Lead Generation

Local internet marketing concentrates on targeting customers in a specific area. When considering a marketing strategy, it may be tempting to cast a wide net to drive business from all over. In the world of online business, it is important to look to your local area for marketing before you look outside. The important thing to do first is build a positive reputation in your local area first.

Local marketing allows a business owner to be found in specific geographical location. Targeting a local area helps a business get their name out to their neighbors, friends and those who may not even know they exist. Before, local marketing campaigns were very different. Businesses would take out ads in the local paper, put inserts in local magazines, mail out thousands of fliers and even employ a cold calling strategy to try and bring in business to them. These strategies are still used today and can be costly.

With the internet age comes a new frontier in marketing. Now, when someone is looking for a specific service, let’s say roofing, all they need to do is enter a search for local roofers in a specific area and there they are. It can be quick and easy to find any business no matter how small.

With that being said, it is important, as a business owner, to know exactly how to launch a successful local marketing strategy for the internet. Optimization is key to local marketing. Having the right content on your website, knowing the right keywords to use to bring your company to the front of the class and making sure you have the right online advertising campaigns running can do more to drive business to you than word of mouth, newspapers or mailers.

Why is local marketing important to you?

Being a small business owner in your local area with a physical store, local marketing is an excellent way to get your name out in your community. Looking at the successful small businesses in your area, more than likely they have employed a local marketing strategy driving business through their doors. The right local marketing strategy can elevate a small business above their competition. The strategy includes having a strong online presence. The right website can work wonders for any small business. Local internet marketing allows you to maximize the resources you have available to you. This can attract the attention of the customers in your local area yielding higher results than the previous methods.

Local internet marketing is specifically targeted for your area. It is easy for a small business to be discouraged especially with the larger corporations out there. By focusing on local internet marketing, you can compete with the larger companies. Additionally, working within your local area allows you to generate a personal relationship with your customer base. This could lead to a long term relationship with your customers.

How do I create a successful local marketing campaign?

Creating a webpage for your business is the first step, but there’s more that goes into it than just a website. SEO (search engine optimization) and local marketing (a targeted campaign for your local area) can elevate your business to the top of the list.

Using the proper local SEO strategy allows your business to be recognized by Google as a high ranking business in your local area. Google is changing all the time, and one of the recent changes made was the search results and how they are generated. Because most people searching for a business are using a smartphone, Google has adapted the search results for the location the searcher is in. If you have done a Google search recently (I’m sure you have) you probably noticed the map at the top of the page. Google is using GPS and other geographical data to show the most relevant results based on where you are.

Knowing how Google matches searches to a geographical area is only the first step. Google also looks at the content for each website in the search result for the keywords being searched. This is part of search engine optimization, but Google is also looking for the local indicators as well. For example, you live in Fort Worth TX. You need a dog groomer. You put in your search, “Dog groomer, Fort Worth TX.” Google will “crawl” the internet to find the businesses most closely matching the search criteria. The websites with the most mentions of “Dog groomer” “Fort Worth” and “TX” are going to make it to the top of the page and get the most business. This is local SEO and local marketing.

I know all this sounds really confusing. Getting everything just right, and making sure your set up for all your local internet marketing needs can take a lot of time. The professionals at Whitson Digital Media are here to help. Contact us today to discuss your local internet marketing needs today.