July 1, 2002
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Business buzz: List locally to find
future customers
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Simply having a company web site to promote a local or regional business doesn’t always mean that you have a web presence. If no one knows that your company site exists, what are some ways that you can spread the word?
When considering marketing on the Internet, it’s natural to attempt to draw direct parallels to print marketing. People will often consider ads that may closest resemble print advertisements, usually in the form of banners or sidebar images. Unless your corporation has the might to tackle an expensive branding campaign, flashing banner ads in front of Internet viewers may not be the most effective approach.
The searcher’s mindset
An online buyer ready to pay for a product or service would be more appropriately termed researcher than surfer. Having access to endless sources of information, people searching for resources on the web are accustomed to going directly to the information that they want. Superfluous content is considered an obstacle and distraction rather a complement to the page.
Contrast this against reading a newspaper or magazine. The behavior is more leisurely, filling time in between activities or perhaps reading while eating lunch. Because of the static elements, it’s more comfortable to look over the page. Print advertisements complement the page without flashing or rolling over content.
Subtle vs. obvious
Blatant Internet advertising has gotten a bad rap and intrusive pop-up windows, rollover Flash graphics, and mass emails have not helped. Sophisticated web users are developing an instinct to quickly recognize and avoid these forced marketing techniques, so it may be more effective to try a more subtle approach, like directory listings and search-driven results.
Presence in a directory listing almost always conveys enough credibility for a critical viewer to click on it. Also, being in a cluster of similar business types will likely attract more responses, especially if the initial message is compelling.
Bidding for placement
One advertising tactic that is becoming more and more common is bidding for listings. Your listing result is returned to Internet users based on their keyword searches. In order to stay at the top of the list you must outbid competitors on the chosen search terms.
Accounts usually allow you to configure a listing result, including a title, brief description and a URL to return to the user.
Local vs. Global
Another pitfall of Internet advertising is to market beyond your target audience -- just because the Internet allows you to market to the world, doesn’t mean that you should. Attempting to engage a global or national market may become overwhelming, as you may attract audiences that are out of service range and end up investing in what could be better aimed at local consumers. Keep an eye out for listing services that allow you to market locally. You should be able to find a listing opportunity to fit your budget, whether it is one of a large corporation or a small business.
Banners aren’t all bad
Again, for some larger companies the rather costly ‘in your face’ method of banner ads may work. After all, one main component to building a brand is exposure. Just remember that your image is at stake, so keep it classy.
For the smaller business, however, you will find that a local listing is the best way to establish a presence for future customers. And the best part of it all -- it’s the best way for the customer to find you.
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