MediumLocal

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Thu, 21 Aug 2008 13:43:00 +0000

Cell Phone Call to Action Advertising to Reach $1 Billion by 2012

Writing in PC Magazine, Tim Bajarin, president of Creative Strategies, discusses a "call-to-action" advertising, which based on research he cites, could become an important local marketing tactic in the next few years.

"There's a concept in mobile advertising known as "call-to-action" advertising, a feature that allows one to get more information or to communicate with the advertiser while a spot is playing. If you see an ad for a motorcycle, you could press a button and an SMS text would be sent with the nearest location that sells that particular bike."

Bajarin quotes Market research firm Multimedia Intelligence's projection that call-to action advertising will exceed $1 billion by 20012. " The company points out that while a mobile device is an inferior entertainment platform, it's superior at portable communications. Multimedia Intelligence believes that call-to-action leverages the handset's built-in return channel to move advertising beyond the capabilities of the living-room experience."

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 18:27:00 +0000

LocalDirective.com Offers Free Guidebook To Help Businesses Succeed Online

Local businesses that need to find more customers can order a free 12-page guidebook titled Direct Online Customers to Your Local Business: Ten Tips To Help Your Business Succeed Online at http://localdirective.com/guidebook

The report is authored by Mike Freedman, Senior Vice President Advertising Solutions, LocalDirective.com. Freedman, who has more than a decade of experience in online marketing, has led teams that managed more than 10,0000 local business search marketing campaigns. He is certified by the eMarketing Association, the International Internet Marketing Association, Google, Yahoo and Microsoft/MSN.

Business leaders who request the free guidebook can learn:
• Why you need to reach prospects and customers online.
• Why landing pages are critically important and 11 specific tips that can improve sales or lead conversion.
• Links to nine online tools that can improve your marketing.
• Key steps you can take to attract online shoppers
• How to convince online researchers to buy offline
• Why just building a web site isn’t enough • The three most important steps you can take to improve your online marketing.
• How to reach prospects in your neighborhood using geophrases and geo-targeting.
• Four key concepts for finding search marketing keywords that generate leads and sales.
• How to write ads that maximize click through rates.

The report includes 12 pages of detailed information including advice, information and interactive exercises, 32 Footnotes and a resources section listing helpful web sites, books and training programs.

Those who request the free report by August 30th can qualify for a free custom marketing analysis report completed by an experienced, certified search marketing specialist.

LocalDirective.com offers a complete, low-cost online solution with a variety of search marketing packages, each customized based on business category, geographical location, and business objectives. In addition to search marketing, services include landing page or micro-site development, business profile development, and submission to more than 25 important online databases.

For information on LocalDirective.com, call (866) 925-9524 or visit http://www.localdirective.com

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Sun, 22 Jun 2008 17:45:00 +0000

Local Search SEO Ranking Factors Surveyed

Portland, Oregon Small Business Web Design Guru David Mihm surveyed 20 local search experts to identify factors that could help or hurt local business search performance. Local Search Ranking Factors offers many interesting insights.

Among the most significant factors:

Claiming and verifying a local search listing is a critical step.
Placing a business in the right category is crucial. The wrong category can be the kiss of death.
Using the product or service keyword or keywords in the listing title can really help.
Proximity of the business to the centroid of the city may help or hurt position.

Factors that can hurt position include:

Multiple listings with the same address
Multiple listings with the same phone number
Multiple listings with the same name
Negative reviews

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Wed, 18 Jun 2008 18:42:00 +0000

West Pasco Chamber Helps Businesses Learn How to Advertise Online

“Online Advertising For Local Businesses: Why It’s Growing and How It Can Help Your Business” is the title of a seminar sponsored by the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce to be held at 6:00pm on July 24, 2008, in the New Port Richey City Council Chambers 5919 Main Street in New Port Richey.

Presenters will include two online advertising experts from LocalDirective.com, a local firm that creates and manages local search marketing programs for companies nationwide. Chief Executive Officer Lisa Maier and Senior Vice President Advertising Solutions Mike Freedman will discuss lessons learned from building and managing marketing online efforts for thousands of American companies.

“It is important to bring Business Development Programs such as this to our members” said Joe Alpine, President West Pasco Chamber of Commerce.

“During challenging economic times, it’s even more important that businesses make the best possible decisions with limited marketing budgets,” said Maier. “We’re helping local business leaders gain valuable information about online marketing tactics that could help them gain more business leads at a lower cost.”

Adds Freedman, “Online advertising is sometimes called ‘the most complex form of advertising’ for a reason. One of our goals with this seminar is to educate local business owners to empower them to make good online advertising decisions.”

There’s significant evidence that local business prospects and customers can be reached online through search engines:
• Almost 10 billion searches were conducted on Google, Yahoo, AOL and Microsoft in February 2008 alone. [Source: ComScore, 2008]

• Over 60 percent of consumers now search for a local business on the internet, and only 33 percent use the yellow pages. [Source TMP Directional, 2007]

• Almost 40% of local shoppers say that a presence on the internet – or lack of presence – will affect their decision about who they do business with. [Source: Web.com, 2007]

To register for the presentation, call 727-842-7651.

