« Stuck On Formatting. | Home | Shortcut Secret To Generate Quality Content At Lightning Speed. »
The Local Business Web Marketing Disconnect.
By Hans | April 4, 2009
It’s crazy. OVER 50% of local businesses still don’t have a website. And even fewer do ANY kind of online marketing. Only the select few are gaining a taste of the profits so readily available.
At the same time, newspapers, radio, and the yellow pages are slowly, but surely dying. Younger consumers are moving online to find information. They are proficient at uncovering every little detail they want to know — fast.
And, while television is still around, the web is quickly becoming a “second television” where loads of quality video content is found.
When I talk to local business owners, they tend to have a vague understanding that they should have a website.
The belief tends to be “Attractive website = new customers.” They think “if only I had an attractive website, I’d get new business.”
When in reality, a better equation is, “High-quality site traffic + Website that sticks and converts = new customers and increased revenue from old customers.”
After all, a pretty website doesn’t do a whole lot of good if you don’t have the right visitors viewing it AND the key ingredients that transform them into customers.
What exactly does having this entail?
Let’s walk though the process of how a local business should approach their online marketing:
Component # 1 — Traffic Generation. You can put-up a website. But, where’s the traffic coming from? Here are different traffic techniques to give you an idea of the potential:
1. Google. Just as all roads led to Rome, all traffic leads through Google. They consistently own around 60% of the search market. In addition, they have a HUGE advertising network. Through their Google AdWords advertising program, ads can be placed on sites like YouTube.com, TheFoodNetwork.com, TheNewYorkTimes.com, and thousands more sites (including local blogs).
Yahoo and MSN are important, but less so than Google.
You can get free or paid traffic through the search engines.
For local businesses, the free listings can be effortless to gain with just a little bit of effort. Your competition is virtually non-existent. Similarly, paid search advertising is likely FAR more affordable and accountable than other types of paid advertising.
2. Your email list. Here’s an example of you might use email:
You own a restaurant. On every table is a card to sign-up for your email list. In exchange, folks get a free desert with their next meal or a similar compelling offer.
You accumulate hundreds of sign-ups. Each week you send-out a newsletter. Inside you talk about the latest dishes you’ve added to the menu, special events that happened or are upcoming, and you give folks a chance to get to know you and your employees better.
Then, one day business is slow. So, you get an idea. You decide to send-out an email around 4 P.M. For the next few hours, anybody that comes-in gets a special discount on drinks. Your restaurant then fills-up as soon as work lets-out at 5.
You can apply this to any business. It’s a free way to stay in touch and build relationships with your customers.
What’s more, using an autoresponder service, you can plug-in your emails once and they’re automatically sent for you. Your email marketing can run on autopilot.
3. Social media. Just like with e-mail, you can use sites like Twitter.com and Facebook.com to stay in touch with your customers and build relationships.
4. Offline traffic generation. For instance, let’s say you ran a church. Whenever you had new folks walk-in for the first time, you can refer them to your website. On your website, you might have an “E-course” or Blog where you allow new folks to get to know you in a “low-pressure” way.
5. Reviews from local bloggers or review sites, such as Yelp.com and Maps.Google.com.
Component # 2: Creating a Website That “Sticks” and “Converts.”
Most local biz owners have a site that’s a lot like a business card. It gives basic information and then is “tossed aside.” You may get somebody to visit it once, but they’re not coming back.
Instead you can focus on:
A. Creating a site visitors want to come back to. This might be done through publishing articles, tips, or creating a community where you interact with customers.
B. Getting the sale. This might be through collecting contact information so you can follow-up with direct-mail, email, or a phone call from sales.
By creating a “sticky” site and focus on converting visitors into customers, your get more from it. You go from driving your traffic to a business card to an autopilot “profit multiplier.” Even when you’re sleeping, your web presence is making you money.
You generate more from existing clients and pull-in more of those who just getting to know you.
But, even more importantly, you’re taking advantage of changing consumer habits. You can connect with your customers and prospects on a regular basis. Those otherwise out of your reach become loyal customers.
Technorati Tags: local marketing, local search marketing, local advertising, internet marketing, local internet marketing, offline business marketing, small business marketing, offline business marketing
Topics: Marketing Lessons | No Comments »