Local Listings are a vital component in anyone’s marketing strategy.
The fact is, it is one of the first things any entrepreneur should accomplish before moving forward in any online marketing strategy. Arguably, it may seem cheeky in today’s digital age to be part of a directory. However…
Local Listings bring a whole new dimension to anyone’s marketing strategy.
Nowadays, the most popular trends in digital marketing are undeniably through the use of Content Marketing and Social Media. It is understandable since Google favors Content Marketing as it is a “white hat” SEO strategy. Moreover, marketing using Social Media takes advantage of the public’s ongoing utilization of seamless online connectivity and fast information gathering.
However, utilizing these current trends must not leave you forgetting the use of local listings. No, we are not talking about the old-printed Yellow Pages here. What we are talking about is its digital equivalent – Angie’s List, Google+, TripAdvisor, Yahoo Local, Yelp, YP.com, and the like.
Local Listings and SEO
SEO for most people simply means ranking high in search engines. Google has dominated other search engines, with 68% of the market in the United States. Moreover, Google’s dominance is even more evident in mobile search, where it owns 87.8% of the searches. Google is very popular among consumers of all types because of its ease of use. Almost 6 out of 10 people use Google to look up a particular establishment or local business.
Consequently, it makes perfect sense that an entrepreneur like yourself would want to rank in Google searches for your keywords. Unfortunately, what many entrepreneurs fail to realize is that getting citations from online directories can help with your local SEO efforts.
Local listings allow business owners to place links to their company website, which is good for the company’s SEO rankings. Local listings and online directories allow this so people can acquire detailed information about goods, products, and services they provide. Moreover, when a business accrues citations in various local listings, an increase in the number of digital traffic visiting the company website must be expected.
Local Listings and Online Directories are Extremely Popular.
TripAdvisor alone gets roughly about 390 million average monthly unique visitors. Meaning, when utilizing local listings, more people notice to your brand and your advertising. Also, when using local listings, it potentially means more sales for your business.
Moreover, since a huge portion of SEO rankings base on the number of websites feature a link to the company website, having citations in various local listings is a good thing. After all, several quality sites linking to yours is beneficial for SEO.
Local Listings Gets Businesses More Visibility
Business companies spend great amounts of effort and funding on TV, print, and billboard advertisements for a sole reason. Their goal is reaching as many people as possible to introduce their brand, to be seen by potential customers. Let me assure you; this is no small marketing strategy. That is over 70% of all Internet searches are for local businesses. Google gets approximately 12 billion searches a month; that means about 8.4 billion searches primarily for local businesses.
Having a website is like having a single chance to play on a roulette wheel. However, when the site is part of Local Listings, it is like having an extra chance on the roulette wheel. Local Listings improves the likelihood of being seen by your target audience.
So when a business is part of a hundred different local listings, potential customers have a hundred different ways to find it.
Local Listings Allow People to Learn about your Brand
Like the printed-old Yellow Pages directories, Local Listings allows businesses to promote their brand, and contact details in a profile that they display on their website. Giving companies part of Local Listing an advantage over competitors, especially if they are not part of any online directories.
Local Listings also offer more information and chances to interact with potential customers compared to heavy phone books.
Local Listings, Customer Feedback, and You
It is no secret that customer feedback and reviews can have a pivotal impact on your business. Word of mouth and public opinion has always been a huge influence on buying decisions. Customer feedback and reviews can make that decision easier. Almost 9 out of 10 people consider online reviews as trustworthy over recommendations from their friends.
Now that is some serious influence! One must also recognize the bearing and influence of one’s own responses to customer feedback and reviews. Thank positive reviewers and reinforce those positive sentiments between the business and that particular patron. This move creates brand loyalty and super fans of the brand and business.
Respond to negative reviews by providing a sincere apology, offering an explanation, or by emphasizing on rectifying their concern. Acknowledging negative reviews can minimize the harm they can cause. There is also instances where the reviewer reconsiders their negative feedback because they were acknowledged and given quick attention. Nearly a third of all negative customer feedback are renewed to positive reviews just because somebody noticed their issue.
Citations are a Good Thing- Go Grab Them
It is time to prioritize in being a part of Local Listings. Most online directories are free to use and can make a great difference in a multitude of ways. Getting your business a spot in most local listings does not take much time or effort. As an aspiring entrepreneur or season businessman, capitalizing on cost-effective resources to grow your business just makes good business sense.