Why BIG Companies Need Local Search Advertising

May 2007
By Patricia Hursh
The Search Marketing Standard - Print Edition

Here is a summary of an article published in the Summer 2007 print edition of Search Marketing Standard...

Local search advertising is one of the fastest growing sectors of the online ad market. Much has been written
about how this channel has the potential to change the way millions of small- and medium-sized businesses across America can effectively market to customers.

But local search isn’t just for small businesses... large companies and big brands also should embrace this marketing method to take advantage of the opportunity to reach prospects in a highly relevant, timely and local manner.

A Growing Market
People Are Searching for Local Businesses

People are increasingly relying on search engines to find and contact local businesses, and this change in consumer behavior is taking market share away from traditional print yellow pages and newspaper classified advertising.

Advertisers are Starting to Invest in Local Search

2007 promises to be another banner year for online advertising, and local paid search - poised to nearly double from 2006 to 2007 - is a big contributor to this growth. According to a recent report from Borrell Associates, local advertisers are now purchasing 36 percent of all sponsored links on the major search engines, up from just 5.6 percent 18 months ago.

Customers Interact with Brands Locally and Online

Statistics aside, we all know that people most often interact with brands locally. Yet many national marketers don’t realize that the local experience often begins before a customer walks through the door.

Local Search Advertising Options
PPC Search Ads

Pay-per-click ad campaigns can be made “local” by adding geo-targeting and/or advertising on local keywords. This approach allows a local business, or a large company, to present specific, local offers to searchers based on location.

Fixed-Fee Local Search Ads

Yahoo Local Listings are probably the best example of a simplified local search ad product. Local Listings are based on a fixed monthly fee determined by each advertiser’s specific location(s) and business category. This eliminates the need to actively manage campaigns, keywords, bids, and budgets -- making it much more palatable for a small business, yet effective for large businesses as well. Furthermore, the contact information and maps displayed within a Local Listing make it particularly well suited for marketers wanting to make the phone ring or drive customers into a physical store.

Don’t Miss the Local Search Opportunity

Millions of local online searches are conducted every day giving small businesses and big companies the ability to reach prospects at the exact moment they are looking for precisely what a business offers and, perhaps more importantly, where they offer it.

The vast majority of large advertisers, national chains, dealerships and franchises are missing this highly-relevant advertising opportunity. These advertisers continue to dedicate nearly all of their budgets to TV, radio, print, outdoor and direct mail. This proves to be a short-sighted strategy because traditional advertising raises general awareness and causes today’s consumer to go online and -- you guessed it -- search!

Marketers need to close this loop and follow their customers online. By taking advantage of local search’s highly-focused, highly-relevant and cost-effective methods of reaching customers online, big brand managers can drive much more value than generalized marketing campaigns. Bottom-line: don’t miss out on the local search opportunity!

Posted on May 21, 2007 06:51 PM

---

Previous - Heavy traffic ahead

Next - Driving Online Registrations: Think Beyond the White Paper


Back to Main