The aim of the conference is to promote New York City, selected start-up businesses and the tech scene all at once. A 24-hour Hackathon leads up to the event. About 500 hackers will create new products on Saturday, May 21st and Sunday, May 22nd. New start-ups will launch beginning Monday, May 23rd during the conference amid speakers and programs on technology and new Internet technology.

This is also an opportunity for local businesses to act as sponsors and advertisers while targeting visitors and locals alike during this unique event.

Disrupt NYC 2011 also serves as a reminder to other small and local businesses throughout the country that participating in local conferences and expos is another way to gain exposure and brand recognition. Events with many potential customers in one place makes expose, conferences and seminars all excellent opportunities to hand out promotional products, coupons and brightly colored flyers.

Having your business’ name listed in the program or your company logo emblazoned on a banner in the front hall is another step toward effective local advertising. Handing out flyers works, too. True, NYC is a big place, but to local merchants in the Big Apple, this is about taking every opportunity to gain clients and brand recognition right in their back yard.

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Image courtesy of torchystacos.com

Celebrating your local business through Internet advertising is one way to attract customers. Torchy’s Tacos in Austin, Texas, for example, recently stepped up its local advertising campaign. Prompted by a visit from a Google Places team, Google’s local ads division, the popular trailer restaurant had a free taco giveaway on Saturday. The event was advertised on Google to let people know about it. It was also promoted on Google Hotpot, a local recommendation engine.

If you are planning a local business event, don’t forget to advertise it so that people will show up. You don’t just want your loyal customers to come, you also want to attract people you have never seen before. Think about it. If Torchy’s Tacos got 10 new people to try their Tex-Mex fare for free this weekend and they liked it, they probably gained 10 more future customers to start. If they each bring a friend to dinner, that’s 20 new customers – all from one event.

There are many different ways to let people know about your local event. Put up some flyers and mention it to customers as they come in the week or so before. One way to advertise, of course, is through search engine advertising. Register with Google Places or have a professional local search engine advertising company do it for you. They can also help with an organic Internet advertising or pay-per-click campaign. Other ways to promote a local event include a local radio or TV spot, e-mail marketing and promoting it through your company’s website.

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This strategy is working for a group of local merchants in the Business Triangle in North Carolina. Rather than using a smaller advertising budget with smaller results, the merchants are pooling their resources to promote local businesses in Raleigh, North Carolina.

The Shop Local Raleigh campaign is encouraging area residents and restaurant owners to participate in Restaurant Week from Monday, January 24th through Sunday, January 30th. Each of the more than a dozen participating restaurants will have a set $15, $20 or $30 dinner menu item for patrons to try.

Guard Dog is targeting the radio show for local advertising because it focuses on news topics and political issues. The talk show endorsements are just the first of a local marketing campaign that will air commercials on the same radio station during a financial talk show later in the day. Also planned are local television ads in the Orlando market. According to Guard Dog executives, this local advertising model will be used in other markets in the near future as it continues to grow its local advertising campaign.

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Go Daddy, the domain-name registration site, announced the launch of AdSpace this month, and online advertising service that aims at increasing local business’ leads online starting at about $50 a month. In trying to make online local advertising as simple as possible, Go Daddy has provided an easy set up with full-time support writing, managing, and placing advertisements for clients. After clients fill out a brief information form, AdSpace creates an optimized landing page and Google Adwords account in order to drive traffic immediately.

All calls and clicks can be tracked and even recorded so business owners or sales directors can determine how to better turn leads into sales.

Of course, the consumer must be a coffee drinker who likes Starbucks’ wares and is willing to try something new to earn their reward of a free tall drink, but that’s where the marketing strategy comes in. When the pitch is made, the ad follows up with a store locator to click and find the Starbucks near you.  And that’s where the local comes in. Most people don’t think of Starbucks as a national chain, they think of it as the coffee shop on their way in to the office or coming home from school. Following the growing trend toward local advertising, Starbucks can not only track the advertising campaign, it can see exactly which stores were targeted by locators and how many people actually bought the 6-pack as requested.

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The idea behind LMX is for business owners and marketing managers to discover what types advertising can generate the best return on investment for their companies.

Local Marketing Expo, will focus on several different forms of local advertising, including search engine optimization (SEO), promotional products, newspapers and magazines, direct mail, television and radio. Conference-goers can listen to 4 different keynote speakers at the top of their fields, and attend breakout sessions of their choice on a wide array of topics. Panel members of both local and national acclaim will participate in discussions during the breakout sessions on subjects like customer service, Internet advertising, email campaigns, targeted marketing and government contracts.

The event will also feature networking opportunities, as well as several vendor booths in the expo area.

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More than 50 baby carrot growers are joining the marketing campaign, which features different types of advertising. Both billboard and television ads will be used locally, with more exciting product packaging and a new slogan also part of the marketing plan.

Ads featuring the cool, healthy snack will be placed on a number of outdoor advertising billboards with high volume traffic just in time for the new school year. As Americans are constantly being reminded to eat healthier foods, baby carrot producers are ramping up the message not as a slam on junk food, but as an exciting alternative. The TV ad campaign will be directed at school-age kids looking for a cool, trendy and popular lunch treat. Giving baby carrots a new image might just be the answer for kids and parents alike.

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Like many advertising  methods, some patience was required. Two years later, the Ark Assurance radio ads have caught on and have spurred additional business. Brand recognition takes time to build with potential customers. Targeting a local radio and television audience for your local brand can work, but you must know who your potential customers are and where to find them. Combining several types of advertising for a multi-faceted campaign gives it an extra boost.

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In that same time span, The New York Times has also reported newspaper ad revenue decline. It reported an increase in overall revenue this quarter, thanks to the rise in digital marketing. The newspaper advertising revenue is still down, like Gannett’s, but the diversity of offerings is helping to offset losses.

Many newspapers are bolstering their readership by offering special deals to online subscribers and those who also receive the newspaper at home. The higher the readership, the more likely a newspaper ad is to be seen. This is good news for the local advertiser.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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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.

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.

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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.

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.

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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.

• What are the demographics?
• What is the easiest way to reach them?
• How can you get their attention?

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!