Think Local for Success in 2011!

Like most small business owners you created a website on the world-wide web to get new customers. You were excited and proud about the efforts and the dollars you put into your new website.

That excitement is gone. Over the years, you have done little to the site because it has done little for your business. You found that being on page 205 of the search engines, produced no results for your business. You realized there is no way you can ever make it on page one to get the attention of potential customers. Bottom line, internet marketing has been a wasted effort for your business.

Don’t give up, there is an internet marketing alternative. Think locally with local search marketing. In this post, I will share ideas and reasons why thinking locally can actually produce more customers for your business in 2011. Enjoy and prosper.

Why Thinking Locally Will Produce Internet Results

Thinking world-wide web did not produce the new customers you were promised. Why will thinking locally change the results?

Buying Preferences

The most fundamental reason thinking locally will produce results is because customers have changed. They are now thinking locally. One out of every five internet searches looks for a local business, a local product or service. That’s a significant change from the past.

As more people use the internet to assist their shopping, they use it like they did the former yellow page books. They look for a local business that can help solve their problem. Given a level playing field, they would rather buy locally then deal with strangers in a foreign country because it’s safer and easier. Getting your local business to come up for a prospective customer’s local searches is critical for your business success.

Search Engine Changes

When customers change, search engines change. Increasingly, the search engines are creating ways for local shoppers to more easily find businesses in their towns and communities. Search engines like Google are now catering to local searches. They are putting local searches above organic searches. With their algorisms, search engines present local business sites even when the searcher has not typed in a geographic reference. This is a significant shift for search engines.

Less Competition

Your competition has just shrunk. Instead of competing against thousands of other websites on the world wide web, with local search marketing, you can now compete against just local businesses. Do you think this will improve your odds of getting more customers from the internet?

Mobile Marketing

These reasons plus the fact that 30% of today’s searches are using mobile marketing (I will deal with this in a future post). If surfers and mobile phone shoppers can’t find your business on local searches, you don’t exist. Mobile marketing is the future of internet marketing.

Think Locally Not Universally

The first step in this process is to adjust your thinking. You thought universally when you created your first website to get customers from the world-wide web. In those early days, you were willing to take “anyone” as a new customer to your website. Your site was designed to appeal the widest variety of potential customers. Start thinking locally!

Area You Serve

What local area do you serve with your business? How do people identify this area? Do they use Zip codes or other ways of identifying their areas? Do they use local terms like “The Westside” or “South of the River”?

Who Are Your customers

Your web content will be different if you sell to blue collar workers verses customers with college degrees. What are their incomes? Where do they spend their money? What is the personality of your local community? Does your web content reflect your local community?

Bryant the national furnace company tells its dealers use the term “Comfort Systems” instead of heating and cooling systems. Comfort systems may sell in California. Here is Minnesota, “Comfort Systems” has nothing to do with heating and cooling systems. Heating and cooling systems are common words for Minnesotans.

Every locality has its own way of talking about a business and products? Do they call it “pop” or do they call it “soda”? Which business terms are most common for the geographical area that you serve? From Steven Pierce: different age groups looking for sneakers–for ages 10-18, they are looking for “cool sneaker”; ages 18-39 “sneakers, unique limited edition”; ages 39-59, “sneakers”; ages over 59, “a good pair of sneakers”.

Many suggest “to go green”. Saving energy is a high priority. The local furnace business says that being green is the only the third reason for new purchases. It lags behind being comfortable and saving money. If you want to attract local customers which motivation would you promote?

Part of the Community

Instead of thinking globally, think locally about your own community. This is your market. You don’t need special training to understand your market. You are part of it. You understand the personality of the local community. You understand its language. You understand its buying preferences.

Being part of a local community is a lot more exciting than being part of a vanilla favored global community. It feels more real. Your business is part of something real. It’s more fun and it’s more profitable.

Conclusion Local Search Marketing

The key to successfully local search marketing is to match your local population preferences—a population you understand from having a local business. You will find this effort more useful and a great deal more profitable and fun. You have a good understanding of your local community. It offers far less competition than the world-wide web.

In the next post, I will show you specific things you can change about your current website to make it more local friend to put you on the same page as today’s internet customers.