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.