The team at Local-Advertising.com are specialists in various forms of local advertising. We are familiar with local SEO services including paid and local listings as well as organic search engine optimization. We are also thoroughly versed in the best and most effictive kinds of cheap advertising and local business advertising. Whether you're looking for information on local search engine marketing or tips on affordable advertising, you've come to the right place.
Google has released a new local advertising feature for local businesses with Google Map results or Google Place Pages called Tags. The tags appear as a small yellow conversation box underneath the URL of a listing that is highlighted with blue font. Although this feature is not free and allegedly will not improve organic search rankings, it does draw the searcher’s eye directly to the tagged listing.
Once a local business has created a Google page or Google Maps listing and verified it by mail, it can now emphasize important information right under the search result. For example, if a business wants potential customers to know about a special coupon, time-sensitive promotion, website, menu, photos, or the need for reservations, any of those blurbs can be added below the initial result. The tags are customizable, meaning they can be changed at any time to promote different deals or report recent news.
The flat monthly fee for a tag is $25. Google clearly indicates which listings are sponsored and which are free, much like regular organic searching, but unlike other paid ads, the listings are still integrated within one list of businesses in the middle of the page, rather than being positioned on the top or right side of the result page.
In a society that has fully embraced the Internet, it has clearly become the time to get on board or get left behind. Using Internet advertising as part of a local advertising campaign has become an important part of any marketing campaign for businesses that want to survive in a struggling economy.
Even newspapers are getting into the act. The Miami Herald is running an Internet ad campaign to attract subscribers to its local print newspaper delivery. One of the ads offering a 50% discount showed up just before the 4th of July at the bottom of its online newspaper. The news story above the ad was about the cities of Hialeah and Miami Lakes celebrating their birthdays along with the nation. Visitors tuning in to the Miami Lakes local news section on the Internet newspaper may have been surprised to see the half price ad to click through for a discount. The ads also appear in other places throughout the website.
While statistics show that the newspaper has seen its share of highs and lows of online traffic over the past several months, it will likely pick up some interest for fans of basketball star LeBron James. The popular two-time MVP has declared his intentions to play for the Miami Heat of the NBA. It has caused a media circus and flurry of activity on many web sites. The Herald’s local advertising campaign is already conveniently in place to capture the attention of anyone looking for the Miami perspective on the matter. This is one local marketing move that could give the newspaper a spike in traffic not only for its print subscribers, but for search engine positioning as well.
Residents of Lakewood, Colo. and the surrounding area are the target audience for eFirstBank’s recent ad campaign. The television spots are promoting savings accounts at the bank and highlights its online features. The local marketing campaign is targeting a variety of adult audiences with three different spots. One focuses on middle-aged to older consumers with the idea that a savings account at eFirstBank is better than a get-rich-quick scheme. With other local TV ads, they are highlighting mobile alerts that will let you know about trouble before it happens and a shorter time on hold with round-the-clock customer service.
The bank is attempting to reach a variety of demographics through its commercials. They are running the local TV advertising spots during popular sporting events, such as Wimbledon, the soccer World Cup and baseball’s World Series. This is likely to catch the eye of upper income potential clientele. FirstBank is also targeting a slightly younger, more technologically savvy bunch during such shows as “Parenthood” and “Grey’s Anatomy.”
The bank has branches in Arizona, California and Colorado. This is not the first local marketing campaign they have run with the help of TDA Advertising & Design in nearby Boulder, but it is definitely garnering attention. The TV spots are running from now through the fall, with emphasis on the dynamic 30- and 60-second commercials prompting people to switch to eFirstBank.com.
One industry that is targeting local advertising these days is real estate. It is no longer a matter of listing your house for sale in the local newspaper every day and twice on Sunday and typing a balloon on the yard sign. Instead, the local advertising blitz in the housing marketing is helping to bring more exposure to the many homes in the suffering housing market that needs as much local exposure as it can get.
One Austin real estate firm, for example, is jumping on the trend of local advertising in multiple genres. It caters to its potential customers with a guarantee of running ads for the home in the Austin Multiple Listing Service (MLS), local newspapers, creating color brochures and home buyers guides, an email marketing campaign and direct mail marketing. They are also listing locally on more than a dozen Internet marketing sites.
