Local Internet Marketing…when they call you and want to buy!

Now the reason every business owner wants their add in the yellow pages is simple…Every Business Owner needs more business (some just want more but the majority NEED more).  Whether you are a roofer in South Dakota or a swimming pool installer in California, the need for the yellow pages is inevitable.

Why the yellowpages? Customers can call to get questions answered, schedule a job, get a quote and the business owners can close deals.  The power of the phone call cannot be replaced by a website.  It can however, be enhanced by the web. BusinessWeek did a great story last week about Pay-Per-Call.  The ability for a small business owner to pay for people in their area searching for their service to call them and they only pay when calls happen.  Not bad.  Seems like a no brainer BUT it can be expensive.  Why not just add your phone number to your Google AdWords?  Why not make your phone number highly visible on your website.  Encourage people to call and only pay for the clicks (especially if it’s less expensive than the pay-per-call scenario).

 The story in BusinessWeek describes a company that was paying $25 per call for Roofing.  The lady interviewed said she’d gladly pay twice that for the leads she’s getting.  My answer….your wish will come true. She’s making great money but could she do better by adding a stronger internet marketing strategy to her business? of course.

Local Internet Marketing isn’t just getting a website and selling stuff online. It’s about making your business shine online AND offline.  Don’t replace your offline marketing, enhance it with paid listings, Search Engine Optimization, pay per call and anything else that will validate and grow your business. 

One day every small business owner will understand and use the internet but until then I’ll keep blogging and venting:)