Think Local, Go Global For Internet Marketing

Phone Books are a Dying Medium. A recent study by the Kelsey Group found that more than 90% of people looking to buy products or services from a local business start their search on the internet. Surprised the number's so high? Think about it...

·People usually look during business hours-would you traipse around the office to find a phone book, or use the computer sitting right in front of you?

·Websites and even online directory listings often provide more key information than a phone book ad-such as business hours, brands carried, services performed, location, and even price information. So you don't have to make a ton of calls or drive all over to find what you want.

·Some shoppers (including me!) would never call a service firm without checking ratings sites like Angie's List or at least checking the firm's website to make sure they look legit. And it's just smart shopping to check ratings and compare prices online when we've got a purchase to make.

Google loves local. In fact, local internet marketing can be a search engine magnet. Of course, traffic from local searches means higher Google rankings overall-which in turn brings in more of all types of traffic.

·The "Google Maps 10 Pack" of companies is usually the top item under the paid listings on the results page when you search for a business. Ten businesses with one line listings are shown plotted on a map, but each one links back to more information in the Google local business directory.

·The computer's IP address tells Google where each searcher is located, so the first results below the Maps 10 Pack are businesses that include local references in their keywords.

·A number of other local business directories exist, all of which provide links back to your website, further boosting your traffic and overall ranking with the search engines.

Local can be less expensive. Just as it's cheaper to advertise in local rather than national publications, adding geographic modifiers to your pay-per-click search terms can greatly reduce the price you're paying for each click. For example, "financial planner Raleigh" will cost much less than "financial planner" because there's obviously much less competition for the local phrase.

Local doesn't have to mean YOUR locale. If you do a lot of business in other cities-or research shows they're good markets for you-you can also include local references for those areas in your keywords or pay-per-click advertising. This allows you to target key geographic markets for much less than the cost of a national pay-per-click campaign.

The good thing about these tactics is that many are free or low-cost and easy to implement. In fact, aside from pay-per-click advertising, the others are set up once and then you're done.

Tracy Needham, founder of Compelling Communications, LLC, helps small business owners boost their business through compelling copy and marketing strategies that make the most of their time and money. Sign up for her FREE Special Report: The One Press Release You Can Write to Get Thousands of Dollars Worth of Free Publicity at www.compellingezine.com.