This has become a growing trend in both commercial and residential real estate. A sign in the yard and an MLS listing are no longer the norm, but the bare minimum. The residential real estate company, like many others, now routinely features open houses and stages virtual tours for those trying to sell their homes as quickly as possible. Because the housing market was suffering, the company was able to boost local sales by doing a full advertising campaign for each home. Now that things are picking up, the trend continues.
Ad-ology Research announced recently at the 8th annual International Economic Gardening Conference the launching of a new educational web series designed to help local marketers understand and take advantage of market research. LocalMarketResearch.com and its companion video briefing, Local Marketing Minute, feature trends, predictions and opportunities specific to local business.
C. Lee Smith, the president and CEO of Ad-ology Research said, “Not every brand is global or national, in fact, many businesses are truly local and get most of their sales from customers who are physically nearby, and these types of businesses often face unique marketing challenges and need specialized research to help them be successful.”
Twice a month, the Local Marketing Minute video installment will focus on a specific topic and how small business owners and marketers can approach the issue. Despite the fact that so many marketing blogs and podcasts currently focus on internet advertising, a majority of the topics relate more to large corporations and the strategies of well-known, successful companies. Now, small or local businesses can gain more detailed and tailor-made insights on how to better their business.
Like many regular company video updates or podcasts, anyone can purchase the briefings through iTunes.
Do you think billboard advertising doesn’t attract enough attention? Think again. Science World in Vancouver, BC has a new ad worth its weight in gold. The new outdoor advertising campaign by Science World spotlights the Treasure! exhibit that shares the lore of lost gold from pirates, shipwrecks and fortune hunters. It opened in May. The 200-square-foot billboard is covered in gold. Two ounces were flattened out into thin sheets and then installed for a 2-day guarded stay on a busy Vancouver road. The sign reads: “2 oz. of gold can cover a billboard.”
While it may seem a curious approach to the typical local advertiser, the $11,000 sign is doing its job. Targeted for local advertising efforts, it has now gotten international notoriety with its use of gold leaf. The sign has since been moved as planned into the Science World building and is on display until September.
Another billboard in Vancouver was recently covered in fake diamonds by the same advertising agency to announce its message and pique travelers’ curiosity. While most outdoor advertising is not as eye-catching, it does market to a broad audience and can get results. Billboards are a unique venue for advertisers that want to think outside the box. It doesn’t have to be a simple black-and-white text message or even a graphic design. It can be used to attract attention when used as a creative platform to promote your local business. You don’t need diamonds or gold to do it, just a vivid imagination, skilled fabricator and great location to reach your audience.
Image courtesy of Science World
It is no secret that many print newspapers are struggling as online news becomes more and more popular. The convenience of the Internet has driven print media to be more competitive not only with each other, but other types of media as well. Newspaper publishers must stay up with technology and reader demand if they wish to continue to be a driving force in their communities. They are doing this in a variety of ways. Some are actively involved in social media both as a user and offering the services to clients. Another avenue is the use of online subscriptions, which target local readers as well as people around the country – and the world – who have an interest in the comings and goings of the hometown newspaper. One of the newest strategies is the use of directed local advertising.
For example, one newspaper in Virginia is now offering precision ads to its print advertisers to step up their local advertising campaign. The Virginian-Pilot newspaper serves a handful of cities in Southeastern Virginia. The advertisers may select which city or neighborhood receives their ads by designating the zip codes they want to target. A dry-cleaning business in one city can place ads that will only go to their potential customers, rather than appearing in a print edition for someone that lives an hour away. This reduces the amount of money the advertisers are spending compared to those targeting the entire readership area.
At a glance, this might seem counterproductive to the newspaper, but with a second look, it does make sense. It is more affordable for the small business owner that would otherwise not advertise at all. This works for the local company, because only a certain target area of zip code residents will be interested in the advertisement for the service in the first place. It works for the newspaper, because receiving a piece of the advertising budget is better than receiving none of the advertising budget. This becomes a win-win for the both newspaper and the advertiser.
Macaroni and cheese is one of those classic comfort foods that kids love and adults love to remember. Kraft Foods has long been its champion, and has recently launched a national and localized advertising campaign geared toward adults to recapture the magic. Rather than a simple TV ad campaign, the company has chosen to go in all directions, with outdoor billboards, Internet advertising, social media marketing, print ads and even some unconventional methods. It is an all-out multi-media blitz.
Anyone watching the season finale of American Idol this week saw the campaign’s on-air kick-off. According to the New York Times, the company plans to drop more than $50 million on their Kraft Macaroni and Cheese product promotions this year. The company is showing a great example of how advertising diversity can boost a brand, and is clearly going after the most popular venues to air their wares.
