Most business owners think that once they have obtained a website it will automatically be visible in Google, Yahoo and Bing. This is usually not the case due to the vast growth of websites over the last ten to fifteen years. In the 1990’s business owners knew that they needed a website, but now almost two decades later not only do they need a website it needs to be equipped with SEO as well. Business owners have to think about what they are trying achieve when it comes to online advertising, who are they trying to sell? For most business owners capturing the local market is the ultimate goal.

To achieve online success within your local market you must gather information about your business that makes it stand out. Point out the specific features that separates you from your competitors, by doing so you now understand the edge that you have against your competition. Next you will want to do some online research and see who exactly who it is you are competing with in your local area. Evaluate the content of three or four different websites, see what they are doing differently and compare the things that are alike. This will give you excellent insight about your industry and will help you determine your companies strengths and weaknesses.

Once you have completed this, take some time and research different free directory services that allow detailed information to be submitted to there site. The sweet spots are the ones that allow links back to your website,like yellowassistance.com or localndex.com if you can find at least ten of these you will dramatically increase your search engine rankings. This is important because these sites generate substantial amounts of traffic due to the magnitude of inbound and outbound links it has running through it. By submitting to these kinds of sites you are esentially building the same kind of links back to your website which will improve your search engine rankings. You should treat these directories with your utmost attention and patience, the more accurate content you provide the better your business will surface. Inaccurate information or limited content not only could loose a potential sell for your business but it can also effect your search engine rankings as well.

Most local small to medium sized business owners make the same mistake when researching their search engine rankings online.  There are many business owners out there who will Google search their business name, see it on the first page and think that there is no need for SEO (Search Engine Optimization). Although having their business name surfacing is a good start, the fact is consumers are searching for products and services not a business name. In order for business owners to correctly search for their business rankings online they must first think like the consumer. A consumer will search for a particular product or service they are in need of and in most cases they will also include the city in which they are located. Using these two factors in a search will help them achieve more relevant results. As a business owner it is imperative that these techniques are used to research his or her search engine rankings.

Example Business Name: Awesome Apparel Tulsa, OK.

Example Search Content: digital printing tulsa

Real Search Results:

The screen shot above shows how a company that does business locally would search for their business using the product or service the business provides along with the location of the company. If this technique is used and the particular business does not surface on the first, second or third page you might visit yellowassistance.com for more information. If the business owner has a national or global company these techniques may not apply.

Small to medium sized business owners are struggling to find effective ways to advertise their products and services. In fact most business owners are still using the traditional forms of advertising such as television and phone book ads. Although these forms of advertising are still effective, the return on investment is rapidly declining. Reasons for this can be blamed on the technology that has developed within just the last decade. In recent years television commercials have had a tremendous impact on their viewers, but now with the introduction to DVR’s and Tivo recording devices television commercials have been fast-forwarded or completely skipped. In a recent study by an IBM consumer survey, it was discovered that between the years 2007-2008 24 percent of people in the U.S. owned a television recorder and watched recorded television 50 percent of the time. These numbers are only going to increase in the years to come since most television companies provide these recording devices within their promotional packages.

Other forms of traditional advertising that are facing declines are the yellow page and newspaper companies. Although the value of the ads with these companies have dropped, the price of the ad has remained the same. In the U.S. Internet usage is showing a 20 percent increase while yellow page and newspaper companies are expected to be seeing a 25 percent to 30 percent decline by 2012. Instead of flipping through pages, consumers are now turning to the Internet for all of their products and services when they know it is only a click away.

The solution is online advertising, simply to get Business owners information into the lap of the consumer searching for their products. Business owners need to take advantage of this brilliant source of advertising, the trick however is to be able to surface when a consumer is searching for their product or service. With 95 percent of Internet users using general search engines to find what they are looking for, the business owner needs to be visible on all of them. And since 88 percent of online users do not go past the first three pages on Google, Yahoo or Bing it is imperative that they focus on these areas. Business owners will find that advertising using traditional forms can still be effective, but a smart business owner will shift some of those ad dollars to the most effective form of advertising, the Internet. Imagine being able to target the 63 percent of the people searching online before making a purchase.

