Local Online Marketing to Increase Enquiries
Courtesy of Benson Kua via Flikr
Marketing and Sales. They go together like, well, sand and jam for most small businesses.
At the Amersham Refer-On meeting last week we discussed how most business creators are technicians who’ve carved a bread and butter career with great skill, but find the sandwiching together of all of the elements of a successful business a serious challenge.
Suppose you want a slice of internet marketing. Well, it’s a big deli bar, an overwhelming choice of specialities from far and wide that promise to make you fat and content.
Of course, by the time you’ve taken a taste of everything continental you’ve lost your appetite, and your lunch money.
Googles Eyes
Look around and you’ll see that in the last three years there has been a huge shift in how people think and behave when looking for services. Now that everyone has a computer in their pocket to shrink the web and go anywhere, they choose to go just around the corner.
Over 20% of all Google searches are localised, i.e. they have a postcode, town or other local intent. Think of mobile search and that percentage rises to at least a third. Smartphones like iPhone, Android and Blackberry devices are outselling regular mobiles, and the numbers of mobiles selling are at least three times the number of PCs.
Google has been quietly altering the way they return results to match our desire for local information so in all searches, location is factored. For the bulk of Refer-On businesses, even in B2B sales, this is a big deal. Why? Because Google want to provide accessible results to searchers. Which means they will prefer local results, there’s no immunity from community.
Small businesses find the bulk of their income comes from local customers, and when businesses network, it’s usually at groups in their local vicinity. The truth is, most business, even global business, happens locally.
PlaceMe! reports let you know where you are and then we do something about it, because we’re interested in driving enquiries, and lifting you in the listings is just one little bit of the puzzle.
Local Markets
Here’s some other tasty morsels to stick in your sandwich:
- Mobile searches quadrupled in 2011.
- 79% of smartphone users use their phones to help with shopping.
- 71% of smartphone users who see TV, press or online ads search for more info.
- After looking up a local business on a smartphone, 61% of users call, 59% visit.
You know this. Look at your own family, friends and colleagues checking prices online to buy at the best price locally, or window shopping at the weekend to later buy online with free delivery, and we all know people who are online all the time, but never on their computer.
When a local search is done, the searcher is close to buying.
When a mobile search is done, the searcher is ready to buy.
People don’t behave like this all weekend, then start using Yellow Pages, Newspapers, etc., when they get to the office. They look for business services they need in the same way, with the same expectations. Now all businesses need local presence, just to be found, because Google is going to prefer those that do.
What’s in your lunchbox?
Of course, we’re now back at the deli bar, with not a lot of money, and my suggestion is whatever you do, make local internet marketing the thickest slice. You see, you haven’t much time before everyone realises buyers love local, and that maybe they should be paying attention to their (your) local market.
As Amersham Hub Manager for Refer-On I’ve given many presentations on tips and techniques for small businesses to improve the way they work and think, including how local really is where one’s head and heart should be.
But as a business coach, I also know it is really hard to follow up and follow through on advice. So for this one, critical part of a small business’ business a new service Place Me! has been developed that works on an exclusive basis, taking one type of business in one location and promoting them ahead of their competition. It’s a monthly service, to get the phone ringing with more local enquiries. If you’re not seen now in your local market, you’ll need to displace those that are.
A lunchtime offer for Refer-On members
Place Me! concentrates on increasing business enquiries from your local market. It should be obvious from this post that those enquiries are likely to be of quality, so we’ve added three benefits for Refer-On members and partner network members:
- First refusal. I’d rather members’ businesses be inside Place Me! than trying to compete from the outside.
- Set-Up discount. To make first refusal viable for smaller members, we’re discounting the set-up cost by over 50%.
- Competitive Report. We’ll build a report for you that confirms who your competition is, so you can decide what to do.
If you’d like more information about Place Me!, what it is, how it works, and how it can put the jam back in your sandwich, please just add your details. Then while you decide if you want to take advantage, we will have locked out your sector and location for you.
Philip Stanley
minutecoach.com
Amersham Hub Manager
New Year Gift Offer from Living Streams to all Refer-On Members
Filed under: Business Networking, Member Offers, Members News
When corporates want to test the layout of their webpages, they set up labs with volunteers and measure eye movement – called ‘eye tracking’. But for smaller companies, this is far too expensive. A good more cost effective alternative are heatmaps synthesised from a mass of eye-tracking lab results and one of the best of these is Feng Gui. To see what heatmaps are please visit this example (opens new window / tab).
I have bought 20 credits with Feng Gui and offer Refer-On members a set of reports for any page on their website: The home page or main landing page (maybe the same thing) would be a good choice. This offer is strictly on a first come first served basis and closes at 23 March if the credits are not all used before then. Two Refer-On members who have already taken advantage of my offer are Graham Penson and Helen Isacke – please contact them if you are in any doubt of the usefulness of these heatmaps.
This offer is going to be opened up to the 2,000 companies on my eNewsletter mailing list very shortly, so a quick response is recommended.
Why am I being so magnanimous? There must be a catch! You won’t find one because there isn’t one.
I’m making the offer to celebrate the fact that Google.co.uk now considers Living Streams to be a top 10 UK ‘internet consultancy’ and one of the top 20 UK ‘internet marketing companies’ – Google search either phrase and you’ll see. In addition, it now considers Targeted WSI Web Solutions (aka WSI Thames) to be in the top 3 WSI consultancies in the UK – just Google ‘WSI’ and see.
Join us on…
