Learning how to get found online is something every person selling products and services in the local community should do. In fact learning how to get found online today has never been more important. More than half of all small businesses fail within the first 5 years of operation. While there are many different factors that can contribute to business failure, they almost all ultimately fail for the same reason; they weren’t profitable. Helping yourself and your business get found online and attract new customers can help make your business profitable.
Visibility Plus Credibility and Value Equals Profitability
For centuries marketers have known that creating visibility and promoting credibility are essential to generating profitability. This simple fact hasn’t changed. What has changed is how people shop and interact and how “visibility” is created and “credibility” promoted in today’s economy. Today consumers are in control. They search for products and services online when they want and where they want. They read about products and services online, they compare prices online and they seek referrals and recommendations online. If they can’t find you, they can’t buy from you. To get found online you need to be visible, to be considered as a viable purchasing option you need to be credible. The two factors work hand in hand over time to help you attract new customers that will help make you and your businesses profitable.
How to Get Found Online: Improve Visibility, Promote Credibility, Offer Value
While there are many local online marketing techniques that can be used to create and improve online visibility, promote credibility and offer value; the easiest, most powerful and cost-effective way to do this for people selling products and services locally is to use online business directory listings. There are literally hundreds of local online business directories and local search engine platforms that invite people and businesses selling products and services in their local communities to list themselves. Many of these online directories have millions of visitors every month. The more directories you list yourself on, the more online visibility you generate and the more findable you become. In addition, many of these online directories invite and encourage people to write reviews about their experience with the person or business listed. These reviews help promote credibility and subsequently attract new customers and more customers means more money.
The Simple Steps to Help You Get Found Online
The three steps below summarize how you can get found online in the local community today. To see an expanded and more detailed list of the 14 steps incorporated into our local marketing program click here.
1. Create a personalized marketing strategy that helps you identify your target market and set your goals and objectives. This section defines how you are going to create visibility within your target market.
2. Create a marketing plan that will help you define what tools you are going to use and how you are going to communicate with customers and potential customers. Your marketing plan will help you understand how you are going to prove to potential customers that you are credible and show people the value you offer.
3. Define your marketing objectives and then create a step by step action plan that you incorporate into your daily routine that will help you achieve your specific goals. The action steps are the things that need to be accomplished regularly to continuously attract new customers.
This info graphic may help you understand how to get found online.
Click the link to learn more about local online marketing.
