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Local Search Marketing & What it Means to Your Small Business

Local Search Marketing is one of those topics that I don’t often write about but felt compelled to do so since I’ve been running into so many small businesses that are searching for ways to capture leads, create awareness and connect within their local communities.

In all my years of being involved in small business I’ve never seen a better time for new and existing small biz ventures to be able to reach out to their local communities through the web and local search.

For so many years all we had were the physical yellow pages and then the web came our way in 95′, but none of the directories were even tuned in yet. A matter of fact I can remember meeting with the USWest(now Qwest) folks in Seattle and they didn’t have a clue as to what was going on. Or at least they weren’t letting on if they did know.

I can also remember the first time that I heard about local search online from a business associate. This was way back in 2000 or 2001 and we had been looking and searching for ways to market to our region versus the rest of the planet.

By this time USWest and GTE(now Superpages) were charging $19.95 a month for each online listing and we needed a lot of listings because of all the product and services categories we were in.

We had tons of organic traffic and the phones and email were hot and sizzlin’, and the search engines really helped us, but locally it was still primarily traditional media and physical directories.

Enough about the past – let’s dig into the present and how you can take advantage of local search marketing for your small business.

Local search marketing is much easier now than it’s ever been before and you can develop a presence in your region or community within days and weeks versus months and years.

A big part of local search marketing is the local search directory. There are more than 30 places online to find and get access to local area businesses, so you need to know which directories are the best for local search. Do your research and you’ll quickly see who the players are including web-based directories like Yahoo! Local, Local.com, Superpages/ SuperMedia (originally operated by GTE), Yellowpages, Dex, Infospace and the list goes on and on. Also at the top of the pile is Google Maps so make sure to claim your listing there as well.

Getting Started with Local Search

To get started with local search you will want to get listed in the Universal Business Listing (UBL). This is the big daddy and they feed their listings to just about everyone else online. The annual cost is minimal and you will also receive listings with most of the other online directories.

Step Two is to go back and register with the top five online directories that are not included in the UBL. Most of the online directories are free for the basic listing so make sure to fill out all the information and provide complete descriptions whenever asked. And make sure to have a list of keywords and phrases that are targeted and directly relate to what you offer.

Step Three is to take the time and check your listings. This way you can monitor and see where you are coming up in the search engines and directories.

Lastly – if you have the capability, you might consider creating landing pages and/or dedicated URL’s for certain directories. This is a more advanced strategy and you need to make sure that you know what your doing before implementing it.

In closing – if your business revolves around and relies on the local community and region, then it is imperative that you get on the local search bandwagon now, and do what it takes to get listed in as many directories as possible along with optimizing your site for the search engines.

If you need more information about how to implement local search in your business, contact The Small Biz Mechanic.

Reality & Gut Checks

Today is one of those days that I’m going to step away from the norm and talk turkey about business and marketing online. It’s not my usual post and some might even call it a bit of a rant.

Here goes…

Do you get tired of the cheesy pitches and phony baloney
classless marketing? I know I sure do and I see this kind
of stuff all the time.

It’s the marketing that reminds of the spa or car salesperson
who will do anything to close the transaction, including
altering the truth. It’s the marketing that just makes me turn
away and shake my head.

In several of my previous posts I mentioned being real.
It’s actually my Rule #1. But being real is what seems to
be missing in many online marketers’ campaigns and websites.

It’s like they threw out the morals and scruples with the trash
and just don’t give a you know what.

Well you know what…be real. Tell your story. Tell it like it is.
Your subscribers and customers (or clients) will respect you
and you’ll sleep better at night.

Now if you happen to be reading this and your online business
doesn’t have to do anything with building a list of subscribers,
then you already know or should already know that it takes
money to make money online.

That’s Reality. You have to market, even if it’s not through ppc, banners
classifieds, and what is referred to as paid advertising.

Oh and for the crowd that is into natural organic search and content marketing…
Your time is worth something so don’t give me the line that SEO and blogging are free and you don’t pay anything for either. Because I got news for you! You are either paying someone to do it for you or you are doing it yourself and take the time to do the work.

If you consider the work that you do is free, because there’s not any cashola changing hands, then I think you need a GUT CHECK! Because your time is worth something! It’s not free!

