If a potential customer is searching on the internet for your services will they find you?... Or your competitors?
If you are not advertising in local search... you are practically throwing money away.
82% of consumers search online for local products and services before they buy... can they find you?
I sat down at my computer on 8th March 2011 looking for a Hairdresser in Christchurch as my current hairdresser fled to Melbourne after the February earthquake.
It soon became apparent to me that:
- Most of the hairdressers were in the CBD
- The average local hair dresser does not have a website, blog or facebook pages (that could be found in the search engines) to let customers know:
- If they were still open at all
- Where they had relocated to
- Who to contact for more information
- Hairdressers in the suburbs do not seem to have websites or even a pin in the map.
So after a futile internet search I wandered down to the local $10 haircut shop bar which was the only local hair dresser I could remember seeing in my area and I knew it was open from driving past earlier in the day.
Needless to say there is a reason I have never paid $10 for a haircut… and never will again!
Finding a Fix
I drove down Colombo St looking for a reputable hairdresser to fix my shelf of a hair cut and discovered there were four hair dressers within blocks of my house that had no mention Google Local or Google Maps.
Not being on google local and google maps is equivalent of not putting signs and logos up at your offline business.
Can local people find your business online?
It was then I decided that not only did I need a hairdresser to get on top of my hair problems, They needed me to get on top of their local market and snap up all the customers who were looking for their services.
After this traumatic experience I really wanted to help the good hairdressers and other businesses that were still operating get on the map, update their customers, promote their businesses and get local customers through the door so they can keep trading.
While local business listings are extremly helpful in a natural disaster, they are also important for the everyday running of a businesses.
Local business listings mean:
BUSINESS CAN SHOW: Their current address, map, opening hours, services available, updates, promotions, photos, links to their website, phone number etc.
CUSTOMERS CAN FIND: Local businesses that provide the services they need, their hours, promotions that will make them want to use your services, a way to find out more on your website… Basically everything they need to walk through you door.