Local Businesses do not seem to grasp the power of the internet and local search that is right at their fingertips. There is a trend here in my town and most likely yours. With just a few simple steps, small businesses could own their local search terms in the search engines and do a better job of controlling their message. Most business owners seem to be too busy running their business instead of marketing their business. This appears to be a fact for small business everywhere and could provide opportunities if someone were interested in starting a business and becoming a local SEO Consultant.
Let’s take my town of Monroe, NC and look for some examples. After you see what I will point out to you in my town, it will be very easy for you to recognize the same situation in your hometown. For my example, lets use the term “Monroe NC BBQ” and look at the results. I love BBQ and here in the south, BBQ is king.
Personally, I am drawn to the Outlaw BBQ listing. The business listings are ok, but still seem to be a bit more like a telephone book listing. Out of the 4 listings that you see, you can bet that Outlaw BBQ will definitely get a look from most people on the search. Which one would Grandma click?
Diving in a little further, I click on Bob Gibson’s business listing. As you can see from the screenshot below, Bob Gibson has not claimed this local listing on Google? Just below, Bob Gibson has about 12 reviews. Some are good and some are bad. Ol’ Bob is really missing out on some great content he could add including photos and videos. This is a Failure! BTW, the other 2 businesses have not claimed their Google listing either.
I would venture to say that Bob Gibson does not have a clue that the bad reviews are there because he has no response to the bad reviews. It’s obvious that Bob is not interested about controlling the message or possibly trying to get it changed. This one comment alone has probably driven customers to a competitor. If I were Bob or if I were working for Bob, I would have responded or would have asked what I could have done for this person to have this negative removed. At the least, I would have encouraged my customers to go online and write positive reviews about my restaurant that would drive this comment far down the line.
Here is what I did on the review. Bob Gibson’s is one of my favorite restaurants in Monroe and I go there quite often. The food is great. I took this opportunity to write my own review and to hopefully cancel the negative somewhat and to push it further down the page. If I were Bob Gibson, I would not hesitate to ask my friends or customers that if they like my place, to please go and do a review. I would hand them a free lunch card along with directions on how to do it. I would do everything possible to control the message.
If I were a local SEO Consultant, I would use what I did as a way to get my foot in the door to offer my services. I would print out what I did and maybe make a few notes on the pages, attach a business card and stop by and ask for the manager. I’d give it to him or her, speak for just a moment and probably leave. If they were not on Twitter or Facebook, I’d ask why not? I’d follow up in a couple of days and if the response were positive, I’d set up up a meeting. If you have a cool reception, I would mention that you really like Bob Gibson BBQ but if they do not want my services, I’m going to move on to one of the other BBQ restaurants and make my offer to them. I would do this in a very nice way.
Below is an example of a business owner who claimed and took control of his business listing. He’s a long time friend of mine. I advised him on a few internet ideas early on when he started his business and he’s done a great job. It’s not BBQ and it’s in another state but it’s a good relevent example of the point I’m trying to make. He owns a Chimney Sweep business, and he has done a good job for his Google Local listing.
There is a lot more to cover and I will continue in the next post about how to identify some of the local search terms and to gain ranking. Local SEO is much easier to rank for local terms than you think. I’ll cover more real life examples in the next article.
If you are a small business located anywhere in the country and you feel as if you are not making the most out of your internet presence or if the landscape is confusing, we want to hear from you at Echelon Media. Give us a look.
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