When consumers look for local businesses, 97% look online. Yet only 20% of businesses use internet marketing. If you are buying ads in the newspaper, on the radio, on TV and in the paper Yellow Pages, people looking for you online will not find you. Here are five tips to increase your number of site visitors and convert more visitors to leads.
1. Identify your niche
Start by thinking about your market niche. How are your products and services specialized compared to your competition? Develop keywords that describe your niche.
2. Establish your authority
Write blog posts around the keywords that describe your specialty. A blog gives you an opportunity to shine. Show your expertise by answering common questions your customers have.
3. Share
Every time you create fresh, interesting content, share it on social networking sites. The content could be in written or video form. Share it on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook or You Tube. Encourage people to “Like” your business page.
4. Start a dialogue
Web 2.0 has changed business communications forever. Consumers want opportunities to ask questions and social networking sites facilitate a two-way flow of information. Plus, giving consumers information about your products and services will help them make the right buying decisions and position you as an authority in your field.
5. Take advantage of free search
Post your business name, address and phone number in several free local business directories. Yelp, Yahoo! Local, Bing, Google Places and yellowpages.com are the main ones.
Following these tips will increase the number of leads in your sales funnel without paying to advertise. If you want to do pay per click internet advertising, Facebook, Google AdWords Express and Yahoo! Audience Match will place ads on their site that target your key demographics. Pay per click means you only pay when someone clicks on your ad.
Local marketing on the internet is worth exploring since 40% of online searches are for local products and services. Building your web presence in these five areas will show you are a valued resource in your community and in turn drive more traffic to your site.
