Things Change
While you may have a solid customer base now, your loyal customers will not stay with you forever. People move. Their health conditions change the way they eat, exercise and dress. They gain or lose interest in hobbies. When people’s living habits change, their buying habits change. You need new customers to increase revenue or make up for customers who leave.

Visibility
Do people know you exist? Simply put, if someone doesn’t know about your business, they are not going to use it. If you do not have a website on the Internet, they cannot find it when they are searching for your specialty on a local level. You need to stand out. When people looking for the goods and services you provide can find you on the Internet, they become potential customers. Local search marketing works, and it starts with having a website.

Competition
If your competitors have a local online presence, they are probably attracting new business away from you. To stay in the game, you need to ramp up your visibility with local search engine marketing. It starts with having a home page.

Answers
One advantage to using Internet is having information at your fingertips. Your potential customers may know in their minds that your business is there. That is not enough. If you sell things, they may want to know if you carry what they are trying to find. If you are in the restaurant business, they might want to look at your menu. Don’t make them wait until you are open to find out the answers to their questions.

Information
A website for local businesses does not have to be fancy, it just needs to give basic local marketing information for your business. People want to know your hours of operation, what services you provide, what forms of payment you take and where you are located. Provide a phone number or email address for further contact.

If you are interested in having a website built for your local business or you are ready for a redesign of the website you already have, contact Atlantic SEO today. We can help.

It is common for a national company have a main website that is focused on the goods and services that all branches offer. It might be helpful for your potential clients to see exactly what is offered at which location. One way to do that is with a  store locator tool. This allows potential customers to search for the location nearest them. Once they have found it, a list of available in-store features or a location-specific menu will help them find what they are seeking. This page should be geared toward local marketing. If the customer is looking for something specific, they should be able to find out if and where it exists.

Another option is the zip code search. Through local search engine optimization (SEO), each store can be featured by keyword in a local search with the zip codes they serve. For delivery or service calls, this information is critical. Appliance repair, exterminators, dry cleaners and pizza delivery all rely on local searches to bring in added foot traffic or generate service calls. Zip codes in targeted local search engine marketing efforts through organic (free) listings or paid local search ads to gain attention of people searching  for your goods and services near them. If they can’t find you or one of your nearby locations, they will go elsewhere.

When potential local customers reach your website, they are likely looking for specific information, such as hours of operation and services available. Your name, address and telephone number should be up-to-date and easy to find on your website. If you have an email address that is regularly monitored, include it. Make it easy on your customers to find the basics of what you offer. If you run a local restaurant, for example, include a menu with prices and descriptions. If you own a law practice, make sure you state in what courts your attorneys are licensed to practice, whether your firm handles plaintiff or defense cases and what your specialties are.

Aside from optimizing your website, local listings on maps and business directories are another local search marketing tool that can increase visibility. Keep in mind that 25% of all information provided is incorrect. If you are listed, periodically check to see that they have the right information. If you change your hours of operation or your location, be sure to update your listings right away.

Photo by Vincent Schilling

The Atlantic SEO team spent last Wednesday at the Local Marketing Expo (LMX) in Virginia Beach, Virginia. As one of the sponsors of LMX, it was the ideal venue for us, because we specialize in local Internet marketing. There were nearly 600 attendees at the one-day conference, which featured keynote speakers and panel discussions about how business owners can find the local marketing strategy that works best for them.

Attendees had the opportunity to listen to Sam Feldman, a Google National Agency Team member; Kurt Noer, founder and CEO of Customer Magnetism; Sharon Frazier, vice president of sales for Cox Media; and, Maurice Jones, president of Pilot Media. These 4 keynote speakers emphasized the importance of local marketing strategies in their fields.

Throughout the day, there were breakout sessions featuring more than 65 panelists covering the many different types of local marketing, such as search engine, email, radio, television, magazine, newspaper, vehicle and billboard advertising. Different strategies were also featured, such as integrated and targeted marketing, customer service, business solutions for growth and how to plan and track marketing efforts.

In its first year, LMX featured more than 40 exhibitors in the Expo Hall, which was open throughout the day and gave people a chance to make new contacts, network with other entrepreneurs and exchange ideas.

If you missed us at LMX and would like more information from Atlantic SEO about improving your local Internet marketing strategies with affordable month-to-month service, contact us today.