Using Local Listings to Attract New Customers
Local listings are an integral part of Internet marketing. These directories provide companies with the opportunity to publish contact and location information so that their business can be found via search engines.
When local listings are properly used, businesses can achieve higher search engine rankings and attract new customers. Publishing to these directories is a time-consuming task. Hundreds of local listing directories exist and information must be submitted by hand. To publish at all directories could easily require more than 100 man hours.
Many businesses submit information to the major search engines and think this is sufficient effort. Those who do not submit to numerous directories will not be able to capitalize on all the benefits associated with local listings.
Each directory listing provides an inbound link. Quality website links help improve search engine rankings and allow published businesses to be easily found. Anyone with a website knows how challenging it can be to achieve good rankings, so it is important to fully utilize the power of business listing directories.
In addition to publishing business information via local listing directories, companies should also consider submitting to online phone directories, data providers and aggregators, and social listings. Submissions will be an ongoing project because new directories are added frequently.
After listings are published, it is important to follow-up to ensure proper information is posted. Directory service employees usually transcribe provided information into the directory database. People can make mistakes, so it's important to review listings immediately upon publication. If mistakes are found, the listing company should be contacted promptly.
When listings are published at social listing sites such as InsiderPages or Yelp, it's important to develop tracking strategies to receive instant notification of customer reviews. Social listings encourage customers to publish unbiased reviews.
Although it can be exciting to receive glowing reviews, business reputations can quickly be ruined if unhappy clients unleash via public forums. When defamatory posts are published, it is smart to immediately contact the listing directory and request removal.
Receiving instant notification of positive reviews can also be beneficial. Reviews provide an excellent opportunity to build customer relations. Businesses can interact with happy customers and use personal testimonies via blogs, company websites, newsletters, and other forms of marketing materials.
Not to mention positive reviews help direct customers to the business. When people visit social listing websites they are not only looking for local businesses, they are also curious about what others have to say. Providing company information to social directories is a smart online marketing strategy that can increase search engine rankings and company profits.
Prior to engaging in local listings marketing it is important to develop a plan to implement and track results. At bare minimum, companies should plan to publish to 10 or more directories per week.
It is best to have a dedicated employee manage directory listings. Entrepreneurs and small business owners may find it helpful to work with an online marketing company to develop and manage ad campaigns. It's important to work with agencies that offer a variety of strategies and capable of effectively tracking results provided through local listings.