Express Marketing Memo

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If you’ve ever wondered just how important the Internet is to the overall marketing strategy for your local small business, wonder no longer. Is the Internet a transactions platform or a marketing platform that drives local transactions? Read more in today’s post on the Local Wisconsin SEM Blog.

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I woke up with a solution this morning. It wasn’t the result of obsessing over a problem, but probably more the result of proactively taking time each day to STOP thinking about anything business related. Inspiration strikes more often when my creative batteries are recharged. For that to happen, I need to step away from time-to-time.

So, at 5:15 a.m., the very moment I woke up this morning, I knew what to do regarding my other marketing-related blog. And that is - to begin soliciting local small business and not-for-profit event-related press releases. Why? Well, I really want to do more than just write about marketing … I want to help people who own businesses to improve their marketing results in a tangible way.

My other blog is called Local-Wisconsin SEM. It started with a flash of inspiration, before giving enough thought to the sustainability of writing more than one blog on the the topic of marketing while managing a growing business of my own. It’s languished unattended for a few months now, but that’s changing as of today.

If you own or manage a Wisconsin-based business that depends on drawing local customers to your door, the Local Wisconsin SEM Blog is written just for you. Its goal is to cover strategies to draw local visitors to Wisconsin businesses through local search opportunities, and precisely what steps to take to do so. Now it will also accept selected press releases about Wisconsin-based businesses and not-for-profit events. In addition, I’ll profile area businesses who are getting it right. Have a success story to share? Let me know about it via my contact form.

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Whether brick and mortar or home-based, every business needs a presence in Google’s local search results. This is a change of opinion for me because until recently I couldn’t see the sense in identifying a post office box address on Google Maps. But as I’ve researched keyword phrases for my clients and learned more about how people search, it’s become crystal clear. Small businesses not optimized for local search are missing out.

My copywriting business is by no means limited to local customers. It’s just as easy to work with someone in Maine, Texas or California, as Neenah, Wisconsin. But by not optimizing for local search, I’ve been shooting myself in the foot where local business is concerned. Why is that? Because most people use local search terms to find what they’re looking for.

If you’re listed in Google’s local search results, your business location and information about your business will show up on Google Maps. The top ten local search results take precedence over the remaining search results and appear at the top of the page next to a small map of your local area.

To claim your Google listing, you’ll need to have a Google account. (If you don’t already have one, you do that right from the Google home page.) Once you’ve registered and logged-in, go to your Account, and find “Local Business Center” under your product listing. Simply click on the link, then fill in the form and proceed page-by-page to categorize your business, add hours, types of payment accepted, a photo, logo, and custom information. Once complete, you’ll need to validate your listing before your listing will appear live on the map. Validation can be done immediately by phone or you can choose to receive a postcard through the mail.

Take a few minutes and get the process started right now. It’s quick and painless, and you’ll have taken one more step toward improving your online visibility.

Photo Credit: jimfrazier

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I’m involved in the marketing team for Paperfest, a four-day community event held every July in Kimberly, Wisconsin. Last year’s promotional efforts for this event included a well-organized and maintained web site, flyer distribution, billboards, lots of smaller signs, and local media coverage.

This year we’re adding social media elements to the mix, such as MySpace and/or Facebook, event photos on Flickr, bookmarks on del.icio.us, and maybe some reviews on StumbleUpon. We’ll let last year’s email list, event sponsors, and volunteers know about the new opportunity and invite them to participate.

This seems the perfect venue to promote through social media. We’re looking forward to four days of concerts, carnival rides, sporting events, and fun activities for the whole family. Better yet, this event raises money for local nonprofit and civic organizations. It’s a volunteer effort, start-to-finish.

Event publicity is not new territory for me. I helped organize and promote community events for a former nonprofit employer before volunteering with Paperfest last year. Social media’s not really new to me either, although I suspect that with as much as I’ve dabbled in it, I’ve just barely got my feet wet. But event promotion through social media is uncharted territory. I’m excited about it. It’s sure to be a learning experience!

Photo credit: Paperfest

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Have you ever wondered how your old business listing found its way into the search engine results? Maybe your business listing shows up with an old address or phone number, or maybe the information was never right to begin with.

If you’ve been in business for any length of time, your business information has been collected and disseminated from Amacai, infoUSA, and Acxiom. These business directories, also known as data providers, provide information to the Yellow Pages industry and the search engines.

Today’s tip is to simply check your business listing. I was unable to find a link to update your business listing on Acxiom, but I’ve provided links to Amacai (also known as Localeze) and infoUSA below. Just click on the links below, find or add your business listing, and make sure your business information is accurate.

Localeze

infoUSA

Related Articles:

Have you heard about MerchantCircle?

What is local search?

How to reach business decision makers

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