Here is the deal.
The Internet is too big.
Trying to conquer the Internet and have your company globally rise to the top is about as likely as beating Daniel Day-Lewis out for Best Actor…
It just isn’t going to happen.
But there is good news…
You don’t need to rank globally… you need to rank locally.
For the most part, the average small business sells goods and services in a relatively small radius. Let’ say, 50 miles.
So, if your company is located in Clermont, FL, it is pretty safe that the bulk of your walk-in customer base is not from Fresno, CA.
So how do you target the people that are most likely to be your customer? Pay attention to these three things.
1. When creating content, name drop.
If your business is in Wells, NV, than talk about Wells, NV – not just about your product or service.
Sure, you want your website to showcase your product or service. But you want to work in any local tie-in you can.
For example, let’s say you run a small catering company. It would serve you well to have a small part of your site dedicated to announcing any local events worth going attending. These items will get picked up (locally) in the search rankings and more (local) people will now see who you are and what you offer.
2. Advertise Locally
You probably already know that you can place advertisements on sites like Facebook. You might even know that you can even target a specific area (like near your business).
Did you know that you could target your ads even better? Items like age, interests, education, hobbies, and much more can all be combined when running an ad.
Consider your current customer. What are they interested in? What about a competitor? How are they targeting ads? Can you mimic their techniques with a better spin?
3. Get Social
Every business needs some form of social interaction. Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Pinterest, Google+, and the list of possibilities go on (and on and on).
Chances are if you are like most business, you don’t need to do them all – matter of fact, I would never recommend it.
You should be involved in a couple of them, but here is the kicker…
You need to set up an account with all of them – even if you are not going to do much with it.
For example, you may decide that LinkedIn is not your cup of tea. I get it; it is not for every one or every business. BUT…
You should create an account and fill out the LinkedIn profile.
It is not unusual for a seemingly dormant LinkedIn profile to show up during an Internet search – even above your current site.
Think Local…
At the end of the day, you don’t need to be found everywhere on the Internet. You need to be found by those people that are actually in a position (or local) to buy from you.
Pay attention to your “local” reach a bit more and you may find some great results.
