I was reading an article this morning that made me think of the proverbial needle in a haystack. The article stated that there are more than 350 million websites today and the growth continues. I started thinking about small and medium business owners who have to compete in that world. What an overwhelming task! At the same time, it is becoming increasingly important to be found online, as print directories are used less and less.
Being found online is not as critical for some companies as it is for others. Some are well established with a local clientele that provides them with the ongoing revenue stream from repeat business that they need. Word of mouth supplemented with some signage is all the publicity they need to attract new customers down the road. But I’m willing to bet this doesn’t describe most companies.
This makes me think of two old marketing adages that I think have taken on new meanings in our online, web-based, digital world. The first is what I mentioned earlier, “word of mouth” advertising and the second is “Location, location, location”.
So how has word of mouth advertising changed? First, people post reviews online, especially those people who are unhappy with something. My sister-in-law runs a hair replacement business and someone posted a really bad review about her online that she didn’t find out for a couple of months. The potential for this to be seen by many customers and prospects is much greater than the old method of one person telling another. And now there are social sites like Yelp that provide an easy forum for customers to share their experiences.
And the importance of location? Well, physical location certainly remains an important marketing factor for local businesses. But, it is not the only factor. More and more, we search online to find businesses that offer what we are looking for. Just this week, my seventeen-year-old daughter was using her laptop to search online for local stores that sell prom dresses. She wasn’t driving from store to store like we had in the past. Therefore, the new meaning that location has taken on is where her business appears in search engine results. All three major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing) now detect when a search is relevant to the business and will display local businesses that meet the search criteria. It’s critical that your business appear near the top of those search results.
So what can you do with all this? Let’s start with the location. It’s important for local business owners to understand the importance of search rankings and how to influence them. The search engines mentioned above maintain business profiles but the information is incomplete. Business owners should ensure that complete and accurate information is entered into these profiles and then go through the process of claiming the profile to control future changes. This process should be followed for numerous online directories like YP, Kudzu, Yellowbot, Manta and others to provide the best ranking possible.
And when it comes to word of mouth advertising, be proactive. Know where reviews can be placed online and periodically read the reviews that have been posted. If you discover that someone has posted a negative review, please discuss it with that person and do what you can to make it a positive experience. Encourage your customers to write supportive reviews if they are satisfied with your products and services.
Additionally, social networking sites like Facebook provide an environment in which a business owner can build relationships with customers that can facilitate online shopping and attract them to their business. It is important to learn how to interact with others and how to advertise on Facebook.
Gearing your online marketing efforts toward these two old marketing adages will give you a good starting point for building an effective online presence.
