How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet
If
you have a local business -- or serve as a consultant or web
designer for local businesses -- then I'm pretty sure you'll want
to purchase this 44-page book I published on January 26, 2005.
Question:If I own a local business that sells traditional goods and services, what good is the Internet to me?
Answer: If you live in a city of any size -- especially in an area where new people are moving in -- people are increasingly using the Internet to find local businesses. That may not be your preferred mode of research, but for many, especially younger people, the Internet is their key to knowledge -- both local and global.
In July 2004, Nielsen//NetRatings new MegaView Search service
found that 24.4% of searchers on major search engines conducted
searches that were local in scope, averaging 4.6 searches per
searcher. In September 2004, a Kelsey Group-BizRate.com study
found that more than 74% of respondents said they had conducted
local searches and confirmed that 20% of all searches among
respondents was local. Using the Internet to find local
businesses is now mainstream and can only grow in frequency.
Some of the businesses that can be helped by local Internet marketing include: chiropractor, computer retailer, travel agent, locksmith, massage therapist, insurance agent, real estate agent, mortgage broker, maid service hardware retailer, plumber, auto repair, physician, dentist, florist, limousine service, accountant, auto dealer, lawyer, restaurant, and movers, among others.
Fortunately, for a local business you don't need a huge, complex, and expensive website to be effective. You're not competing with the best of the best nationally, you just need to present yourself well to local residents and those within driving distance.
This book will explain how to use the Internet to market a local or regional business. It is not, however, designed to be a dumbed down guide for people who know nothing. I'll assume some understanding of how the Internet works (what a domain name is, etc.) and that you are willing to learn. There are many books that will explain the basics, so I won't cover all the basics here, but focus on the particular Internet marketing techniques that are effective for local businesses.
Nor will this book describe all the traditional off-line ways to market your business. You'll need to use many of these to market successfully locally -- since the Internet is just one piece (though a growing piece) of the local marketing puzzle. If you need a great book on traditional local marketing I heartily recommend Jay Conrad Levinson's Guerrilla Marketing (third edition, Houghton Mifflin, 1998).
But few books approach the Internet from a local marketing
standpoint. The book you're reading is designed to be a
brief, focused, no-hype how-to-do-it guide to marketing a local
business on the Internet. It is meant to be suggestive rather
than comprehensive, since every aspect of the Internet is
changing -- especially local Internet advertising -- so expect to
use this book as a jumping off point for the areas that interest
you.
My hope for you is that you'll learn how to do effective Internet marketing for you local business and so increase the number of new and returning customers 25% or so. How's that for a modest, but realistic goal?
Here's the Table of Contents
|
Preface |
2 | |
|
1. Marketing Your Local Business Starts with Your Website |
6 | |
| The Purpose of Your Website | 6 | |
| Writing a Website | 7 | |
| Your Home Page | 8 | |
| Photos | 8 | |
| Domain Name | 8 | |
| Maps | 8 | |
| Site Development Tools | 9 | |
|
2. Search Engine Optimization (SEO) for Local Sites |
10 | |
| Keyword Indexing | 10 | |
| How to Place Keywords in Your Webpage | 10 | |
| Fine-Tuning Your Webpages | 12 | |
| Clues to Your Location | 12 | |
| Gathering Links from Local Businesses | 12 | |
|
3. Local Portal Sites |
14 | |
| 1. Internet Yellow Pages | 15 | |
| 2. Nationally-Based City Guides | 15 | |
| 3. Newspaper-Based Guides | 16 | |
| 4. Other Locally-Based City Guides | 17 | |
| 5. Search Engine Local Portals | 17 | |
|
4. Back to the Yellow Pages for Local Business Advertising |
22 | |
|
5. Local Pay Per Click on Google and Overture |
26 | |
| A Different PPC Strategy | 27 | |
| Variable PPC Prices according to Location | 29 | |
| Yahoo! Local Match | 30 | |
| Google AdWords Geotargeting | 30 | |
| PPC Campaign Examples | 33 | |
| Pay Per Call Lead Generation | 33 | |
|
6. Display Your Local Business URL Everywhere |
35 | |
|
7. E-Mail Marketing to Existing Local Business Customers |
38 | |
| Begin a Regular E-Mail Newsletter | 38 | |
| Collecting E-mail Addresses | 39 | |
| Select an E-mail Service to Send Your E-Mail | 40 | |
| Renting Local E-Mail Lists | 41 | |
|
8. Resources for Marketing Your Local Business on the Internet |
42 | |
| Articles in the Web Marketing Info Center | 42 | |
| Ad Venues | 42 | |
| Local Business Marketing Services | 43 | |
| About the Author | 44 | |
If you've been around Internet marketing for very long, I can read your mind. You're thinking, "I know all that stuff."
As one who knows my way around Web marketing, let me humbly suggest that you don't. Yes, you'll know the basic principles. But "the devil is in the details," as they say. I spent nearly 40 hours researching local marketing and this is the fruit of my labor. I certainly learned things I didn't know, such as:
-
How to optimize your webpages to rank high in local
searches. - How Yellow Pages advertising can dovetail with local Internet marketing.
- How not to waste your money with enhanced ads -- and the exceptions!
- How to use Yahoo! Local Match ads and get a $20 bonus when you begin.
- How to get good results with Citysearch ads and when to save your money.
- What keyword buying strategy to employ with Overture and Google.
- How to take advantage of Google's geotargeting ability.
- And much more ....
If you've read my materials before, you know I don't beat around the bush. Nor do I pad my writing with fluff and hype. You'll find these 44 pages jam-packed with actionable information.
