First off, what is local internet marketing? Well it means a few different things, but broadly is described as any way of connecting your business online to the local area of your physical address.
There are many benefits to speak of, but firstly you’ll find customers ordering from your site much more comfortable to spend money with you when they know you have a real address, making it far easier to build a relationship of trust.
If you do your business face to face with your customer then of course the stakes are even higher for your need for local internet marketing. And if you set up a website for this type of company and are yet to take advantage, then you’re really missing out.
If you run an Italian restaurant for example, then you’re one of many thousands. You may well be the only one in your local neighborhood though. This means that any one local searching for Italian food online, could be being automatically directed to you.
With the addition of just a few extras you could be taking advantage of your local commerce like this.
Firstly your site needs a map to direct potential visitors, that’s essential! You can choose from more or less sophisticated map options, but the basics are really cheap.
Next, take advantage of free local services. There are a host of services like yelp, or TripAdvisor that might be relevant to your business, and these are all great ways of building reputation, and putting your name out there.
You might also be able to post business information on your city / borough / town website, or similar forums.
Finally make your social campaign relevant to your local area, add plenty of local businesses, including any suppliers or other external stakeholders.
It might seem a pain at first, but when you see the results you will yield by targeting your local area with your online presence, you’ll never look back.
