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Google Instant\u2019s predicted results for \u201chow to market your local business\u201d show the top results as \u201chow to market your local business online\u201d, \u201chow to promote your local business\u201d, and \u201chow to promote your local business on the internet.\u201d<\/p>\n
Using the internet to find a local business is now the universal, most pervasive research method.\u00a0 Prior to the World Wide Web, most people turned to their Yellow Pages to find a local business.\u00a0 Now, even the Yellow Pages has moved online, so you have to ask yourself, \u201cWhen someone looks for my business online, have I made it easy for consumers to find me?\u201d\u00a0 Keep in mind that even if your website is absolutely gorgeous, responsively-designed<\/a>, is conversion-friendly, and is fully optimized for search engines, you can\u2019t rely on your website alone to drive customers through your door.\u00a0 Below are the top five channels to market your local business online:<\/p>\n Local search has evolved into a complex ecosystem dominated by Google. Corporations and mom-and-pops shops alike are fighting to put their business on the map with local citations.\u00a0 Similar to referral links in search engine optimization, citations are used to determine the relative importance or prominence of your business listing. If Google notices an abundance of consistent citations referencing your business directly, it makes Google think that your business is reputable, important, and highly relevant to the user\u2019s search query.\u00a0 In turn, you get rewarded with higher visibility in local organic search results. Remember, the more citations your business has, the more important it will be in Google’s eyes.<\/p>\n To get started, you\u2019ll need to create a Google+ page.\u00a0 Previously, you needed to create a Google Places or a Google Local listing, but Google has slowly petered out these products and has integrated Google Local, Google Places, etc. all under the Google+ umbrella.\u00a0 You\u2019ll need a Gmail account to set up your Google+ page to promote your local business.\u00a0 You can enter company name, address, phone number (referred to as NAP in the SEO world), website URL, and other information.\u00a0 Your information is verified through a telephone call or postcard.\u00a0 Upon verification, voila!\u00a0 You will get a map listing of your business.\u00a0 This process usually takes a few weeks.<\/p>\n You can also create basic listings in other directories according to category or geographic location.\u00a0 Free online directories include Yahoo, Yellow Pages, Yelp, FourSquare, etc.\u00a0 There are directories that are specific to local businesses, local events, local coupons, etc. so take advantage of them all if they\u2019re relevant!\u00a0 As well, don\u2019t forget about industry and business associations like the BBB or your local chamber of commerce.\u00a0 These are great directories in which to list your business.<\/p>\n I\u2019m sure we\u2019ve all read and heard about how content marketing is the next big thing, and the ubiquitous catchphrase of marketers alike, \u201cContent is King!\u201d\u00a0 It\u2019s not the next big thing, it is THE big thing, right now.\u00a0 Regularly providing and distributing unique, fresh, keyword-laden, quality content that\u2019s indexed easily is a great way to market your local business online.\u00a0 Keep in mind that this content can also include rich media like infographics, videos, webinars, etc. Done well, content marketing is one of the most effective ways to market your business online and attract new customers.<\/p>\n To increase your visibility in local search results, add a few location-specific landing pages to your website.\u00a0 These are pages about a specific city or town your business services.\u00a0 Keep in mind this content must be relevant and useful to your visitors in order to really add value to your organic search results.\u00a0 For example, location pages can show specific directions to your office from a major landmark.<\/p>\n Blogging is another great way to add fresh, unique, easily indexed, and regularly updated content to your website. You can use your blog to connect with local news organizations, charities, industry associations, as well as local bloggers.\u00a0 In addition, blogging about your industry allows you to establish your brand as a thought leader and industry influencer.<\/p>\n \u00a0<\/strong>In local search, customer reviews are bigger than life.