Local Internet Advertising Strategies

There have been waves on the Internet, for example, email marketing and search engine marketing.  And let us not forget the dot bombs.  The current wave is Small Local Business Internet Marketing.  Where large national companies and entrepreneurs have profited from the highly targeted technology of the Internet, now it is the small, local businesses that are going to reap the benefits.

The problem in the past was the ability to geo-target.  How do you connect local customers with local businesses. That problem is being solved as we speak with a variety of solutions like local search, online yellow page directories and countless local and regional resources. 

It is estimated that local businesses spend upward to $70 billion a year on advertising.  Companies like Google, MSN and Yahoo are coming up with online marketing solutions so they can get a piece of the local advertising pie. 

Your Customers are Searching for You the Internet

Why would local businesses want to market online.  First, and foremost, their customers are going online to find local products and services.  In fact, it is estimated that over 40% of Internet searches have a local intent.  That is over 1 billion searches a month.  Small local businesses can no longer ignore the Internet if they want to stay competitive. 

In addition, there is an new generation that has grown up with the Internet.  When they want to find something they go online, they do not grab the cumbersome and antiquated yellow pages.  As this generation ages and starts having access to disposable income, they Internet is going to be their business resource of choice.

The local Internet marketing wave has already started, and it is more like a sunami.  It is estimated that $12 billion will be spent for local Internet advertising in 2008 - that is a 48% increase from last year.

If you are a local business and are not actively marketing online, yesterday is the time to start.  You need to get a viable Internet presence known as a web site.  It needs to be more than a welcome mat, it should be a customer conversion machine.

Once you’ve set up your site you need to direct to it highly targeted regional traffic.  It is easier then you think, and more cost-effective than most offline advertising. 

Stay tune for future posts where we will look at options for building your web site and marketing it to your customers.  In addition, we’ll discuss ways to maximize the lifetime value of your existing customers through email marketing.

To a Profitable Future
Fred Waters