Growing Your Local Business In 2017 With Strategic Inbound Marketing

Well the first quarter of 2017 is already gone along with most of April! Have you had time to take a look at your sales goals for 2017? Are you on track for a great year? If you feel like you've fallen short or are more than a little worried about sales, read on. We have some information that can help get you back on track and finishing the year stronger than you imagined.

This article on smallbiztrends.com discussing the Small Business Digital Trends Report is fascinating and also relevant to this topic.

Could your business be among the many that are missing out on new customers by not optimizing their online and social media presence? The Web.com Small Business Digital Trends Report created in collaboration with an Innovation Fellow in the Technology and Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard, Dr. David Ricketts, says that only 17 percent of small business owners are willing to invest in search engine optimization (SEO) in 2017.

“The number one reason why small business owners are online is to attract and engage with new customers, yet our report indicates small business owners may be having a hard time keeping up with the continually changing dynamic of the web,” the Web.com (NASDAQ:WEB) CEO David Brown said in a prepared release on the study.

Brown goes on to say....

In 2017, it is no longer enough for small business owners to be online with just a web site. They need business-specific social media channels that engage customers, they need a search-engine-optimization (SEO) strategy that will get them on the top of search lists, and they need online marketing advice from real people who understand how to stay one step ahead of their competition and customer expectations

You can continue doing the same marketing that is either just making ends meet or is on a steady decline, or you can take the leap and learn more about online marketing for local business. Unfortunately many local businesses believe that SEO is too expensive and out of their reach. Most SEO program costs are based on the competitiveness of the industry and the targeted region. When a local business attempts to compete on a national level the cost will be much higher for SEO but when the choose to compete on a local level... it becomes much more affordable. And it is the smarter option since most of their customers are going to be local anyway.

The folks at Search Engine Land say it best in regards to local SEO:

Why local SEO?
Before we get into the tips, let me lay the groundwork for why you need to invest in local SEO. People use search engines to find local businesses they want to buy from. This is not just my own opinion; Google’s own research proves it. Here are a few stats the make the point.

- Four in five consumers use search engines to find local information.
- Fifty percent of consumers who conducted a local search on their smartphone visited a store within a day, and 34 percent who searched on a computer or tablet did the same.
- Local searches lead to more purchases than non-local searches. Eighteen percent of local searches on smartphones lead to a purchase within a day vs. 7 percent of non-local searches.

What does this mean for your business? Not only are people searching locally, they’re taking action when they do! Building a strategy that promotes your business locally will do more than drive website traffic — it will drive sales.

When Local SEO isn't in the budget, lead generation services can be the next best option. But be careful when choosing a lead generation program for your business. Some companies sell leads for a small fee but they are sharing one lead with 4 to 5 companies. Many of our clients have tried these programs and don't like them at all. They find that they need to negotiate their fee to compete with the other 4 companies and their close rate is too low.

The best option we believe is "exclusive leads". Exclusive leads means no more sharing leads and bartering your prices. Yes, sometimes the leads will cost a little more but the close ratio is much higher.

Conclusion:
Doing nothing will leave your business at risk. But taking steps to ensure your business will be secure for a long time to come, is a smart investment. Give us a call and schedule your free 30 minute consultation and learn how these strategic inbound marketing solutions for small business can change your gross sales in 2017. Call (877) 304-7990 Today!

 

Learn More Here: Growing Your Local Business In 2017 With Strategic Inbound Marketing