Local Searches: Fantastic, but Just a Start

The most frequently used way to find local suppliers today is the internet. The reign of the great yellow book (at least on paper) has passed. Due to the extension of the internet from desktops to laptops to portable devices to cell phones, the net is now at everyone’s fingertips almost all the time. And the net is now where people go when they want to go out for pizza, or out shopping for widgets.

The response rate of users of local searches is tremendous, because we’re not talking here about people who are inspired by an unsolicited email to go buy a new widget. Rather, this group is actively searching for providers of goods and services because they’re interested in buying those goods and services immediately. How do you tap in?

Get Present

Since we’re talking about people who search for local businesses, then all you need to do is work with those local search engines, right? Wrong. Customers will get a list of businesses from such a search. Name recognition will count for a lot to that customer in choosing from the list, so it’s important that the customer has already seen you around.

You can easily connect with local customers by being a presence on the “local” net. Find the websites that are serving your local area, and get on them: comment (meaningfully) on local blogs, be a guest blogger on a local website, be a supporter of groups that are active locally, contribute to local papers, etc. Neighborhood festivals are your best friend: Be an active supporter and get your name posted. Your known name is then more likely to jump out at the customer when he or she runs a local search.

Include Your Number

More than three-fourths of customers who use a local search end up calling or visiting at least one of the businesses listed. Make your number readily available to increase the odds that customers looking for information will turn to you.

Work Together

When local businesses team up, they each benefit from exposure that the other gets. A local restaurant might team up with the local theater to offer a “night out” package. Partnering with charities is also a great way to increase exposure while accomplishing a range of other goals as well, including improving the neighborhood in which your business operates and thus improving business and life over the long term.

What to Do

Absolutely do the SEO work required to get listed in local searches. Work with the local business listing groups that serve your area—foster customer submissions of your business to such listings. It is important to show up in local searches because these are the most productive searches, in terms of conversion, on the internet.

And then do the real work: Don’t just show up, stand out. You’ll stand out by being a known name on a list of local suppliers. A most effective strategy for getting known in the local community is to become an active part of your local community.

For both the SEO and local work needed to get your name listed and known, Visual Artistics is available with advice and services to keep you on the right track. Contact us today.