The process that is used to achieve these efforts is called SEO (Search Engine Optimization). SEO uses a combination of techniques that will increase your online visibility. SEO is something any business owner can learn, but what they will soon come to understand is that it takes months and even years to master. This reason is why most business owners hire and outside source to do this service for them, as they do not have time to try and learn the techniques of SEO. Business owners want fast results and although SEO takes two to three months to take effect, hiring someone to do SEO will get them surfacing that much faster. Most business owners will find that they do not necessarily need a website to achieve search engine results. In fact a landing or leaf page can be less expensive and more effective than a actual website. The reason landing pages can be more effective is simple, the directory they are hosted on simply just has more traffic and in and outbound links to it. Making it very attractive to all major search engines and putting your business information on the launch pad for premium visibility. For more information visit yellowassistance.com.

As a consumer, one of the most powerful tools you possess on the web is your voice.  Since most people research products and companies online before they purchase a product or use a services, sharing your purchasing experiences with others makes the consumer’s voice a powerful force.  So, when you find a restaurant you really like, or an auto mechanic you really trust, or a plumber that you would never use again, take a couple of minutes and write a short review on Yellow Assistance.

It’s really very simple.  Just do a quick search for the business you want to review, like “Umbertos Pizza in Tulsa, OK.” On the results page, select the business you want to review, then click on “Rate It” under the rating stars. (You must log in or register for a free account to post reviews)

Business Listing to Review

Once you arrive at the Business Review page, you simply select the rating you want to give, and share your experience about that business.

Rate a business and write a review

Exercise your power and speak your voice.  If everyone did this with just a few of the businesses they have experience with, just think how better informed you would feel when making important consumer decisions.

Adam Clayton Powell III author of “Reinventing the Local News,” was the keynote speaker this morning at the Kelsey Conference in Washington DC.  He claims to be a recovering journalist involved in a 10 step program.  During his speech he talked about how the local news needs to reinvent itself by looking to morph into other areas.  He used one example of Cox Communications and their experiment with AutoTrader.com now a $750 million dollar business.  This is example was something he called a Microlocal play.  Microlocal?  He defines this as a small community, but not necessarily geographically based.  Mircrolocal opportunities can occur in a geo target, but can also occur  within a vertical, or a group of people.  One example of a group of people given was the military.  This is a very large group but considered a microlocal target.

His point was that as media companies move deeper into this digital age they need to be aware of microlocal opportunities are around them and be prepared to act even if it doesn’t fit their current model or platform.  John Kelsey commented that many media companies are resisting this change because their management teams were successful with a different plan, the plan they seem to be holding onto.  You can draw another parallel between media companies and print yellow page companies in this area.  While not all print yellow page companies are slow to move many are!  Some companies such as AdVentures publishing are embracing new cross platform sales opportunities and are working hard to provide their customers the very best advertising opportunities.  The large publishers like AT&T (AT&T The Real Yellow Pages/Yellowpages.com, Idearc (Verizon Yellow Pages/Smartpages.com), RH Donnelly (Dex Yellow Pages/Dexknows.com) are very much selling cross platform and have been for almost two years now.  Time will tell if the smaller publishers will see the trend and begin to sell in this new media ecosystem.  Here are some of the pieces to the new ecosystem:

• Print
• Broadcast
• Internet Ads (SEM)
• SEO
• Online Directory
• Video
• Mobile
• Social Networks

I am interested to see what this market will look like in the next 2 years.  I think the economy has thrown jet fuel on the fire and we will see the elimination of a lot of companies who do not figure out how to offer their advertisers a full suite of products.  The yellow page and broadcast companies have an advantage with feet on the street, only time will tell if they will use those relationships, or if new players will step in and fulfill that need for the local advertiser.