I see the word FREE everywhere. Lots of searches for FREE this and FREE that. Get this for FREE, that for FREE, etc…

I mean – you work at a job or business offline where free is a rare commodity these days, but when it comes to online – it’s gotta be free?

The new person asks, “Where do I find free traffic, free advice, free ads
and free websites?” It’s like they’re at the Internet food bank!

Let me put it to you this way:

You are building a business online and that means you need to
work and you will need to pay the price.

That price is different for everyone, but everyone pays it.

Now the work may only be one to two hours a day part-time or it may
be more than that. Either way – you need to do the work.

So go build your business and be real, so you can stay in the land of the self-employed.

 

 

List Building – How to Connect with Subscribers – Part I

When it comes to list building you need to connect with your subscribers and clients.

This three part series is about the three rules that I employ in my business. The reason I have these rules is to keep myself accountable to you my subscriber and client.

My rules are simple and the first one is to Be Real.

Yes, Rule # 1 is to Be Real.

This is not the normal run of the mill series about attracting new subscribers, or how to convert and increase sales. This series is about how develop, cultivate and connect with the people on your list.

So let’s begin…

Some marketers I’ve run across in the last five years seem to think that connecting with the people on the other side of the computer screen is just a pain in the you know what. They hide behind their websites and avoid any kind of contact with their subscriber and client.

Recently as I was doing research for a project I came across some very well written content but the writer (marketer) chose to hide his or her identity on the article page, and even on the associated blog site.

The funny thing is that this individual seemed to be working on developing a list of subscribers, so why would he or she hide and avoid contact?

This strategy might work for certain web based businesses, say if you are in content or CPA marketing, but when it comes to building a list of subscribers, why would you make it difficult for your ‘customer’ to connect with you?

This immediately brought up a red flag and put up a barrier that lead me to be very cautious.  So this marketer lost a potential subscriber and who knows maybe I would have become a client if the products offered met one of my needs.

This brings me back to the point about my rules…

Even though we are marketing our businesses through a web-based model, it is still important to create the connection and be real. We humans have a built in desire to connect with other human beings.  So hiding behind web pages and avoiding contact is breaking my rule about being real.

It’s one thing to squeeze the searcher at your squeeze page. It is very obvious and the searcher has options. They can opt-in, save the page or hit the back key.

It’s entirely another to hide and avoid contact – especially if you are in the business of building a subscriber and client list.

Rule #1 – Be real. Being real helps you to better connect with the people on your list because list building is really about the relationship. The connection.

I’ll dig more into rules #2 and #3 in parts two and three of this series.

Stay Tuned,

Dave Krygier

Publisher

PS- If you are thinking about building a list of subscribers or are already in the process of doing so and haven’t picked up a copy of my List Building Guide, go get yourself a copy here.

 

The List Building Mindset

List building in the online world is a wonderful thing if you have all the pieces of the puzzle and know how to put the puzzle together. One of the most important pieces of this puzzle is the ‘mindset’ that you need in order to develop and build your business.

Now I refer to this as the ‘list building mindset’ but really this works for all small businesses.

The bottom line is that you are running and operating a business, unless of course you have decided that building a list of subscribers is for philanthropic reasons or just a hobby.

This article is written from the business perspective and is focused on the mindset that the  business owner needs to have.

So first you need to ask…

Do I have the mindset of a business owner or an employee?

Maybe you already have a business mindset and understand what it takes to build and develop a successful business?

Maybe you have never been in your own business and this is your first go at it.

Here are three things or what I’ll call components that you need to put in place in order to build your business:

#1  There is no get rich quick here. You need to do the work and put the pieces of the puzzle together just like any other business. It needs to be a do whatever it takes attitude.

#2  You need to have a long-term mentality. In other words – you need to understand that it is going to take time to bring in enough subscribers, so you can convert them to actual paying clients. Building a list of subscribers and monetizing it takes time. It is not poof and the money shows up.

Note: You can see some success right out of the gate, but it all depends on how you position yourself, the product or service you are offering, the market you are in and the kind of traffic that you send to your pages.

#3 You need to have ‘The Why’ solidified in concrete, so when frustration, delays, issues, complications and life in general gets in the way, you still keep moving forward. The Why is your goal(s), long-term and short – term.

