Los Angeles – As most people know, the Internet is a global communications network of massive proportions. What many people do not know is that they can focus the vast power of the Internet to promote their businesses locally in the communities they serve.
Aviel Feuer, webmaster and owner of Site Me, Inc., says many businesses are missing the marketing boat by not properly coding and optimizing their websites. He notes, “There are thousands of businesses that have websites, but not all of them are used effectively to break through the enormous clutter on the Internet. Moreover, they are leaving money on the table by not drawing as much business as possible from their local communities.”
Feuer believes that much of the advertising done on the Internet is wasted on an audience that will not even consider buying a company’s product or service because they are not conveniently located to a prospective customer or, worse yet, the person can’t find the company on the Internet in the first place. He feels the Internet, which has virtually no boundaries worldwide, needs to be harnessed and better, more cost effectively used by businesses to target customers.
As vast as the Internet is, most major search engines, such as Yahoo, Google, Ask, MSN, and others, already provide tools to help address these issues. Feuer says, “If a website is optimized and search terms are featured on the web pages, an individual can register the website as a local business with the search engine companies. By doing this, if a prospect does a search that includes a city (e.g., Thousand Oaks, CA) or region of the country (e.g., Southern California), the odds of that company coming up can be dramatically increased. The company could even end up on the coveted first page of the search, which also improves sales opportunities.“
Many companies use Pay-Per-Click advertising programs online to enhance their visibility. These ads can be scheduled only to appear in a specified geographic area. This feature saves wasteful clicks by people located out of a business service area, allowing the marketing efforts to become more focused, more effective, and less expensive.
Important considerations for successful ad campaigns are being consistent, making offers that are enticing and ensuring that the website is attractive and easily navigated by visitors. Feuer states, “When a prospective buyer is presented with a call to action on a website, the cost per lead is minimal and definitely less than in other media like direct mail, print, radio and television.”
Feuer says another way to go local is to send out monthly or quarterly E-newsletters to clients, prospects and people in the immediate community. With little effort, businesses can grow their own mailing list to hundreds or thousands of recipients. “Create a nice template for a professional look, provide unsubscribe instruction, and you are set to go,” he notes. “You don’t even need to buy stamps. By subscribing to the newsletter, you can draw in business because you are in front of people who have already expressed an interest in what you have to sell.”
Feuer offers a free website evaluation and can be reached by e-mail at aviel@siteme.com or 818-735-4957.
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About Site Me, Inc.:
Backed by over 25 years of engineering, quality assurance, IT and Internet experience, Site Me is an Internet and website development company that provides website design, programming, SEO, content and database management, e-newsletters, e-commerce, online advertising, e-mail, web hosting, and domain registration. Site Me is located at 6493 Joshua Street, Suite 101, Oak Park, CA 91377. Telephone: 818-735-4957. E-mail: aviel@siteme.com. Website: www.siteme.com