Is the Time Right for Internet marketing of Local Businesses?I think you'll be amazed at some results that ReachLocal, a company that specializes in local Internet marketing, has had with small business clients in different US cities:
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You can purchase this book either as an e-book or a printed book-- or receive the e-book as a free bonus as part of a special offer. Let me explain....
Printed format, $17.00 plus shipping. The book is printed in black and white on 8-1/2" x 11" white paper, bound with a plastic spiral binding. California residents pay 8.25% sales tax. Shipping weight 4 oz. |
BEFORE YOU ORDER, DON'T MISS THIS OFFER! --
Get this e-book at no extra charge -- plus another dozen e-books -- for only $49.95. But there's a time limit. Read on...Special — if you subscribe to Web Marketing Today Premium Edition before the end of July 2009 —
You get 14 e-books worth $252.43 for only $49.95! (If you're already a paid subscriber, login now at the top left corner of the main webpage to download your e-books). Subscribe now! Here are the books you get:
-
How to Develop a Landing Page -- completely revised and written for mid-2008 -- explains
in 89 pages how to maximize the effect of your advertising, by pointing to a specific "landing page" that leads the shopper to decide to complete the transaction. This comprehensive guide, now in its third edition, will help you raise your conversion rate and maximize profits. It sells for $29.95 on my website.
-
How
to Write an Ad that Clicks published in November 2008 explains
in 66 pages the how to write a short Internet ad that gets results.
Outlines the basics of copywriting, then gives specific instructions for
writing headlines as well as the peculiarities of writing ads for Google
AdWords text ads, banner ads, and e-mail ads. It sells for $14.99. -
Guide to Search Engine Optimization (2007 Edition) is a 97-page e-book that explains in simple terms what search engine optimization (SEO) is all about. It is not a guide for experts, nor will it make you an expert. But you'll understand how to (1) make your webpages and navigation system search engine friendly, (2) develop an effective link campaign to boost your PageRank, and (3) outsource SEO if you decide not to do it yourself. I sell this for $14.95.
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How to Promote Your Site through Article Marketing. This 25-page report gives an overview of article marketing, that is, offering your articles to be used on other sites and e-zines in exchange for a link to your site. This approach that can be pursued for no money at all. On page 16 Dr. Wilson reveals a secret SEO experts know, but most article marketers don't, a strategy that can significantly raise PageRanks on your website. Sells for $11.95 on my website.
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My 28-page Social Bookmarking and Marketing helps you get to the bottom of the social bookmarking phenomenon. Explains what social bookmarking is all about, outlines two main marketing strategies -- one that can get you in lots of trouble unless you know how to avoid the potholes -- reviews tools. Sells for $12.95 on my website.
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Report on Pay Per Click (PPC) Bid Management Software. This 52-page report is a "must read" if you're doing PPC advertising using only Google's or Yahoo's native bid management interface. Bid management software can often save you 30% to 50% of your current level of ad purchases by maintaining your desired position, optimizing prices by reducing bid gaps on a frequent basis, and showing your ads only at times when you know your products sell best -- all working on autopilot. Which program should you select? This report outlines the features you should look for, compares 16 different bid management programs, provides user feedback, and makes recommendations. $14.95.
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Research Guide to Online Niche-Finding. This 49-page book leads you through the steps necessary to discover a potentially profitable online business niche, consider the competition, and develop a unique approach that will bring traffic and revenue. We examine the 5 principles of research, examine the various formulas used to spot potential winners, consider the strengths and weaknesses of the existing research software, briefly survey 24 keyword, PPC, and niche-finding research software programs, and provide more in-depth reviews of WorldWide Brands Research Wizard, P.I.P.E. and the Online Research Guide to Picking Products that Sell. Price: $14.95.
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How to Promote Your Local Business on the Internet. This 44-page book is designed for local business owners and marketing directors, as well as professionals who serve them -- web designers and marketing consultants. While not repeating all the Internet marketing basics, it focuses on the elements that can make local business marketing a success, localized search engine optimization, Yellow Page ads, awareness of local portals, use of local PPC options and geotargeting at Google AdWords and Yahoo Local, e-mail newsletters, etc. I sell this for $13.95.
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The E-Mail Marketing Handbook (Second Edition). This 875-page e-book provides a broad look at all aspects of e-mail marketing -- publishing your own company e-mail newsletter, e-mail promotions, e-mail marketing programs, formatting the e-mail, ad tracking systems, autoresponders, getting through spam filters, RSS feeds, and obeying anti-spam laws. The book also includes four appendices with user comments and ratings of various programs, a directory of 250 e-mail marketing programs, and detailed vendor answers to 99 questions about their software. This is by far the most comprehensive book on the market, especially as a buying guide to software that could be used by small to medium businesses. I sell this for $27.00.
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The 766-page Shopping Cart Report, revised in January 2004, is the most comprehensive purchasing guide to e-commerce software ever published. It provides a basic overview of carts and my recommendations of 36 particular carts. There's a shopping guide for 12 different cart applications. I provide a directory to 225 shopping cart programs, with detailed information on 50 of the top vendors. I sell this for $34.95.
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My 135-page "Report on Affiliate Management Software 2005, looks at the basic and advance features of affiliate software, looks in detail at 48 stand-alone programs and 55 affiliate modules integrated into shopping carts. Then offers candid feedback from about 200 users and makes recommendations. I sell it for $22.95 on my website.
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My 80-page "10 Steps to E-Business on a Shoestring" helps you see how to envision an e-business, find an unfilled niche, and then develop it a low cost. I tell you where you'll need to spend some money, and where to find low-cost services that can get you started without a high investment. I sell it for $17.95 on my website.
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- Reciprocal Linking Tools, 23 pages, $8.95
- How to Optimize Your Landing Pages Scientifically, 32 pages, $11.99
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