If not, you are missing a huge opportunity!
Most small business owners market their products and services to a specific geographic market and they most likely use a mix of local advertising, direct marketing, coupons and word of mouth marketing. Depending on your type of business, you may also use door hangers, flyers and site signs. These are all still relevant ways to get your name known in your geographic area.
But today's consumer is using the Internet more often to search for and evaluate local businesses. Many consumers under 40 (and many of us over 40) never look at the Yellow Pages or telephone books anymore. Searching the Internet is much more convenient. According to Google, 73% of online activity is related to local content. And according to a study done by TMP Directional Marketing, not only is local search increasing, 61% of local searches result in purchases, still mostly offline.
What does this mean to your business?
It means you need:
- AÂ quality web presence. People searching will form their first impression of your business by the quality of your web site.
- Customer testimonials that speak to the quality of the services or products you offer. These testimonials can be used not only on your web site but also on other sites that support reviews.
- Photos of your work, both the before and after images if possible. These can be used on your Web site and in the local search engines and directories where they offer that capability.Â
And you also need to be sure you are listed in the local directories, and there a lot of them! I found a really good list of local directories and data suppliers on the Marketing Matador. Many of them are free and a few do have fees. However, the value of being listed in these directories is twofold:
- When you have a web site and you want to get inbound links that increase your ranking in the search engines, your local search profile is a good way to do it.
- When the consumer is searching for your business, even if your web site doesn't come up, one of your listings may - resulting in them clicking through to your web site.
How to get started without getting overwhelmed?
- Create a profile that contains the following information: name, address, phone numbers (office and mobile if you want folks to know it), web site address, contact email, hours of operation if relevant, payment methods, description of your business, products, services, brands and specialties, certifications, company logo, and a half dozen photos of your work if relevant. Put the content in a document where you can cut and paste it as necessary and have your images available for uploading.
- Start with the big four: Google, Yahoo Local, MSN Local and Best of the Web. Go to the site getlisted.org and enter your business name. It will let you know if you are listed in the directory and whether anyone has claimed your listing. Claim your listings and update your profile with the information you gathered above.
- Next, register on a site called Universal Business Listings which for $30, allows you to create a profile and have it distributed to a long list of directories and data sources. Although they say they distribute to Google, Yahoo and MSN Live, I would make sure you take responsibility for those directly. Even if they do created the profiles for you, you should claim them and own the updates and edits. I just started using this service for my clients and I don't have first hand experience on how their submissions work. But for the price they charge, it is certainly worth it. I also had a very good experience with them as I had an issue on the weekend and I emailed the only address I found and got an answer right away. They get points for customer service.
- Now look for niche directories. Most of the consumer services like plumbers, roofers and other contractor businesses will find a sites that are specific to their business. If they seem reputable, get listed there as well.
- Finally decide where you should pay for a listing. Some offer a flat annual or monthly fee for inclusion. Others are pay per lead. The choice you make is really up to your business, location and margins. I have seen good and bad results from these services so it really is an individual preference.
The goal is to get your business listed in as many places as you possibly can. It won't cost you a lot of money, but it is time consuming to get listed in all the relevant directories. Take it one step at a time and go through the steps as listed. The more you can drive people to your web site, the more often they will call you.