The Basics of Local Online Advertising
Need to drive more business to your door? Use our practical guide to rev up your local web strategy.
The promise of the web has been a global one. It connects companies to telecommuters, outsourcers, far-off countries and customers around the world. But a new trend in the web is bringing it closer to home . . . and business. The "local web" is the way the internet helps connect people with places in their hometowns as well as their business and travel destinations. For local entrepreneurs, it's about using the web to reach customers and vice versa.
We're not here to preach the value of having a website. You already know about that. This is a look at how to use your site and the many other internet resources available to help customers find you. It's not so much about e-commerce as it is about getting people to your door. "What we have now is a complicated world where people use many different sources of information to find local businesses. They're using the traditional mediums that they've always used, but now the internet has become a very powerful--and in many cases, [the] primary--resource for people," says Greg Sterling, founder of Sterling Market Intelligence, an Oakland, California, consulting and research firm with an emphasis on the local search marketplace.
"You need to be where your customers are, and more and more customers are on the web," says Sheryl Sandberg, vice president of global online sales and operations at Google. Take a look out over the web. There's no one-stop shop for marketing your local business online. People use search engines, online Yellow Pages, industry-specific directories, referral and review sites and online communities. They follow links from other businesses' sites and click on ads while browsing. So here's a primer to help you plan your local web strategy.
Get StartedThe first step is usually the hardest one. This initial stage requires a little patience and a lot of groundwork. Here it is: Get listed. That sounds pretty straightforward, but it actually means you have a roster of websites to visit. The three big search engines--Google, MSN and Yahoo!--should be your first destinations. Submit your site to each engine and then visit their "Local" sections and submit your company information. For example, go to http://listings.local.yahoo.com. The "Local Basic Listings" link takes you to the service. You can fill in information about your business, including hours, services, payment methods and descriptions. Once processed, your business will appear on Yahoo! Local maps and in searches that correlate to your description and category. Google works in a similar manner through its Local Business Center, and MSN partners with Citysearch to generate local information. Basic listings are free.
Ask.com recently launched AskCity for local searches, and AOL also generates its share of search traffic, so be sure to include them in your local web strategy."You should absolutely get your content into every free directory or listing service you can," says Sterling. "It's important to [do this] because you don't know where your potential customers are coming from." Don't overlook vertical sites that serve your particular market and that maintain business directories or listings. Local newspaper websites can be smart and affordable places to post an advertising link. Sites like Craigslist that feature a strong local component can be powerful tools. Not only do local customers browse the ads, but the ads are often indexed by search engines, providing yet another avenue for people to find you.
http://www.entrepreneur.com/article/174700
