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Many online businesses are overlooking their local market in an effort to go global.  This is a mistake according to Rieva Lesonsky, CEO of GrowBiz Media.  She said it should be the first place a business starts.  Why?  It builds credibility in your community, and people still want to buy from people they know and trust.  So how do you let the community know you are open for business?  Learn how to start where they are first- online.

Online Tools

A. Yahoo! Locals:  They have millions of users, but are able to pinpoint a person's location for appropriate ads. 1. Go to Yahoo! Locals 2. Sign up for an account 3. Fill in the required information 4. Update as needed.

B. Craigslist.com.  Register for an account, and make ads as appropriate.  Ads generally expire within 7 days, so just resubmit the ad.  They are worth the effort because they receive over 9 billion page views per month.  You can list events, meetings, items for sale, jobs and opportunities on the site.

C. Merchant Circle:  By using their free tools, an online business can increase their rank on Yahoo! and Google.  Businesses can create coupons, newsletters, blogs and ads.

D. Local.com is a good site that is very specific.  Regardless of where you are in U.S., it automatically brings up that area.  There is no cost to the listing, and they might even feature it on their front page.

E. Google Maps is good if your online business also has a physical location.  By going to http://www.google.com/local and entering your information in the "Put your business on Google Maps," locals will be able to find you, and know what you are selling.  As an upgrade you can put a coupon on the listing.

F. http://www.google.com/products:  Here you upload your XML feed of your products. It has to be done every 28 days or will expire.  You designate where you want your products shown.

G. The yellow pages are still a good source for businesses to be listed in.  They have over 125 million monthly searches, so a free listing is worth the time and effort it takes.

H. Kudzu focuses on local businesses.  They also have a mixture of yelp in that people can leave reviews.

I. Yelp is the go-to place for business reviews. They tend to focus on eateries and bars, but there other businesses as well. You as the business owner can claim your business page with a simple 3 step process.

Being listed on all the above sites helps people recognize your company’s’ name with products, i.e. Branding.  Further, it will help with your offline efforts.  These listings are free, let your business take advantage of that.

Let me know if you have any comments, questions, or suggestions.
Write David W. Weatherholt at david@bnewsviews.com

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