sure I played in places I needed to be, it wasn’t the park accross the street. It was those crazy early breakfast meetings at the chamber of commerce accross town, but it brought business.

SEO is Merely Quality Marketing

Alright, so I threw either water or fuel on the fire here. I’m saying that everything you do on the Internet to promote your business, local or online, if you’re going to long term growth, forget about 99% of the SEO noise you read about. Don’t worry about this or that. Close your eyes and ask yourself if what you are doing enhances either

The visitor of your site
The democratic value of the Internet

If you can answer yes to one of those truthfully, then chances are it’s something the search engines have already recongnized and have built into their algo.

If the answer is no, then chances are it’s black hat and don’t do it. It might work today and I challenge anyone on the Internet to this philosophy. There is nothing you can do to your website that doesn’t answer Yes to any of those and is a sustainable strategy to SEO.

Don’t hire your carpenter to sell your house

If feel sorry for all those web developers looking for work, studying SEO and calling themselves experts. They better learn marketing, or they’ll be out of business soon. I AM an Internet Marketer, not SEO guru.

Disclaimer: Notice the link at the top, Internet Marketing Guru? That’s a internal link on this post to help the search engine follow a link to my homepage, which is a keyword I begun optimizing for. So I’m contradicting myself. Of course I am. Read this post again and you’ll notice I’m not. That link sends people to a page about and Internet marketing. I live by a self fullfilling prophecy, act as if. There is no trickery here, just marketing. Keep your head focused on proper marketing and rankings will follow.

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Apr
23
2009

Google Keyword Tool Showing Local Results alongside Global Volumes

by Administrator

April 23, 2009

Unannounced in the last 48 hours, I have discovered that Google has made some changes to their free keyword tool.

They have added Local Search Volume for keyword searches. Google is making big changes this year in local search, since some claim 70% of all Internet searches in the USA are now for local businesses.

google keyword tool showing local results

As discussed last week, when searching for a terms such as [courier service], Google is incorporating Local results into its mainstream results. Now, as a extension to my predicted huge changes in Local Search at Google in 2009, Google is providing Local Search Volume results along side their Global Search Volume.

My philosophies are like Google, fire then aim. They are notrorious for having product infinitily in beta (Gmail anyone?!!). Their Local Search is still easily manipulatple, like SEO was in 2001. The local results located in mainstream results are still very quirky. They will get better quick though, Local Search is huge.

As far as their search volume showing in the keyword tool, this is also very quirky. Oddly, they have replaced the column formerly as ‘last month results’ with ‘local search volume results’. The Global Search volume column is formerly the average monthly volume for the last twelve months. Now, from my testing, both columns are showing the same numbers as the two columns last week. This would lead one to believe that perhaps they have only changed the headers on the columns! I doubt this is the case. Those numbers are quirky to begin with.

I have not wrapped my head around the numbers yet and there is little explaining exactly what they mean. There are still a large number of questions pertaining to what is Local versus what is a Global search. Try searching ‘dentist’ and you get local results. Maybe I am researching the definition of dentist, how dentist education, dentistry methodologies, blah blah. Google provides a variety of these results, including local dentists. The keyword tool has the same challenges, we have no idea of relevancy and how Google determines the relevance for a local search.

The big learning point here is that Google is evidently making huge changes to their search engines to accomodate local searches. I really believe now that I was ahead of the curve studying local search back in 2005.

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Apr
09
2009

Local Business Search – Google Incorporates Local Results into Results without Geo-Modifiers

by Administrator

April 9, 2009

Three days ago, Google announced some significant changes in the Local Search business. We are excited, Google is really making enhancements to their local search results and it’s evident that Google is pushing to get much better at providing local business results when you want them.

When was the last time you used Yellow Pages? Exactly, my yellow book is still in the plastic bag it came in, under my desk. I’m collecting them, they might be worth something one day!

On April 6th, 2009, Google made news when they announced they were integrating Local Search Results into the regular Search Engine Results Pages(SERPs) when the algorithm decided it was appropriate.

For example, prior to April 6th, if you searched for [dentist], and you were located in Algonquin, IL, Google’s results were global. A searcher needed to input the geographical location, named Geographical Modifier, to get local results. Not anymore!

If you put in the geographical modifier, then the SERPs will show local business results for the location of the modifier. This is not affected.

Here is a search for [dentist] from my location in Algonquin, IL.

Notice the search phrase is simply [dentist]? The results gave results for ‘Franklin Park, IL’. I’m located in Algonquin, IL. That’s 36 miles (58km) away! I’m not driving over 60 minutes in Chicago traffic to go see a dentist.

