There is a paradigm shift occurring in local business. The Internet is playing an important role in driving buyers to the store. While the majority of purchases are still made in local stores, consumers go online first before buying.
Nielsen Company confirmed this behavior through surveys done in 2009 regarding holiday buying patterns. They also found that online deal seekers tended to be women between 25 and 50 years old from a wide range of income levels.
Social media has been found to also play a critical role. The fastest growing segment on Facebook is women from 55 to 65 years old. In addition, Gen Y, comprised of daily Internet users, has passed the number of Baby Boomers. 96% of Gen Y actively use social media.
Specific to this past holiday season, Nielson found that people used social media to get gift ideas and discover the best deals. Retailers using social media were able to generate buzz about their holiday deals. Shoppers love to share their great deal online with their network.
There is another compelling reason to increase the use of Internet marketing for local business. It is far easier to track confidently results. Traditional media, like newspaper, radio and TV, is not only less targeted but is left in the dust when it comes to measurement.
The Internet relies on search terms that can be highly targeted to directly reach consumers. Due to the Internet’s technology and abundance of tools, analysis of campaigns is easy and often virtually free.
What do I do to quickly get Internet presence?
This is the right question you should be asking. The best answer is:
“Get listed on the first page of Google.”
How do you do this? You can take the time to educate yourself about Internet Marketing (IM) which, depending on your background and experience, is like getting a Master’s Degree in Business (MBA).
Some of the basic knowledge that is required includes:
- Understanding keyword (search term) research, what tools are most effective and how to accomplish it,
- How to apply keyword research so as to quickly get results in the search engines,
- What tools are most effective to quickly generate traffic into your business,
- How to maintain day-to-day search engine optimization (SEO)
Because of the nature of the Internet, it can be overwhelming to come up to speed on the tools and methods to use. As a business owner or manager, you most likely have other priorities.
There is a growing niche of marketing focused on providing local business with these services. Here are a few questions to remember in your interview with agencies:
- How quickly can I dominate the Internet for my search terms?
- How can I build trust and recognition in an organic way and without robotic techniques?
- What mixture of Internet Marketing and local, traditional media is appropriate for my specific business?
- How can I reduce my overall marketing expense while increasing prospects and customers?
For small businesses with limited resources, my recommendation is to first inform yourself about the marketing promotion mix of tools available to you. Review this website and the associated links.
Opt-in for the booklet, Integrated Marketing Magic, to get a worksheet to help you think through critical questions for your marketing plan. Don’t hesitate to call us because the call is free, and the information we are willing to share is in depth. Our goal is to help businesses not only survive but thrive.
Bottom line, you must make Internet Marketing for your local business a priority if you want to survive the coming few years. Make it a resolution to get listed on the front page of Google, and integrate your traditional marketing to make the two avenues complementary. Act now to make that happen.
