Online marketing moves not getting the traction you would like?

Down in the dumps ‘cuz your website (which everyone said you had’a have) isn’t performing, i.e. pulling any traffic or bringing customers to your front door?
The local online search has game has become increasingly complicated as the marketplace grows exponentially more crowded. Competition has shifted the game from “you need to have a website,” to “you need to have a search optimized website,” to “you must to be generating inbound links if you hope to succeed.” And frankly, who can keep up and make all of this happen assuming you have the either the resources or the technical know-how.
Despite Google’s endless search algorithm tinkering and tweaking in their ongoing efforts to refine search, their core method always favors pure traffic of pure relevance. This means large, heavily trafficked directory sites take precedence in Google search results. Many data intensive directory sites are also increasingly becoming destination sites, entirely superseding Google and search in general.
In turn, businesses listed on these sites (think local community news outlets, Yelp, Angie’s List and Craigslist) are reaping the benefits, with more website page views via inbound links and increasing numbers of customers patronizing their business. While those not represented continue to fall behind their competitors.
The solution: If you can’t beat’em, join’em! And toward the end, here are four local focused websites that can help boost your business’s online profile:

Patch.com

As local newspapers continue to disappear, residents are left without a source for coverage of community news and local happenings. Patch.com was conceived as a network of sites intended to serve individual local markets, replacing increasingly disappearing local news print publications.
AOL purchased the upstart Patch and pledged to invest heavily in expanding the Patch network. I have noticed an increasing Patch presence in my local business marketing research and in Google alerts for local business marketing. Unfortunately, AOL recently announced massive layoffs, which doesn’t put Patch’s future in question, but does curtail some of AOL’s promised expansion.
Despite all of this Patch covers an enormous number of communities, and if your business happens to be in one or nearby, Patch offers two great marketing opportunities for small local businesses:
Banner and feature advertising – A traditional advertising method oft eschewed in new-school internet marketers; online display ads have proven much more effective on sites serving local communities. Statistics show retail, maintenance and professional service businesses tend to do quite well advertising on local community focused sites, because they’re offering commonly used services to the ideal target audience: People who live in the immediate area.
Good ole fashion PR – A local publication trained specifically on your community offers your business the opportunity for some good ole PR. Why not pitch Patch reporters stories relevant to your local business….
Let’s say you’ve got a chemical free carpet cleaning business. With green lifestyles trending, and more people than ever suffering from often seriously debilitating allergies, chem-free cleaning is the future. And you’re the only chem-free carpet cleaner in your area.
Or perhaps you’re a financial planner. Estate planning has become a growing concern among aging Baby Boomers as they stare down the approaching reality of retirement. And your financial services business specializes in serving the unique needs of Baby Boomers.
I think you get the picture.
To find out more, visit Patch.com, search for your local area, inquire about advertising opportunities and find out which reporters cover your local beat.

Yelp

I’ve blogged a ton about Yelp because its platform is an invaluable marketing tool for small local businesses.
Due to Yelps massive size and incredible traffic volume, Google searches for many local business, particularly restaurants, returns Yelp listings far above any individual business websites.
While there was some controversy over Yelp advertisers search results being elevated over non-advertisers, those claims have largely been quashed. And depending on your biz (and your budget) paid Yelp advertising may work for you.
Yelp’s life blood, however, are user reviews. And the first step toward boosting your Yelp ranking is creating a business profile. It doesn’t cost the business owner anything and it makes it easier for customers to (a) find your business, and (b) post reviews, because they don’t have the burden of creating a profile for your business in order to post said review.
Once you’ve set up your business profile: Ask for reviews.

• Put a link on your website
• Put up a sign or hand out flyers at your business
• Put a P.S. on your emails with link
• Put a note on the bottom of your receipts
• Or just ask verbally in person: “Hey, if you were genuinely satisfied with our performance, please give us a review on Yelp – every review helps our business”

Even though it’s technically “against the rules,” if you’re discrete and conservative with your presentation, offering “Yelp Specials” (incentives for reviews) can also work. Just be careful not to make it seem as though the incentive is predicated on receiving a positive review. That would seriously hurt your ranking or even get you banned from Yelp altogether. Be cautions.
Visit Yelp.com to find out more info or to set up your Yelp business profile.

Angie’s List

I’m not that high on Angie’s List, but my negative bias is directed toward their business model and not necessarily the validity or quality of the service they provide. And for a certain consumer segment, Angie’s List makes sense.
Similar to Yelp, Angie’s List is comprised of consumer reviews, primarily for home repair, maintenance and contractors, i.e. plumbers, electricians, closet installers, remodeling contractors, etc… and just like with Yelp, businesses can create profiles Unlike Yelp, however, users are required to buy a membership to in order to view Angie’s List reviews.
Also similar to Yelp, the entire platform is driven by customer reviews. But Angie’s list takes it a step further in that if your business doesn’t have any reviews, you’re virtually invisible. As the number of positive reviews for your biz increases, your visibility rises. Your visibility also goes up or down depending you’re the quality of your reviews and a high enough volume of negative reviews can get your business completely kicked out of their directory.
Also unlike Yelp and many other successful online communities, Angie’s List did not grown its user base through social sharing and word-of-mouth. Instead, they opted for a more traditional marketing approach:  full page ads in glossy national publications and big budget national radio and TV spots, etc… As such I’m inclined to dismiss them, but perhaps this shows my age (as someone younger than their target audience).
The Angie’s List target audience is homeowners – largely seeking maintenance and remodeling services – the vast majority of whom are 40 and up.
Bearing this target audience in mind, the Angie’s List’s marketing model makes sense for older less internet savvy folks who don’t lean on Google as hard or place as much value on organic search results as those who have grown up in the information age.
Furthermore, Angie’s List is a destination site whose content is invisible to search engines, which eliminates the search ranking issue.
An older target audience is more likely to (a) take notice of and respond to traditional marketing, and (b) visit a destination site verses wading through endless Google search results.
All of this justifies Angie’s List traditional marketing campaign approach to growing their business.
So if you have home maintenance or repair business or you’re a contractor, Angie’s list just may be the ticket for your biz. And the same rules apply as with Yelp:

• Set up a business page (which is totally free) so customers can easily find you
• Promote Angie’s list among you current customers and solicit reviews* – it never hurts to ask, right? *See all the Yelp promotional points listed above.

Visit Angieslist.com for more info or to set up your business page.

Craigslist

Undoubtedly you’re well aware of Craigslist. By far the largest national the “Community Bulletin Board” (with an ever expanding international reach), Craigslist is nearly as well patronized as Google.
Craigslist’s “Service” section also happens to be a promotional heaven for local businesses. With 20+ Service categories, there’s bound to be an option that’s fits your business. And in those individual section you can place location targeted ads with photos or even paste in html formatted ads for a super pro look and feel. And it’s all TOTALLY FREE!
Craigslist has, however, gotten a bum rap as a bargain hunter’s paradise that caters to customers looking for lowest price, not necessarily the best quality. While CL sports its fair share of bottom feeders, many potential customers are simply seeking local service providers and are dissatisfied or uncomfortable with Google search results. Craigslist has become a trusted resource for many, many people and could prove to be a very real, very low cost boon to your small local business.
Visit Craigslist.com for more info or to create an account and start posting ads for your business.

What About You

What are some of the online marketing tools you’ve used to promote your local biz? Have you used any of the options referenced above, and if so: how well have they been workin’ for ya?
Talkback: We would love to hear all about the trials and tribulations of your digital marketing hits and misses.