It seems that each of the different types advertising is geared toward adults in a slightly different demographic, but appeals to a wide cross-over audience. In social media, for example, the company is focused on Facebook and Twitter users. Their “You Know You Love It” website has a mobile-friendly set-up for those on the go. It is also touches toward the head of household-types through classic Internet marketing with recipes and an online game that features instant coupons for the winner. For the offline versions, look to the print and billboard ads that tout “The most fun you can have with your stove on.” Giant macaroni sculptures are appearing in large cities and sports venues.
Kraft has changed its focus from being an economical food to one that is fun and whimsical. Firing on all cylinders, they are using both ends of the advertising spectrum to garner attention and boost the sales of not only their familiar blue box, but the entire mac and cheese line. It is clear from the diversity in marketing methods that Kraft means business. After only a few days into the campaign, it already appears to be working.
CitySearch hasn’t been as popular as it once was as a city guide since the birth of sites like Urbanspoon, Yelp, and even location-based social networks like Gowalla or Foursquare; however, they’ve now launched CityGrid, a platform that they hope will become a powerful tool for local advertisers everywhere, as well as an easy way to bring their sizeable listings and extensive content to the public.
For businesses trying to break into the online local advertising space, CityGrid offers a viable alternative to simply becoming a part of Google local listings or the Adwords program. The main point of this launch seems to be to establish a place online for CitySearch apart from the major search engines, and on the side of smaller businesses, and it seems to be working. At the end of last year, CityGrid aggregated more than 500,000 paying advertisers, enhanced listings and content for 15 million businesses and attracted over 100 million unique users across 100 web and mobile sites.
According to TechCrunch, “Local merchants can sign up to get sponsored spots in search and elsewhere, and they pay for things like every time someone clicks on their menu, a video, their own merchant description, or makes a phone call for a reservation. They are paying for leads, and the same actions trigger payments on partner sites as well. But in that case, Citysearch is splitting the ad revenue with the publisher.”
Organic traffic can be hard to secure, especially in a competitive industry. Many local advertisers are starting to find that paid advertisements work best for them, in which case, CityGrid might be worth a try.
Hats off to the San Francisco Giants baseball team. They have dipped their toes into the pond of social media marketing. The team recently held a tweetup before the game against the Colorado Rockies to promote their presence on the social media site Twitter (@sfgiants). The event, a gathering of Twitter users, started a few hours before the game and allowed select fans into Triples Alley, a special lounge not normally open to the public. A tweetup panel and guest speaker were part of pre-game activities. Even Giants pitcher @JeremyAffeldt participated. There was special reserved seating of 400 seats for tweetup participants for the game.
The fact that two special sections were sold out should attest to the growing interest in social media as a marketing tool. This was a first-time event for the ball club, and they gave plenty of incentives for their fans to show some support. There were “Follow Us” T-shirts for early birds and a portion of the proceeds went to Room To Read, a local charity.
The concept of hosting a tweetup is one of the newest forms of social media marketing that is now on the rise in popularity. The tweetup is geared at a younger crowd, something the baseball team must target if it is going to grow their fan base. Of course, winning the game probably didn’t hurt either.
Direct mail advertising envelopes are getting a facelift. In an effort to entice the consumer not to throw away precious marketing materials that might be considered “junk mail” in some households, marketing companies are ramping up the eye candy. Since direct mail campaigns in plain envelopes have been declining in effectiveness with consumers for some time, trends are calling for companies to change the look of the local advertising medium that is so popular with merchants.
Instead of the plain white economical packet that can be spotted a mile away by consumers who promptly shred it or pitch it in the trash, dashing and informative seems to be working. While cramming as much interesting information with 4-color printing on the outside seems to be the ticket for targeting the consumer through direct mail, its appearance must be intriguing enough to capture the consumer’s attention without turning them off from being targeted for an advertisement.
Advertising aimed at a particular demographic group has long been what makes direct mail advertising effective. Certain niche industries fare more successfully than others. One direct mail campaign that seems to work well is the coupon pack. Advertisers like this method because they can pick and choose what to put on the coupon, then pick and choose who gets it. With a “you get what you pay for” return, local marketing return on investment (ROI) runs strong for the direct mail advertiser that is reaching the right audience and piques their audience’s interest. Consumers like the coupon packs because they know they will get a deal of some sort if they want one.
