Local Search Marketing–
The 500 Pound Gorilla in Generating New Customers
Here’s the Facts about Local Search:
A whopping 63% of consumers use the internet FIRST to uncover information about companies in their local community. That’s 63% of your friends, neighbors and family.
Conversely, only 24% of your friends and neighbors use the Yellow Pages to find those same businesses.
It’s amazing though how many businesses still rely on the printed Yellow Pages for attracting new business. That’s probably because most businesses haven’t understood the importance of Local Search.
How Does Local Search Affect Your Business?
What does it mean for you as a company doing business in your local community? It means that unless you understand the ins and outs of how to get your company listed in the Search Engine Local Listings, you are bleeding business. In fact, your chances of gaining new business from people in your community who don’t already know about you are declining rapidly.
Consider this. Is your decrease in new business due to the economy or due to the fact that you are not showing up in the search engine Local Listings? OK, probably a little of both. But at least you can make a difference with one of those two factors fairly easily – for a lot less money than you are used to spending on Yellow Page listings!
Still not sure what we’re talking about?
Here’s an example. When I search on Italian Restaurants in Orlando FL (imagine how many locals AND tourists are doing that exact search), here are my search results.
If you notice, the first seven (7) listings on the first page are next to a map with push pins of where they are located in the city. What you can’t see with this image because it is so small is the opportunity to go to their website for more information and/or to read reviews about the restaurant. When you click on the reviews, you have the opportunity to read not only what patrons are saying about the restaurant, but you can also read more about the restaurant, view images, etc. The result is extremely powerful! So much more information than you could ever get from a Yellow Page advertisement – for SO MUCH LESS!
