What are the Differences Between SEO and Local Internet Marketing?

You may have heard of “Local SEO”, and wonder how it relates to Local Internet Market. We’ll explore the difference between the two, and how websites use emotion to generate motivation and conversion.

Before we compare and contrast these two online promotion categories, a good question is what SEO? It stands for search engine optimization, which is a list of things that the website owner can do to improve the ranking of the site (make is more popular with Google) when they share results.

But there is much more to understand about how a website truly works- what happens when people actually arrive – and this is highlights the difference between promoting the site and actually selling something once they get there, the whole point.

People buy on emotion, and use the facts to justify their purchase later.

How Do We Evoke Emotion?

Here’s a real world example…and you can’t find any more direct source material!

But what are the emotions this article is meant to evoke, and what are we trying to motivate visitors to do.

Of course by visitors we mean you, so please don’t take this the wrong way. Obviously we specialize in Local Internet Marketing, so we wanted to both share this information for your benefit, and also because we’d like to do business with you.

In fact, there’s no better way to confirm the truth of this article than by contacting us yourselves!

But what are emotional components of this article, and how are we looking to communicate and motivate you? The first emotion you should probably note is that of competition with your neighbors that sell the same products and services you do.

No successful business owner gets to the top by being complacent and reactive. Most are motivated by a competitive drive that strives to always keep them one step ahead of their competition. And the facts are most print advertising options have been in a nosedive in recent years; local people search for a company like you, period.

So this means that some type of Local Internet Marketing plan – regardless of source – should be put into place sometime soon.

Because Internet marketing is something most businesses are going to be forced to do at some point simply to stay in business.

Your industry can only be one of these two:

  1. An industry or category that hasn’t become tech savvy enough that local businesses can conduct their own Local Internet Marketing, don’t see the value (yet) or simply have no knowledge of what I’m sharing with you at all.

This is the better of the too in terms of the ability to grab market share until your competition wises up and starts to do promotion to at least level the playing field some

 

  1. Your market or industry is quite tech savvy and use online marketing and social media and email marketing, online advertising and other communication channels.

If you’re in this category, creating an online marketing plan quickly is essential! Here you’re looking to keep your head above water, before your competition gets too far ahead.

Either Business Environment Converts Well

Why? Because established and accelerating trends show *quite clearly what almost every business owner intuitively knows – print advertising is in its death spiral.

More than 75% of consumers have given up Yellow Books completely. As the population ages many of these print directories will become nonviable in the not too distant future. So any money being spent here or other directories can almost surely be spent more wisely by initiating your own online marketing plan.

Newspaper readership is also in terminal decline, with circulation numbers for most major papers that have dropped between 40% – 80% in the last couple years. If it wasn’t for their online cousins, there are even some major print newspapers who might not even be viable.

People go online to find businesses now, most likely a mobile device.

And the hard work is done, these people are close and CURRENTLY looking for what you buy and sell

 

Hat Trick Associates focuses on growing your business using local SEO. All local businesses, from plumbers & builders to florists & accountants can improve their business and make more money through local SEO. Hat Trick Associates offers local SEO consultancy and tools to help local businesses.

What is local SEO? (aka Search Engine Optimization)

Local SEO is a highly effective form of local online marketing. It allows local businesses to promote their services to local customers at exactly the time they’re looking for your type of business.

Local SEO uses search engines like Google and business directories like Yelp, Superpages, Qype & TouchLocal. Millions of local customers use these services every day to find the best local businesses in their area.

Local SEO removes the guesswork from local marketing. It’s not like dropping leaflets through a letterbox or putting an ad in a local paper which may or may not be seen by someone interested in your service. Local SEO reaches local customers when they’re looking to buy your service – they need your service and they’re ready to buy it.

And those new customers aren’t just online customers, they’re ‘real customers’. Local online marketing promotes your business (your name, your services, address, phone number…) not just your website. So your new customers will call you or walk through your front door not simply visit your website.

 

Reviews are Critical

No conversation about Local Internet Marketing and Local SEO services without talking about reviews. They are more important that ever.

  • Did you look at how many stars your last purchase had? I’m willing to believe that you did. Would you have still purchased it if it was 3.0 stars instead of 4.0?

Obviously you have to provide superior service and products to receive excellent reviews, but you know this already. What you REALLY need to do is show these folks how they can go online and share their glowing reviews of your business.

Our custom business review cards are something you can share with happy customers at the checkout counter or wherever you receive payment. (And if they aren’t happy, find out why!)

Include the cards as part of the receipt process – a low key step that allows your employee to say something as simple as: “Here’s a card to review the experience you had with us.”