While the coupon pack is popular with consumers, not everyone can advertise that way. For investment companies and doctor’s offices that want people to know more about policies that cannot be explained on a page one-third of the size of a piece of their favorite letterhead, the old-fashioned, official looking #10 envelope is far too tempting. The theory some businesses adopt is, the more information they can churn out, the more people will want to learn about what they are doing. This is not necessarily true, but it does work for some specific types of businesses.
Meanwhile, everyone else is steering in the direction of “catchy is best and please make it count.” For some businesses, it is a blatant disregard for the cost-cutting measures that so many companies are adopting in this economic downturn. Rather than sending out mail in standard white envelopes with company colors and bright logos, many businesses are using black-and-white printing on inexpensive white envelopes to plead their cases. Black-and-white images are working for billing departments, but not for local marketing. When consumers are ignoring the message, it needs to be wrapped in a different package. It would seem that 4-color printing is the advertising equivalent of a pretty bow on the package that is getting attention and getting results.
Direct mail advertising envelopes are getting a facelift. In an effort to entice the consumer not to throw away precious marketing materials that might be considered “junk mail” in some households, marketing companies are ramping up the eye candy. Since direct mail campaigns in plain envelopes have been declining in effectiveness with consumers for some time, trends are calling for companies to change the look of the local advertising medium that is so popular with merchants.
Instead of the plain white economical packet that can be spotted a mile away by consumers who promptly shred it or pitch it in the trash, dashing and informative seems to be working. While cramming as much interesting information with 4-color printing on the outside seems to be the ticket for targeting the consumer through direct mail, it’s appearance must be intriguing enough to capture the consumer’s attention without turning them off from being targeted for an advertisement.
Advertising aimed at a particular demographic group has long been what makes direct mail advertising effective. Certain niche industries fare more successfully than others. One direct mail campaign that seems to work well is the coupon pack. Advertisers like this method because they can pick and choose what to put on the coupon, then pick and choose who gets it. With a “you get what you pay for” return, local marketing return on investment (ROI) runs strong for the direct mail advertiser that is reaching the right audience and piques their audience’s interest. Consumers like the coupon packs because they know they will get a deal of some sort if they want one.
While the coupon pack is popular with consumers, not everyone can advertise that way. For investment companies and doctor’s offices that want people to know more about policies that cannot be explained on a page one-third of the size of a piece of their favorite letterhead, the old-fashioned #10 envelope is far too tempting. The theory some businesses adopt is, the more information they can churn out, the more people will want to learn about what they are doing. This is not necessarily true, but it does work for some specific types of businesses.
Meanwhile, everyone else is steering in the direction of “catchy is best and please make it count.” For some businesses, it is a blatant disregard for the cost-cutting measures that so many companies are adopting in this economic downturn. Rather than sending out mail in standard white envelopes with company colors and bright logos, many businesses are using black-and-white printing on inexpensive white envelopes to plead their cases. Black-and-white images are working for billing departments, but not for local marketing. When consumers are ignoring the message, it needs to be wrapped in a different package. It would seem that 4-color printing is the advertising equivalent of a pretty bow on the package that is getting attention and getting results.
So Google Maps has now made use of the phone part of the smartphone. When your customers are looking for somewhere local to stop and pick something up, they can find you quickly and easily.
They can just use the Search by Voice for maps and directions on the Windows Mobile and Symbian S60 phones. Google’s Search by Voice has been in use in various and sundry Google functions for the past two years. Now it’s good for safer directions.
Search by Voice for Maps just made local advertising that much more local. Google Maps 4.1 has a voice search that lets certain mobile phone users call up a company’s location map by business category or name, place and addresses. For the true map hound, you can even search by latitude and longitude.
If it sounds like the same type of mobile map search your customers have been using, you’re right. But now they can use it to find your business while they’re driving around town and speaking out loud.
Now, some people struggle with voice software because they have a bit of an accent. This is where the preference menu comes in handy. It allows for different languages, including various English accents.
So for businesses in the South, where it is sometimes difficult for people in the same town to understand each other, voice searches for maps will probably still work. Although drivers still need to manually bring up the mobile search voice menu, it reduces the amount of time and lack of attention spent on mobile search. In time, other smartphones will be capable of the same technology. Until then, keep in mind that mobile search – by voice or by hand – is the up-and-coming means of finding your local business for people on the go.