\u00a0 Online reviews are the modern version of word-of-mouth recommendations. According to the most recent Nielsen<\/a> data, 84% of consumers around the world say they trust word-of-mouth recommendations from friends and family when making a purchasing decision. Consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations, while the majority (52%<\/a>) say that positive online reviews make them more likely to choose a local business. The influence reviews have on your local business go well beyond social proof. Good reviews can boost your local search visibility, while bad reviews can destroy your business.<\/p>\n For example, check out the screenshot above. Notice that the top organic local listing result for \u201ctoronto dentist\u201d was the business that had the most Google reviews.\u00a0 That\u2019s not a coincidence!<\/p>\n There are several review destinations to which to direct your customers.\u00a0 The top review sites are, of course, Google+, followed by Yelp, and then more industry-specific review sites like RateMD (for the medical industry) and TripAdvisor (for the travel industry).<\/p>\n Encourage your customers to write reviews about your products or services. These reviews are written to elaborate pros and cons of your business. Not only do reviews aid in directing traffic to your website, but they also provide you with another customer service channel.\u00a0 Did you receive a bad review?\u00a0 Connect directly with that client and apologize; strive to ensure their experience with you is a positive one moving forward. Reputation management is a full-time job in itself, but if you\u2019re doing it right, your company will shine online.<\/p>\n Social media is a critically important channel to market your business online.\u00a0 The benefits<\/a>\u00a0of social media for small to large businesses alike have been touted extensively, and with over 1.3 billion monthly active users, it\u2019s definitely the right avenue in which to connect with your brand community online.<\/p>\n Keep in mind that social media marketing is not as simple as starting a Facebook page for your business.\u00a0 It\u2019s important to keep your social profiles up to date and fresh with regular posts (at least a few times per week) and to create dialogue with your customers as opposed to just feeding them information.\u00a0 This includes daily moderation and management of your company\u2019s presence on social destinations like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, etc.<\/p>\n With the recent change in Facebook\u2019s algorithm, the organic reach of business pages are declining exponentially<\/a>.\u00a0 This means that, unless you have over 5,000 friends that will like your page if you tell them to, you have to incorporate an advertising campaign on social media in order to increase your visibility on the social platform. YouTube, LinkedIn, and Twitter also provide a paid advertising channel on their sites.<\/p>\n PPC (pay-per-click) marketing, SEM (search engine marketing), and CPC (cost per click) marketing are all fancy ways of saying, Paid Advertising, or advertising I\u2019m paying for.\u00a0 This is probably the most direct, most effective, yet most complicated, of all the channels in which to market your business online. Most advertising agencies require their PPC staff members to be certified in Google AdWords<\/a>, as it demonstrates that you\u2019ve mastered the uber-complicated Google Advertising best practices.<\/p>\n In general, Google AdWords is the most robust advertising marketplace.\u00a0 Bing Ads are a distant second, but with Microsoft rebranding its advertising arm as part of a deeper partnership with Yahoo, combined with recent reports<\/a> of Bing stealing about 5% of Google\u2019s search share from June 2011 to June 2012, Bing Ads have become quite the hot topic with search marketers. Although they are slowly catching up to Google AdWords, they still only account for 25-30% of market share (approximately 6 billion searches).<\/p>\n What\u2019s great with Google AdWords (there are a lot of things that are quite great, actually, but I\u2019ll keep this short) is there is no minimum spending commitment.\u00a0 You choose where your ad appears (Search Network, Display Network, Retargeting, Mobile), set a budget you\u2019re comfortable with, and measure the impact of your ad.\u00a0 You can pause or stop your campaigns any time.<\/p>\n The complexity behind search engine marketing is tied into the keyword and market research, campaign structure, and the campaign optimization process.\u00a0 There\u2019s nothing more tragic nor costly than targeting the wrong keywords and appealing to the demographic that doesn\u2019t need your product\/service.\u00a0 As well, if your campaign structure hasn\u2019t been set up properly, it will result in a poor quality score, low click through rate, and subsequently, a more expensive cost per click.<\/p>\n\n
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