Why Internet Marketing is Right for Local Offline Businesses — Part 4 of 4

This is part 2 of a series. To read the first article, click here, read the second article here, and read the third article here.

How much time do you spend in social media sites? A few minutes a day? A few hours a day? What about your kids and their friends? What about your customers?

It’s possible that you’re the rare exception to the rule. Many peole “confess” to spending hours online, primarily in social media engagement via Twitter or Facebook. Internet usage has skyrocketed, according to a study published in May 2009 by the Center for Media Research.

Some stats from this study include:

• There are 87% more online social media users now than in 2003, with 883% more time devoted to those sites.
• In the last year, time spent on social networking sites has surged 73%

And Charles Buchwalter, Senior Vice President of Research and Analytics at Nielsen Online says: “The Internet remains a place of continuing innovation, with users finding new ways to integrate online usage into their daily lives.“

In other words, savvy businesses are using video and social networking and other internet marketing techniques to reach out to their customers where they are spending their time: online… and, specifically, in video and social media sites.

Neilsen also concluded that: “Given the increased focus on digital marketing [...] the Internet’s share of commerce will continue to rise.” For offline businesses that are ignoring the online marketing opportunities, this is a scary thought. Internet commerce is already huge and stealing a large piece of local business revenue… and it’s expected to grow.

Is your business marketing where your customers are spending time?

If not contact us now to get started today.

3 Ways that Local Businesses can Use Social Media

Small businesses are eager to get on board with the social networking phenomenon. And it’s no wonder, either: social networking is a massive trend with profound social implications.

People spend a lot of time in social media for work and leisure. And smart businesses are meeting them there. Here are 3 ways that your local business can use social media to improve your online marketing:

1. Create a fan page on Facebook. Think of it like a Facebook page for a business. Your customers become fans and you can interact with them through Facebook in a similar way that you might interact with family and friends. Host discussions, hold contests, share photos, poll your audience, and more. Engage them!
2. Create a Twitter hashtag for your business (for example, if you own Maryland Eatery, your hashtags might be #marylandeatery or #mdeatery. Run a program like Tweetdeck to keep an eye on what people are saying about you and tweet frequently with that hashtag. (Hashtags can be registered at wthashtag.com.
3. Start a blog. Yes, a blog is social media! You can create one on Blogger or through WordPress. Post regular content and, most importantly, engage your audience in a conversation!

Local businesses might shy away from web marketing and social media because it seems like an “international” marketing medium. But there are exciting local internet marketing opportunities.