When we think of television ads, we usually think of advertisements for products like food, clothing, hair care products or the ever-popular pharmaceuticals. For local spots, the restaurants and car dealerships tend to throw their hats in the ring to drum up business. But when was the last time you saw an ad on TV for a New York Ad conference? Ever?
Hats off to Affiliate Summit East 2010 for hitting the airwaves with its August 15-17 summer affiliate marketing conference commercial. It shows the effectiveness of local advertising in the New York area, one of the cities where it airs overnight. What better way for a marketing company to sell the concept of TV ad campaigns than to run one of their own? It even gives a discount code at the end of the spot so they can track just how effective their commercial is – or isn’t.
It can’t be too off the mark. In 2003 they had 200 people show up. Last count was more than 4,000. On a more local level, it might be time for those who are not in the normal TV niche market to give it a try.
How does a newspaper’s location affect local advertising? Just ask The Atlanta Journal-Constitution. As of next week, it will no longer be in Atlanta. The newspaper is moving to Dunwoody, Ga. not at its Marietta Street location where it has been since the Civil War. The newspaper is moving out beyond what any self-respecting Atlantan calls Atlanta. They refer to it as OTP, outside the perimeter. It’s not in the city anymore.
No, the newspaper is not changing its name to The Dunwoody Journal-Constitution. But it begs the question advertisers must ask. Will this move affect their local advertising campaigns? Will the newspaper lose readership because it has moved to suburbia and is no longer in the city? The newspaper has made several changes in the past few years. This is just one more.
The newspaper’s line is that it will not have any change in its news coverage, only in publishing and operating costs. While the news staff has been cut dramatically over the past year, the newspaper’s owner, Cox Newspapers, may be simply making its advertising dollars stretch even more.
For the local advertiser, the only change that should be seen is if the readership drops. Will anyone really notice, or much less care about where the employees drive to every day? Not likely, but still debatable.
Newspaper advertising works well in many industries, despite the forum’s slow decline in readership over the years. It is still successful, especially for coupons and local marketing. Although it will be interesting to see the statistics at the end of the year, as long as people are still getting their news – and their newspapers – they will still get their advertisements. The practical thought is that the effect of local advertising in The Atlanta Journal-Constitution will probably not change. If anything, its little boost in the news at moving might even bring it a little more business. And that’s got to be good for the local advertiser.
The possibilities of marketing on the internet are certainly global, and the potential audiences are unlimited. However, with the increasing amount of resources available online and the increasing amount of time people are spending online, even local businesses are finding that and online marketing presence is absolutely crucial. According to the Internet Advertising Bureau’s recent report, online advertising revenues reached a record quarterly high of $6.3 billion at the end of this past quarter.
While print advertisements and traditional media outlets are still important for local business marketing, businesses need to reach their customers where they are, and they are online. Compared to traditional broadcast and print media, 17% of ad budgets were allocated to the web, which has risen from 8% in 2008. This is a number that has been increasing over the past several years, proving that the Internet is a more significant part of ad budgets and marketing plans than ever before.
One of the most traditional fundamentals of online advertising is search, which garners 47% of the money spent towards ads online. Digital video advertising, however, saw the most growth between 2008 and 2009, climbing by almost 39%. The report also suggested that local online advertising would grow by 31% and local paid search could increase by 86%. Whether the numbers prove to be that drastic or not, one thing is for sure – any business, whether local or otherwise, will find their customers most easily online.
Are you looking to expand your advertising but you don’t know what method to use?
We have the answers.
There are many types of local advertising that can be used alone or together to get the maximum exposure to your business without going broke.
These include SEO advertising, local newspaper, flyer distribution, advertising agencies, television, radio, Yellow Pages, direct mail, and promotional products.
Each of these services has its own special niche clientele, a reason why it works well for certain industries. They key is to find which services work for your business, then find a company that can help you achieve success by bolstering your sales.
The best marketing strategy is to study who and where your potential clients are.
Once you have determined these points, develop a message. Give your audience the basic information of who and where you are, what you do, and a way to find out more.
Keep it short and sweet. In today’s society, no one has a long attention span. Encourage readers or listeners to check out your store or go online and visit your website.
Make a budget. Whether you have millions to spend on advertising or just a few dollars in the bank, come up with a plan and stick to it. Once your advertising campaign takes hold, your budget will grow.
We have compiled some basics on local advertising so you can decide what’s best for your business. Take a look around our website and choose your strategy!