They almost always determine your location based on your IP address. This is a unique number assigned to your computer (or network) from your Internet Service Provider (ISP). My ISP location is obviously in Franklin Park. This becomes a large problem for AOL users, who’s ISP is located in California regardless of where you are in the USA!

Not all terms though yield the local results in the main SERPS. Try a search for [dentist], [chiropractor], [dry cleaner]; they all yield the local results. Pretty awesome. Now try a search for [tarot card reader], [pharmacy] or [designer clothes]. You don’t get the local business results. With the search for [pharmacy], the first listing I get is CVS, which is not even remotely close to my location (I have since informed Google that my location is not Franklin Park, it’s 60102, however I had to manually do this).

How does this affect your local business?

This is good! This is only proof that local businesses need to further expand their marketing efforts on the Internet.

This is however distancing the mainstream algorithm from the Local Business Results. That algorithm is different and there is very little testing and work on how these results are determined. Of course, my book covers everything I know about the algorithm for these results and at this time it is 100% up to date. As always, I inform my paying readers of these major changes from time to time.

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Apr
09
2009

Mobile Marketing for Local Small Business

by Administrator

April 9, 2009

Small Business Mobile Marketing

Recently on one of my social sites, a member asked my opinions about mobile marketing for the locally based business. While this is not intended to be a complete article, I am going to provide my opinions and resources to my community. While I also felt this should be for my private paying readers, I have decided to make this public because there is some great information all small businesses should know about.

Mobile Marketing for Local Businesses is the future. Not Internet Marketing, Mobile Marketing. Here’s some facts.

1.4 B Internet Users
4B wireless subscribers worldwide
Facebook has 600k new subscribers per day, increasing login rate through mobile devices
3B SMS users worldwide.
USA lags.
400M worldwide accesses mobile web.
44M in the USA

A friend of mine, Kim Dushinski is author of a published book and is an expert on Mobile Marketing, recently gave these facts to the System Seminar attendees, a large International Internet Marketing conference. Here is her site. Mobile Marketing. Her site is packed with resources and recommendations for this type of marketing. I will only endorse what she endorses.

Make your site available to the mobile market now. Even if you don’t start promoting for years, get your desired domains now. Buy your Mobile Domain now! Buy your .mobi domain at this link here. Get a .mobi domain the same as your site, add a simple plug in so it can be viewed.

There is a best practices guide you should read.

Mobile Marketing Best Practices

Here is a wordpress plug in to make your wordpress blog Mobile friendly.

Mobile WordPress Plugin

As far as SEO for mobile, the game is developing. Here’s some quick info.

97.5% of the market share for mobile search goes to, you got it, Google.
Shorter time to find stuff.
Different Algorithm and their main search.

Today, SEO is pretty simple for Mobile Marketing. Here are some quick tips for Mobile SEO, or mSEO.

Have an Error Free Site
Mobile, Free Content
Mobile Links

Google has a Mobile Keyword Tool, finally! You need to log into your Mobile adWords Campaign to use it. Can’t show you a link, sorry!

Things to look out for in the future for Mobile Marketing, according to Kim!

Microsoft Tags
Mobile Affiliate Programs
Android (Google’s Phone)
eBooks on Mobile Marketing
Mobile Social Media Marketing (mSMM)
Local Mobile Search (this is it guys)
Mobile Social Bookmarking
mCommerce

Just think of the marketing implications to this. Geo based, opt-in marketing? Targeted marketing based on the demographics of the phone users plus their location. This is just sick! (this is a positive thing, for those old skool readers!).

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Apr
01
2009

Testing Lets You OPT Out of the Recession

by Administrator

April 1, 2009

If you’ve never heard of Trevor Claiborne, he’s the product manager for Google Website Optimizer at the Googleplex. I had the privilege of meeting and discussing many of the Google initiatives this past weekend at The System Seminar in Chicago, Illinois at the beautiful Westin Hotel.

I remember reading a statistic that 94% of visitors to a B2B website end up leaving, not providing a call-to-action and never come back. That stat was wrong, Trevor claims that 98% of people leave.

Google is an Internet Marketer as well. They just happen to be very good at what they do. They built their business on testing, they test EVERYTHING.

Trevor suggests that you begin testing now. He suggests that you test a small number of BIG changes. He claims you have an average of 5 seconds to engage a reader into a call-to-action. He also suggests that you begin your testing on high bounce rate pages.

First, you better have some sort of analytics installed on your website. I use Google analytics.

