7 Steps For Local Internet Marketing
If you follow these steps when internet marketing for local businesses, not only will you be tapping into a huge market but you will also be setting yourself far above your competition.
1. KEEP IT SIMPLE: The important thing to remember is that these business owners are not only usually very busy people but they are for the most part completely clueless when it comes to marketing their business on the internet. Make everything not only as simple as possible but also use layman’s terminology whenever you can.
2. MAKE YOUR PROGRAM ALL-INCLUSIVE: Try and make your internet marketing program as comprehensive as you can. A turnkey program will keep the business owner from having to learn new concepts and terminology. And, the bottom line is that if you depend on the customer to perform most actions, they usually won’t. Charge them fairly for your services but keep it in your hands wherever you can.
3. KNOW THEIR BUSINESS: This is your responsibility, not your customer’s. However, where better to do your research than talking to your customer about their business or even having them fill out a questionnaire with specific questions about their individual business? This can not only save you a lot of time from doing research yourself but you’ll get a much better idea of their specific wants and needs.
4. KNOW THEIR COMPETITION: Find out what their competition is doing, especially the competition’s marketing strategies. Often, their competition is pursuing methodologies that are not only ineffective but very costly. You can be the one to point this out to your customer.
5. HAVE QUALITY STANDARDS: This is vital. Make sure that you have the highest standards of quality. Always do what you say you’re going to do when you say you’re going to do it. If you outsource or sub-contract, tell these people about your quality standards and that you will make sure that they adhere explicitly to your requirements. If not, they will be gone and you’ll find someone who will.
6. MAKE A SCHEDULE YOU CAN MEET: The unfortunate truth (but good for you) is that your competitors will almost always drop the ball here. By being on time and on schedule, you’ll raise yourself head and shoulders above the competition.
7. ASK FOR REFERRALS: If you have kept all these principals, who better than your happy, satisfied customers to refer new business to you? One good marketing strategy is to give them something free or at a discount for some referrals. The key here is that THEY must call the referral, not just give you a name and number. Some kind of code to identify the referral would be a good idea. You don’t have time to be chasing these people down and it will also make your customer more interactive.
If you follow these steps, you will be well on your way to a lucrative business venture that will provide a valuable service to local business owners that are crying out for it. The best part is that your customers will be only too happy to give you testimonials and referrals giving you a local, virally expanding business that is set far apart from your competition.