The Importance of Local Search

A recent survey from Pew Research found that 79 percent of US consumers conduct local searches on the Internet before making a buying decision. For marketers, the survey also reveals the need to vary content marketing campaigns to target each demographic, as well as the value of local Search Engine Optimization (SEO). As a result, it’s become increasingly important that businesses understand what local search is and how it works.

A search that is intended to find something within a specific geographic area. Often these types of businesses are location-specific, but the people searching for them are most likely elsewhere. While potential customers aren’t currently in their immediate area, they hope to be some time in the future. For example, the consumer might search on the following words: “ski resorts in utah”. Other examples of these types of businesses are cruise lines, car rental agencies, campgrounds, and convention centers.

A search to find information online with the intention of completing a transaction offline. Example: “chinese restaurants in las vegas”. Often local internet searches are searches that the consumer would have traditionally done using printed materials, such as the yellow pages. For some brick-and-mortar businesses, nearly all search is local search. Most of these are local-centric enterprises that only draw customers from within a specific service area. The consumer might search on the following words: “chinese restaurants in Las Vegas”. Other examples of these types of businesses are barbers, manicurists, dry cleaners, laundromats, delicatessens, and sandwich shops. It’s pretty much a given that if a consumer is searching for these types of products and/or services, they intend to make that purchase from a local business.

Still other business draw clients from both nearby and far away. Examples of these enterprises are financial advisors, consultants, regional hospitals, household movers, and mortgage companies.

Clearly the types of business you promote online determine how to best market to your Internet customers. Local search is a mish-mash of what people are searching for, where they’re searching for it, and how search engines display the results. Welcome to the world of local search!

Marketing Matters to Your Customers. It Should Matter to You.

Cause marketing is now the norm for businesses. What is cause marketing?  Simply put, it’s a mutually beneficial partnership between a nonprofit and a for-profit (your business) for mutual profit.  It’s also known as cause-related marketing (CRM).

American Express first used the phrase in 1983 to describe its campaign to raise money for the restoration of the Statue of Liberty. American Express donated one cent to the restoration fund every time someone used its charge card. As a result of the campaign, the number of new American Express cardholders grew by 45%, and card usage increased by 28%. And the Statue of Liberty restoration fund?  In just four months, more than $2 million was raised for the project.

Your customers want to know that you share their desire to make the world a better place by supporting an important cause. Consumers now routinely turn to brands that stand for a cause. In a recent poll, 87% of consumers say they would switch from one brand to another if the other brand were associated with a good cause.

And businesses are taking notice. In 2010, companies spent $1.62 billion on cause marketing — up from 1990, when the number was just $120 million.

Where do you begin? For most companies, it’s best to start small by partnering with a local charity and working on a small campaign. If you’re ready to take on a larger cause, begin by contacting the development department at the charity you’re want to partner with. Remember, they are looking a solid ROI (just as you are), so be prepared to give them information on your platform, target audience and level of visibility. Make sure that the organization can provide you with similar solid stats on your ROI, too. After all, this is a partnership that you want to grow over time and not a one-time marketing boost. Like any good partnership, it must be nurtured and cultivated. 

Build Your Brand, It’s the One Thing You Truly Own

One of the facts of business life is that there is almost nothing about your business that a competitor can’t and won’t duplicate.  If you’ve created the proverbial “better mousetrap”, you can be certain that somebody will copy your model.  It’s just a matter time.  And eventually they may be able to do a better job or sell the product or service at a lower price.  So the question becomes, “What can I offer that can’t be copied by anyone else?”  The answer: your brand.

Creating a strong brand is one of the strongest competitive advantages your business can gain. When you do, customers will think of you first when they need a certain product or service.  For example, when your child wants a hamburger, as often as not, she won’t ask for a hamburger but will ask if you’ll take her to McDonald’s. The reason: McDonald’s has built such a solid brand identity.

A brand is the one thing about your business that no one body can duplicate. Everything else – including trade secrets, patents, physical plant and technology – will eventually be stolen, expire, wear out or become obsolete.  But your brand can go on – even outliving your business.  Your brand creates lasting value above and beyond all other aspects of your business.

The importance and value of your brand becomes even more apparent if you want to sell the business or acquire investor capital.  It is often the brand that is your most valuable asset.  Your brand can be quantified.  For instance, potential investors often value your company by looking at the assets tied to your brand first. They then identify the value of your physical assets – office, patents, machinery and staff.  And often the physical assets are valued at a fraction of what you can sell your brand for.

So whether you hope to grow your company for yourself or eventually sell it, your brand is one of the most valuable assets your business can have.

Six Tips for Adding Followers to Your Twitter Accounts

By now, Twitter should be a major part of any company’s social media marketing campaigns.  Here are some simple guidelines to increase your number of followers on Twitter:

Follow everyone who follows you on Twitter. Almost all users are looking to add followers.  Every time you follow someone, a message is sent to their email alerting them of your add. There’s a good chance they’ll visit your profile to check you and they’ll add you back.

Make sure your profile is complete. If your profile is poorly constructed or incomplete, people will not follow you back.  Fill out your profile completely, including a succinct 140 character bio.

Encourage people to re-tweet your links. Re-tweeting can put your company name in front of that user’s followers, exponentially increasing your visibility.

Add pictures. Pictures are heavily re-tweeted. People like to have a visual picture of those with whom they are communicating. If you’re a company, use your company’s logo.

Tweet well and tweet often.You can never expect your Twitter profile to gain any attention if you don’t tweet regularly. Post as often as possible and with quality content.

Put links to your Twitter profile everywhere.Link it on your website, Digg,LinkedIn, Facebook, blog, and email signature. In short, everywhere else you live online.

If you enjoyed this post, add us at twitter.com/abodesystems.  We’ll be sending you more tips in the near future.  Thanks.

Avoid the Greenwash Tag

More and more businesses are claiming to be practicing green or eco-friendly practices as part of their marketing strategy – planning buildings that are energy-efficient, using only all-natural products in the food they serve, or using only energy efficient appliances.   

But as claims of environmentally sound practices multiply, a problem has arisen. How can anyone be sure that a particular business is actually practicing what they say they are?  The problem has become known as “greenwashing”.

Greenwashing is misleading consumers regarding the environmental practices of a company or the environmental benefits of their products or services.  But there things your business can do on its own to avoid being branded a “greenwasher”.

Here are some important marketing principles to help:

• Avoid using broad environmental claims such as “safe for the environment”, “environmentally friendly”, or “environmentally friendly”.  Any claims you make must be specific and clear to customers.
• Claims must be relevant to the product.  For example, claiming a product contains no chlorofluorocarbons even though chlorofluorocarbons were banned over 20 years ago.  Customers need to know the claim is technically accurate.
• Avoid the “Lesser of Two Evils” found in contradictory product combinations such as, “Clean Coal”.  
• Avoid claims like “we use only green products” unless you can document that fact.  
• Avoid terms like “only,” “always,” “all”, and “never,” unless you can back it up with no exceptions.

Remember, it doesn’t matter if the problem was intentional or inadvertent.  You need to get it right from the beginning.  As customers become more knowledgeable about green, being branded a “greenwasher” will affect your credibility and could potentially lead to legal action.