Ways to Market Your Local Business Online: Elapages

Did you know 99% of people use PCs or Laptops to search for local businesses? About 75% of mobile phone users and 90% of tablet users also look online for local businesses. On top of that, the portion of the population that refers to phonebooks and mailers for business information declines every year. Look your business up online – what do you find? If you only see competitors, wrong information, or no information than you are missing out. Any modern business’s marketing strategy must account for the internet, whether in a small town or large metro. Read on to learn 10 of the most important methods you should include in your local business marketing plan.

 

1. Build a Simple Website

It’s an unavoidable truth – most consumers now expect businesses to have websites. After phone number, address, and hours, a website is the 4th most expected feature consumers want when searching for a business. In fact, a website may make the difference between getting new traffic in the door and losing it to competition. Luckily for business owners, building a website can be fairly simple. Most hosting providers that sell/host domains offer user friendly frameworks in the form of pre-built templates or simple platforms like WordPress. If you aren’t tech savvy and can’t afford professional design firms, try working out deals with design students or local freelancers.

 

2. Be Active on Social Media

Social media continues to impact the way people communicate with each other, and also with businesses. A recent comScore study revealed 15% of people used social networks to search for local businesses in 2011, with the majority of traffic on Facebook and Twitter. About 2/3 say they are more likely to use a local business that has their info on a social networking site. Furthermore, users of social networks are nearly twice as likely to use and submit local business reviews.

 

3. Get on Local Review Sites

SearchEngineLand’s Local Consumer Review Survey (2012) found that of those surveyed, 72% trust online reviews like personal recommendations and 52% say positive reviews make them more likely to use a business. In total, ¾ of people said they use online reviews to make local business decisions. Thus, if shoppers cannot find reviews for your business, you could be missing out. Some of the most popular places people look for reviews includes Google Places, Yahoo Local, Yelp, AngiesList, MerchantCircle, Insider Pages, Urbanspoon (restaurants), Elapages and TripAdvisor (travel). Make sure your business is listed with correct information and invite customers to review their experiences. It is also a good idea to monitor reviews and proactively respond to any unsavory ones to build trust.

 

4. Use Local Business Listings

With so many ways to find businesses digitally, it is hard to tell exactly where potential customers might be looking. Using a comprehensive local business listings service can be an effective and convenient way to get placed on major directories and information channels. To maximize exposure, make sure the listings will cover major search engines, online yellow pages, business directories, local specific directories, GPS databases, mobile providers, and 411 databases.

 

5. Distribute Coupons

Coupons are great way to get new and existing customers in the door. Local businesses can advertise coupons through their existing channels. On your home website, make a page for sales and specials where you can feature promotions and coupons. On social networks, you can tweet coupons or set up a Facebook like campaign and reward customers with coupons. Claimed Google Places profiles and other business listings also let retailers list coupons, and many local community forums will also allow coupons to be posted.

 

6. Use Local Community Websites

Nearly every community big and small features various local websites for community news, forum discussions, or local networking. Seek out these websites by doing search engine research or talking to other business owners and customers. Some may require small fees for to list your business though many allow free classifieds and discussions. The focus shouldn’t be spam but active participation and connections. When community members feel you are involved and invested in the local area, you begin to build trust and lasting customer relationships.

 

7. Try Local Deal Sites

Local deal sites continue to grow in popularity, and typically feature steep discounts in exchange for exposure. Group deals can be a great way to boost business during off times or just meet new clients, but be cautious of over-reliance on this marketing method so as not to undercut your value. Valu-Pass.com, Groupon and LivingSocial are most well known. Shop around and see what is popular in your area/target demographic and determine exactly what type of discount your bottom-line can handle.

 

Elapages.com is one of the fastest growing free business directories in the US for both small and large companies who wish to make themselves found online. The best thing about Elapages.com is how easy it is to use, and how fast you can search for, and find, exactly what you are looking for. Whatever business you own, Elapages Business Listing has a space for you in our online business directory.

Don’t wait for the competition. Claim your listing today http://elapages.com/