The answer is everyone with a pulse.  Mobile phones are referred to in the industry as the Third Screen.  The TV and the Computer being 1st and 2nd respectively.  A lot of focus is being put on advertising on the Third Screen, why?  It is harder to advertise on because it is a pull versus a push form of advertising.   Shouldn’t email marketing be easier because you can practically send it to everyone? Actually, advertisers love the mobile phone because it is push, in essence they are advertising to people who want their advertising!  Sounds like a fantastic opportunity to advertisers to advertise to only those who want their advertising.  This is a fairly new technology but many companies are cropping up to offer large companies like Pepsi, Arby’s, and Jiffy Lube the opportunity to opt in cell phone users.  Once the cell phone users opt in, then the company is free to market to the mobile phone.  These companies will send out marketing messages in the form of mobile discounts andwill easily be able to accurately measure the results.  With this type of marketing, the companies can quickly find out what works and what doesn’t work and then run similar promotions via other media.

The Third Screen is also fast becoming  viable method of viewing broadcast content.  Companies like News Over Wireless are offering television content, news, sports, etc. directly to the mobile phone.  This is one more area for advertisers to reach the fastest growing segment in the advertising industry.  However, this advertising is not permission based, it is the same as broadcast on TV, it is interuptive. My guess is most users won’t care about a few commercials just as they didn’t care when TV first started running commercials.  The newness of the technology affords some leeway to the advertisers.  Also, it is more difficult to surf while the commercials are on, most cell phone users will watch the commercials.  It is a more captive audience then the person watching TV or listening to radio. 

Will the broadcast companies partner with companies like Yellow Assistance to provide local search and mobile advertising platforms to their current and new advertisers?  Time will tell who forms these partner relationships and who will try to internally build the technology.  One thing is clear, it really isn’t a question of should they, it is more a question of when will they do it.

Yesterday we listened to several great forums where major players in the broadcast media industry discussed the future of advertising and how broadcasters will play in the game of rounding up advertising dollars.

There is a parallel between the radio broadcast group and the publishing industry.  Both industries are facing declines in advertising revenue, both industries are trying to figure out how to position themselves for the future.  The message is consistent.  In order to play in the future you need to sell multiple pieces of the advertising pie.  In other words you need to be selling more than your core product.  Advertisers today are looking for cross promotional platforms.  Mike Bloxham a very colorful speaker said that if broadcasters are not offering cross platform opportunities then the advertisers will begin to try to figure these out and do it themselves or look for someone who can do it for them.  Cross platform simply means advertising across multiple platforms like broadcast, online (directory, SEM/SEO, website, social networks) and mobile applications. 

Yellow Assistance works with Independent Yellow Pages Publishers and offers them a platform that allows them to quickly offer an online presence that helps their clients by providing them a directory with the latest tools such as text to mobile, driving directions, video, coupons and much more.  This platform is a key piece of an effective SEO strategy for the advertiser.  Our focus has been on the Yellow Pages Industry, but this Kelsey/BIAfn conference in DC has pointed out that or platform is perfect for other industries trying to provide a full suite of advertising services to their clients.  Radio, Newspaper and television all need to offer these products and whether they use our YAP3 platform or internally develop their own internally, it is a necessity. 

Companies today offer advertising need to be agents of change and offer their clients a full suite of advertising tools.  It is not enough to just build a TV/radio commercial, or place an ad in a phone book, it has to go much further.  The good news is, it is not difficult to do, there are many good companies that a publisher or broadcaster can partner with to provide these services.  Pick a partner that will help to protect or improve your margins.

Both industries, Print Yellow Pages, and Broadcasters have an advantage in that they have feet on the street, they have relationships with the local advertisers.  The question remains, will they leverage those relationships and offer a full suite of advertising products.�
– Post From My iPhone