| I'd like to introduce you to the first article of our new | | | | designed by Bart. |
| "Local Internet 101" series; a set of entries geared | | | | 2. The website is promoted so that local customers |
| towards helping small business owners coming from a | | | | can find it online: This is the key to online advertising; if |
| bricks-and-mortar business who are making their first | | | | the right visitors find your website, it will generate new |
| steps onto the internet. | | | | customers. The tricky part here is getting the right |
| If you're new to local internet advertising, let me be the | | | | visitors. If you've looked at options for promoting your |
| first to say "Welcome". You've probably already | | | | website, you've probably seen the word "targeted" so |
| experienced enough terminology, technology and new | | | | many times that you're starting to think the internet is a |
| concepts to make your head spin. Well, the Local | | | | digital firing range! Targeting simply means "putting your |
| Internet 101 series is here to get you caught up to | | | | ad/website/promotion in front of people who will |
| speed by walking you through some of the | | | | potentially be interested in your offer, AND not putting it |
| fundamentals of local online advertising for small | | | | in front of people who won't be ." The point of this is |
| businesses. | | | | exactly the same as when you're running off-line ads |
| Let's get to it then, shall we? | | | | like mailers; if it costs you a dollar to send out a mailer |
| For our first topic, we're going to dive right in to the | | | | for your wedding cake bakery, and you send it to |
| existential question at hand: What is Local Online | | | | someone who's already married, you just wasted a |
| Advertising? Quite simply, local online advertising is | | | | dollar. |
| using the internet to market or promote to a single | | | | On the internet, the first step of targeting for Local |
| geographical area such as a city, region, or state. A | | | | Internet Advertising is the Local part. Because the |
| prototypical example of this is a small business | | | | internet is global, the chance that someone in your city |
| creating a website and promoting it so that local | | | | will find your local law practice website is just about |
| customers find it online and then visit or call the | | | | the same as the chances of someone in London |
| business. The three steps in that simple sentence are | | | | finding it. That's why you must target the region where |
| the core of local online advertising; | | | | your customers are. For many small businesses, that |
| 1. The small business owner creates a website: But he | | | | may be your city, your county or your entire state. |
| doesn't just create any website. He creates a website | | | | Website promotion comes in many forms, from getting |
| that accurately and compellingly represents his | | | | your website ranked highly in search results to |
| business. For more details go to Generally, a small | | | | purchasing ads that display on the right-hand side of |
| business owner should have this step undertaken by a | | | | results to creating press releases and much more. For |
| website construction firm; websites do not have to be | | | | more details go to [ dive deeper into that discourse in |
| fancy, nor littered with bells and whistles. But they must | | | | later issues of Local Internet 101. For now, you just |
| be professional and well-maintained. Your son's friend's | | | | need to understand that in order to be effective, your |
| brother Bart who took a computer class a few years | | | | website must be promoted where the target |
| ago might sound like a great deal- but will he be around | | | | customer can find it. |
| to add your latest promotions and remove outdated | | | | 3. The customer contacts, visits or calls the business: |
| contact information months from now? 40% of | | | | Well that's the whole point, isn't it?! Getting the |
| consumers reported that the quality of company's | | | | customer to take an action that you intend; be it a call, |
| website, or the total lack of one, is a factor in who | | | | visit, online purchase or store visit is called a |
| they decide to do business with. For many businesses, | | | | Conversion. Conversions are the goal of your Local |
| a professionally designed website will pay for itself in 2 | | | | Online Advertising; and result in you establishing new |
| to 3 new clients; clients that may never have | | | | customer relationships and making new sales. |
| contacted you if your website looked like it were | | | | |