For years, no decades the de facto advertising standard for small business was the Yellow Pages. If you weren't listed then how would anyone find you? While the Yellow Pages still maintains a huge directory of listings you should ask yourself if anyone is really looking at it anymore.
As far back as 2005 the trend starting moving away from printed directories to online search. This trend has not only continued but has in 3 short years become the new standard for people looking for local goods and services.
So how can your business take advantage of this new marketing trend? Your probably thinking that you need a website or that you have one and this should be good enough? Well, in both cases you would be wrong. Simply having a website doesn't mean your customers can find you, and not having one at all doesn't mean that you cant have visibility online.
If you have a website then its time to take advantage of highly targeted online marketing services that will allow you business to reach only the customers you cater too and for your business to show up on local directory searches online. Your website gives you a key advantage because you have the ability to expand into other online marketing services as your business grows. Local online marketing for you is more important than ever. Lets face it, if your not online, chances are your competitors are and your losing business to them.
With well over 110 million people are searching every month for local goods and services. Do you have a website? No, well that's still no excuse for people not to find you. With advances in local internet marketing business's can still be listed online, offer online coupons, get reviewed and provide business information without a website. So if you have been holding off its time your really take a second look at your business and make the decision to take it to the next level.
Heres some information to take away from this post.
- Over 40% of people now go online to search for local goods and services
- 64% of people who search online for local goods and services end up purchasing offline. This means they call or come in to your store.
- 110+ Million people a month are performing local searches and that number is growing fast.
So where is the Yellow pages in all of this. Nowhere really. The truth is the Yellow pages is becoming less relevant as time goes on and while they are trying very hard to build their online business model I recommend you do a price comparison of what they charge for "Online Marketing Services" and what Softline charges for the same service. You wont believe the price difference!
In todays economy you can afford to lose any sales to the competition and using local online marketing services is the key edge you need to build your business. Affordable, Effective, and Highly Effecient.