Second, use Google Website Optimizerto conduct tests. It’s extremely easy to use and in some cases a test can be set up in less than 10 minutes. Claiborne provided several case studies of increases in conversion well over 100% by testing sales pages, purchase buttons, email-opt in text and ultimately conversion to a call to action or sale.

This tool required about 100-200 total conversions for the test to be statistically valid. While tests are being run, it will NOT affect your SEO rankings, because according to Matt Cutts (system engineer at Google), the tests are separate pages that are not listed in the Google index and Google decides which page version to show.

I would also download the Google Website Optimizer Techie Guide. This will provide you with comprehensive information on how to set this.

Don’t forget to sign up for my Internet Marketing eBook. You will find invaluable information for marketing local small businesses on the Internet. Just opt-in on the form to your right.

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Mar
27
2009

TWEELIVERING (n.): The process of using Twitter to find Business for Local Businesses

by Administrator

March 27, 2009

Ahhhh, Twitter. You thought Google rose quickly and then MySpace what is pulling in 230,000 users a day. The man behind the Evolution of Dance displayed that YouTube has greater distribution power than NBC, CBC and Fox COMBINED!

For the first time in history, we as the average American can truly have a freedom of speech that is entirely uncensosed and broadcast to millions. I mean it, millions.

Twitter is yet another hugely successful Internet idea. It started as a concept for an internal solution at a corporation, now Barack Obama is following me, Scott Gallagher. I know that Lance Armstrong slept well last night because he told me this morning. My clients who follow me found out this morning that I’m visiting a large Internet Marketing conference this evening. They see updates that I’m on the hill snowboarding. Do they really care? Probably not, however perception is reality. They get value on occasion from resources that I tweet about however they also build a relationship with me, albeit virtual, that is unknown in the traditional business world.

People buy People. They don’t want to be sold, they want to buy. A Chiropractor, for argumentative sake, is not much different than the chiropractor down the street, in terms of their services. However their personality is likely very different. Their patients will buy from the first doctor because of their relationship with them.

Courier service, a not so complex service. You pick up a package and deliver it on time. There are 300 couriers in Chicago. Besides branding, there is very little distinguishing factors among couriers. Web 2.0 sites like Facebook and now Twitter allow you build those relationships online and take them offline.

If you don’t think this works, ask the Industry Guru from Hot Shot Delivery in Houston. Past president of the Texas Courier and Logistics Association, Eric Donaldson tweets from his blackberry in his car (at red lights of course), office and maybe sometimes or places in his home. He has followers and building a local audience to take relationships offline to make some money from a business that is one of the oldest industries ever.

The goal is to find locals that are talking about the products and services you offer. Once you find these people, start following them on Twitter. About half the people you follow, will follow you. Once someone is following you, you now have permission to tweet them, friend them, drive them offline and market to them.

I’ll use the example of Eric in Houston. Eric should go to Twitter and do a search for ‘houston’. This will bring up all the tweets where anyone has mentioned ‘Houston’. These might be locals, but at the least have an interest in Houston. He’ll look at each of the 100′s of profiles and determine whether he should follow them. If they are active, several hundred posts, and they appear to offer business dialect, a close to 50/50 split of followers and followings with more than 50 followers, Eric should friend him. Then wait three days.

After three days, if they have not followed you, stop following them. Unless you are really concerned about marketing to them, you don’t want too many people you follow who don’t follow you. Oh, follow Barack Obama, then he can spy on what you are saying… Check out this tool, Twitter Karma. Log into this with your Twitter username and you can easily see who is following you and compare it to whether you are following them. Then make batch updates. So simple!

There is awesome third party tool to help. It’s called Tweet Later. Click on the link to check it out. This program, which has a free no credit card trial for 3 weeks, allows you to set up auto-responders. This means that when someone follows you, this system will automatically send them a tweet from you welcoming them. You can also include a link to perhaps an article you wrote, a cool tool they might enjoy or your website.

With this program, you can set it up to send Tweets at a later time, or scheduled. It is very robust for the local business to market themselves through Twitter.

A final tool I’ll discuss that I use is called Tweet Deck. It’s a piece of software that you install on your computer that allows you manage your tweets from your desktop, rather than the web based Twitter system. I love it, except for the annoying tweet sound every 15 minutes!

So, use keywords that are relevant to your geographical location, your service and a combination of both. Start following. Tweet A LOT. Make it interesting, funny, slightly controversial. Retweet others. Unfollow those who aren’t following you. Add an auto-responder. Tweet to send people offline. To an email list. Do this for one month, 30 minutes a day. You will get results.

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