Create a magnet for your
IDEAL CLIENTS
[whoever they are]
In recent years, the ability of businesses to successfully "push" a commercial message via newspapers, cable TV, and printed directories has rapidly faded. Both consumers and business buyers have taken control, and are using the Web as their primary tool to guide their own buying decisions on an as-needed basis. In fact . . .
“ 60% of all local business searches now happen online (33% happen in print yellow pages) and 82% of the people using local search sites follow up their research with offline action. ” TMP / ComScore (2007)
That was 2007. The online share of local business searches is now close to 70%.
A local search is a simply a online search combining a business type and often, a location, for example: "ford dealer chicago" or "los angeles architects". But search engines already know a user's approximate location and now deliver local results using only the business type. For example, a Google search for "veterinarian" provides a list of local veterinarians, complete with a map of office locations, and patient reviews. The other big search engines, Yahoo and Bing, function the same way.
Here's the remarkable thing about Local Search Marketing. It turns the traditional business-driven advertising model upside-down, relying instead on FREE consumer-driven reviews and ratings to promote your business in a natural way.
In fact, you cannot buy inclusion in local search result list— your business will only appear if it meets a spectrum of criteria — and we know all the tricks to make that happen.
Local search has gone mainstream and has revolutionized the way clients make purchasing decisions. It's now the de facto method to find out about YOUR business, regardless if your client is in their office, their home, or mobile.
With smart phone sales in the neighborhood of 200+ million units per year there is no question that mobile use will explode local search activity in 2010 and beyond. The installed base of smart phones worldwide will overtake all personal computers by 2013, according to Gartner.
The oldest communication channel in the world — word of mouth — has been supercharged by the Internet, rendering much traditional business-driven marketing irrelevant.
The network has empowered the world to the point that to a large extent, client's now own your business message, image, and reputation. Every hour, their feelings are expressed and circulated in reviews, blog posts, directory comments, email blasts, tweets, and every other form of viral communication. That makes some businesses uncomfortable. Our advice is: don't fight it, embrace it — just ride the wave and prosper.
Online reviews are the keystones of local search because they pass the trust and confidence of your past clients to your new clients. This MASSIVE TREND is already exerting a powerful influence.
Here's a great example of successful local search campaign that rides the wave of superior positioning and positive reviews:
In this case, we'll use "chiropractor, los angeles". Talk about a competitive market!
Let's focus on "Dr. Mike" (ADIO Chiropractic). As this USA Today article explains, 80% of Dr. Mike's new business comes from local search. How? Out of the thousands of chiropractors in the LA area, he's solidly positioned in the top seven results. And look how many reviews he has compared to everyone else. 79!
This is smart, low-cost, highly-effective promotion; his own clients have become his ultimate marketing team. Remember, you cannot buy your way into the "magic 7" spots on this list; the only way to show up is to use proper strategy and tactics.
Small companies can leverage this effect to differentiate themselves and level the playing field with much larger or more entrenched competitors.
Good reviews lead directly to more traffic for your business . . . even if you don't yet have a web site. (But for other marketing reasons, your business really should have its own domain and optimized site).
You might be wondering why reviewers bother to post their thoughts. Well, generally, they want to . . .
Are you concerned about getting negative reviews? Don't be. 87% of reviews are generally positive in tone. But even tepid or negative reviews should be welcomed as feedback to improve your operations.
The occasional negative review is NOT a major factor in your search engine positioning, and it won't damage your business if you handle it correctly (your Free Bonus #1 explains how).
It's far more important to (1) make sure your clients are happy, (2) put a proactive client-driven marketing program in place that generates a TORRENT of great reviews! Our Local Search Marketing package is low-cost, high-value, and VERY effective.
Let's say I'm the potential client living in San Francisco. It's Spring and my allergies are driving me crazy. I go to google.com and enter "allergist".
I've already committed to spending some money to solve my problem. Chances are, since I'm using local search, I'm a buyer, not just a passive shopper. I'm also busy — I want to find a good allergist without wasting time.
Sure, I might take a friend's personal recommendation into account, but I also know that my friend couldn't possibly be familiar with all the allergists around, and having more than one opinion would be great, so I do what 70% of consumers do: I search.
This is what I see on Google. (Yahoo and Bing return similar results).
Next step: I scan through businesses A - G (next to the map) — these are the top-7 allergists according to Google. There may be 85 other allergists in town. Why should I care? This list looks plausible, has reviews for me to consider, so I'll stop right here.
I want a good experience, and I don't want to waste my time or money, so I rely on the ratings and recommendations of former clients. I also want to read details about the doctors credentials on their web site. So I narrow-down the top-7, ignoring any businesses that don't have reviews or that don't have web sites.
Businesses A, D, E, & G either don't have web sites or they don't have reviews; they are out! Business F does not seem to be an allergist, so I skip them too. That leaves B and C, Advanced Allergy Solutions and Chinese Medicine Works.
When I click on Chinese Medicine Works, their reviews are solid, and if I was really looking for an herbal approach, I would go there. But in this case, I want a more mainstream solution, so I look at Advanced Allergy's reviews and site. Nearly everyone says it's great, and the site looks inviting and professional. I pick up the phone and make an appointment.
End of story! Advanced Allergy is both visible and reputable; that's all I need to make a choice.
For virtually all service businesses and professional practices, local search return on investment (ROI) is way over the top. Often, the lifetime value of even ONE new patient or client will pay for your entire local search program. Free Local Search results are the best deal on the planet to generate a stream of highly-qualified local clients.
Get started now for only $97.00 per month per city. (you may purchase additional subscriptions for each city in which you have a physical address)
What most local businesses need is a continuous stream of ideal clients (however you refer to them: buyers, customers, patients, members, etc). For many businesses, the best way to achieve that is to first put a local search program in place, then follow-up with a high-converting web site, then an email or social media campaign as cash flow allows.
There is NO downside to creating a system that automatically brings ideal clients to your business.
Here are the facts:
You have a business to run and probably have no extra time to spend on this increasingly sophisticated Internet marketing stuff. But please do not underestimate the impact of online visibility, social media, and consumer reviews of your business. Let us help you get the best possible results. There are no contracts and you may cancel at any time. But remember, marketing is an ongoing process, not a one-time project. We ask that you commit to an continuous subscription for best results.
Our advice: Phase-out exorbitant phone directory and newspaper ads. Trim your TV and radio budget. Go where your clients are proactively making decisions exactly at the time they need your service — online!
Get started now for only $97.00 per month per city. (you may purchase additional subscriptions for each city in which you have a physical address)
Notes:
Order a Local Search Marketing Package to start attracting ideal local clients within 30 days, or a Marketing Roadmap to guide your entire online initiative. Not sure what action to take? Consider an On-Demand Marketing session.
Marketing in the Digital Age
Services Online Marketing
Policies Updated: June 19, 2009 |