If any one of these components are off kilter or out of line, then you may not make it.

So ask yourself, “why am I building a list of subscribers?”

What’s the purpose?

Is it to be free from a job you don’t like?

Is it to have part-time income?

Is it to pay off debt?

Is it to support a church or charity?

Is it to run your own business on your own terms?

What exactly is it? What is your why for building a list of subscribers and clients?

So, with all that said…Are you willing to do the work?

Are you willing to take the necessary steps to put all the pieces of the list building puzzle together so you can have a successful business?

The mindset that you have will determine if you are going to make it.

The mindset needs to be – I am going to do whatever it takes to get the work done, so my business is a success and continues to grow.

The mindset needs to be – I am a business owner and what I offer to my subscribers is the best information, products and services available.

I hope this all makes sense, because your mindset will determine if you are going to make it and build your business or stay in whatever it is you currently do.

For more information on list building and how you can develop your business, check out The List Building Guide.

To your continued success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Tales of Click – Marketing Beyond Alaska

Back in the beginning or what I refer to as the early years of the web, we experienced a huge influx of business, partly because of being early adopters.

This journey we talk about and share was somewhat adventurous and brings to the forefront that one of the main reasons we ventured onto the web was the simple fact of being able to market to our prospects and existing clients in the State of Alaska.

Up until this point the farthest reach we had was Alaska and had yet to penetrate all the tiny markets in this huge region.

With this transition also brought the reality that it would take a few years for many of these communities to come online and be able to find us on the web.

Technology was slow, sluggish and very frustrating at times. On two occasions a tech spent half a day working to get my Mac connected to the ISP. Now a days we connect automatically or in less than minute.

In one city we moved to they had to send three service techs out to install and setup a 115k ISDN modem. I later learned that we were the first residential customer to receive this ‘fast connection’.

This was a time of adventure and I will readily admit, it was just that and more. DoubleClick was charging rates for banner ads that were up in the stratosphere. Google was just birthed but in its infancy, and pay-per-click was still a child.

And we were still maintaining top positions on all the search engines. Being early adopters we built and built and built, to the point that our site had over 250 pages of content on it.

We went through three webmasters, which I’m sure is a small number compared to what many businesses had to deal with. One thing was for sure…we knew we had the cat by the tail and weren’t going to let go. The wild ride was just beginning and continued for six more years.

For more on how the pioneers ventured through the land of clicks, modems, html and email, go to Secrets of the Tiny Store and find out the rest of the story.

To your success,

Dave Krygier
Publisher

Tales of Click – In the Beginning

In the summer of 1995 my wife and I attended a street fair held in a little known city located east of Seattle. It was an annual event and one I normally didn’t even bother to put in the calendar.

But this year would be life changing, because of a man and his computer on the side- walk.

As we strolled through the booths and exhibits we came across this gentleman who was demonstrating how businesses could show their products and services on what he called the World Wide Web.

This was very intriguing to us as we were marketing to Alaska and maybe, just maybe, we could use what he was talking about to develop more business in this region.

Little did I know how much this man and his demonstration would change our world and the course of our businesses forever.

This introduction to the land of clicks, modems, and html was the beginning of our journey on the Internet.

What began as a simple way to market to Alaskans turned into a feverish race to stay on top of the search engines at that time. Search Engines like Web Crawler, Lycos, Excite, Infoseek, and Yahoo!

I imagine it could be compared to the early days of computer technology coming on the scene during the 1950’s.

Anyway you look at it, we had a hold of a tiger and boy was it a wild ride that kept me on my toes, on the phone and typing emails like a man with his hair on fire.

Those were the days and the beginnings of click for the little known company located just north of the Big M and Big B.

There’s more to come as we continue with the Tales of Click. Much, much more…

Do you want to learn how this tiny store flourished and grew leaps and bounds?               Go to:  www.secretsofthetinystore.com

Decisions and Gut Feelings

As a small business owner you have to make countless decisions every day that not only impact your life but those around you. Ever heard that life is about the decisions we make and actions we take? Does your gut ever tell you to do something and you decide to go a different direction? Gut feelings come into play all the time and you might take notice of them or ignore them.

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