Small Business Marketing In Your Local Area

By Author: Mel Joelle
Total Articles: 4328
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Small Businesses have great opportunities to market their business by shifting their focus AWAY from traditional, poor return, tactics TOWARDS high return, highly trackable online Local Internet Market Strategies.

Website Development

If you have a website, that's great. Most do. However, your website is more than an electronic business card or an online brochure; at least it should be. Unless you are found easily on Google, you only have an online brochure because the only ones who will read your brochure are those who already have your address. So, what can you do to change this?

It all starts and ends with CONTENT; you need to write and write weekly, at least monthly. These articles or postings need to be relevant to your business, your target audience, to your products and services. You need to update your website with this content. You need to update the sitemap of the website so that Google, et al properly indexes your content. How can Google rate you higher than your competition unless you give Google reason to rate your website higher? Providing a steady stream of content and indexing that ...
... content with the search engines is precisely what you need to do. Check out these examples of the kinds of things you can write about:

* Accountants - write articles about the proposed tax changes, federally and locally. Since this is a source of continuing debate, this is a source of continuing content.
* Doctors - articles about all facets of health care. Ophthalmologists may write about new findings about macular degeneration, glaucoma, or lacik surgery; podiatrists about proper foot care, toenail fungus and proper foot support; GPs and Internists about preventative care and new findings and trends.
* Lawyers - limitless subjects and specialties. There is so much going on in Washington and each state. How does that affect the individual?
* Restaurants - new menus, new trends in healthy eating or cuisines. Recipes.
* Realtors - obviously trends in real estate, new developments, listings and so much more.
* Fabricators - show your finished product and link with associated contractors
* Beauty Salons - new trends in hair styling. Talk about a recent class you attended and new techniques in styling, coloring, finishing, skin care, makeup and cosmetics.

AND if you really want to get serious, powerful and dominant, partner with an Internet Marketing Company that understands the importance of content to SYNDICATE your content. Besides the obvious increased readership online, this syndication process and strategy creates BACKLINKS, the most powerful force in convincing Google et al of your website relevance.

LOCAL DIRECTORIES

Very few still use the Yellow Pages. But many still use the following online versions:

yellowpages.com
whitepages.com
yellowbook.com
superpages.com

There are many more. While most will use the major search engines, these local directories are used as well. Target your entire local market!

SOCIAL MEDIA

This is the new wave of online marketing and still in its infancy get involved in the conversation. Setup an account with Facebook, Twitter and LinkedIn. These are great places to connect with others and actually participate in relevant conversation. You have to be patient and consistent. You have to be genuinely interested in giving and participating to reap the benefits. Be there!

Look for locally-based blogs and interact with them. Comment on the blogs. If possible contribute directly to the blog with your own content or with links to your blog. If you don't have blog, create one it's just another prime delivery system for great relevant content for the Google Spiders

LOCAL ONLINE MEDIA

Get links to your site from the local newspapers and organizations.

MONTHLY EMAIL NEWSLETTER TO EXISTING CLIENTS

Keep your name in front of your clients, former clients and potential new clients by providing an monthly newsletter containing latest news, developments et al about your business. Archive the newsletters on your website; again, more content for the Google Spiders.

These ideas should be helpful. You can do a great deal of this yourself if you are on a tight budget. However, contact us if you need assistance as this is what we do. Optimum7 is an Internet Marketing Company with special emphasis in SEO (Search Engine Optimization), Paid Search, Social Media, Content Management and Website Development. Simply contact us if you need assistance.
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