Market Themselves On The Weba (NAPSA)—Local businesses need to be creative and smart to compete in the fast-moving digital economy. Today, consumers turn to the Internet first, rather than the Yellow Pages, to find every- thing from a good restaurant to a local hardware store. This makes it essential for local businesses to advertise on the Web, and in doing so, they directly reach a wider audience of potential local customers at a fraction of the cost of print advertising. While there are numerous opportunities for Internet market- ing and advertising, there are five methods that are proving to be the quickest, easiest and most cost effective for local businesses to reach new customers, as well as expandrelationships with existing customers: 1. Blogging—Short for Web log, blogs originated as a way for people to disperse information they wanted to share with others—pictures, travel diaries—in one easy-to-locate online space. The small-business community very quickly picked up on the value of blogging and almost overnight small-business blogs were born. Blogging provideslocal businesses with a tool for giving search engine (like Google or Yahoo) whenever a search is done. This helps local businesses’ Web sites show up when consumers search for related information and keywords. Because search engine optimization can be complicated and often takes a time investment, it is best to look into hiring an out- side SEO vendor (or bringing an SEO expert in-house) to handle all of your optimization needs. 3. Online Coupons—Everyone loves a discount. A local business can use online coupons to provide special offers to customersin its neighborhood, in this way offering benefits to repeat customers while enticing new ones. For example, Google recently began offering print-at-home couponsfor business listings found on Google Maps. 4, Newsletters—Like blogs, newsletters offer small businesses inexpensive but effective ways to keep customers apprised of daily business activity. In this way, a local business can stay top of mind with current customers and encourage repeat business. 5. Networking—Manysites allow small businesses to set up online business networks. In this way, a business can link with other local businesses (often their customers daily (even hourly) information on everything from new products to manage- neighbors andfriends), allowing it to give and receive customerreferrals, partner on joint specials sumers are given an interactive venue for offering up product suggestions or requesting particular and marketingtips. ment changes. Meanwhile, con- merchandise. Consumers can even interact with each other, enhancing the shopping experience before walking into the store. 2. Search Engine Optimiza- tion (SEO)—Simply defined, search engine optimization en- ables a Web site to show up on the first page of listings within a and/or share innovative business By incorporating these five sim- ple strategies into a business plan, a local businesscanincreaseits visibility on the Web and thus reach a much larger range of customers within its local market. The end result is simple: more business. For more information about marketing local businesses on the Internet, visit www.merchant circle.com.