For more information about LocalDirective.com, visit http://www.LocalDirective.com or call 1-866-925-9524.

For more information about the West Pasco Chamber of Commerce, visit http://www.WestPasco.com or call (727) 842-7651.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Thu, 29 May 2008 16:37:00 +0000

Yahoo Now Including Location in Ads

The BrandVerify blog recently reported that Yahoo Search Marketing has been adding location
in some ads as an additional line, much like Google does.

http://http//blog.brandverity.com/16/yahoo-adds-geography-to-search-ads/

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Thu, 29 May 2008 15:57:00 +0000

30% of Sampled Cell Phone Users Want to Use Social Networking

Marketing Pilgrim's Michelle Greer reported on a survey conducted by Local Mobile Search, that indicates only 6% of the 1,022 respondents to a survey on the topic have actually used their mobile phones for social networking. However, 30% of respondents said they were interested in using their cell phones for networking and 10% had a “keen interest” in mobile social networking.

http://www.marketingpilgrim.com/2008/05/social-networking-on-your-phone-not-so-much-now-but-soon.html

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Wed, 26 Mar 2008 15:44:00 +0000

Local Online Ad Spending to Grow 48% This Year

The 2008 Outlook: Local Online Advertising report released by Borrell Associates projects that local online advertising will grow 48% to 12.6 billion this year. "Local search advertising will more than double to $5 billion, while locally produced online video advertising will triple to almost $1.3 billion."

The report also concludes that while yellow page publishers, cable companies, newspapers and broadcasters are "still pinning their hopes on their traditional sales reps being able to sell online ad packages. But there's increasing evidence to support the idea that a greater investment in an independent online sales force will necessary to continue the growth these properties have enjoyed for the past few years." The report also indicates traditional media companies are loosing market share to to "pure-play internet companies."

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:39:00 +0000

Free Local 411 Becoming Competitive

Google is the latest entry into what is becoming a crowded field of free local voice offerings that now include:

Google (800-Goog411)
Microsoft TellMe 1-800-555-TELL and 1-800-CALL-411
1-800-YellowPages
1-800-Free411

According to MediaPost, "The Kelsey Group estimated that directory assistance generated 6.3 billion requests last year through land line, wireless, and VoIP communication."

Useful articles on this trend include

Google Voice Local Search Launched by Danny Sullivan in SearchEngineLand.com

Google 411 Takes Aim At Directory Assistance by Gavin O'Malley in MediaPost

ProductivityPortfolio (TimeAtlas.com) also offers detailed review and comparison of the Google, Microsoft and 800-Free411 systems.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:37:00 +0000

Loki Finds Online Users Via WiFi

Skyhook Wireless, provider of the Wi-Fi Positioning System (WPS), released MyLoki, a location sharing service that feeds your location to personal blogs, social networking sites like Facebook and location directories like Yahoo’s Fire Eagle. Loki is now available for most Wi-Fi enabled mobile devices including laptops and cell phones.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 14:08:00 +0000

Acquisitions And Partnerships Driving IYP Growth?

Partnerships are driving growth in local marketing of Internet Yellow Pages sales according to study reported in ComScore: Partnerships in local search spark growth by Ellen Keohane in DM News.

The article cites a handful of major deals made over the last year in the context of company results:

“Within the past year, the Yellowpages.com Network established partnerships with Areaguides.net and 411.com, and saw its IYP search market share grow from 14.7% to 20.2% from Q4 2006 to Q4 of 2007, according to comScore. As a result of this growth, Yellowpages.com is now the market leader — overtaking Superpages.com by a slim margin — in the IYP search space.

In 2007, Superpages.com established a new partnership with Local.com and acquired Infospace FindIt/Switchboard.com, but also discontinued its relationships with 411.com and MSN Yellowpages. According to ComScore, Superpages.com's market share dropped from 20.9% to 20.0% from Q4 2006 to Q4 2007.

Yellow Book and R.H. Donnelley also saw traffic more than double from December of 2006 to December of 2007, according to ComScore. Part of this growth may be attributed to Yellow Book's partnerships with Infospace and Addresses.com and R.H. Donnelly's acquisition of Business.com, ComScore said.”

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 22:54:00 +0000

Marchex Free Report: 2008 Perspectives on Local Online Advertising and Content

This week we saw another example of real scholarship and generosity from Marchex. The new report builds on earlier research and adds to the significant information offered through Marchex's blog LocalPoint.com

The report was authored by Marchex leaders Russell C. Horowitz, Matthew Berk, Chad Schott, Bill Day, Matt McGee and Ari Jacoby.

There's much that's intreresting in the 23-page report, including these conclusions:

"The adoption rate of online advertising services by small- to medium- sized businesses (SMBs) will continue to rise, driven by local sales channels such as Yellow Pages providers.
National advertisers will expand their focus on local online advertising campaigns and will increasingly utilize local geo- targeting and tactics that encourage and measure offline purchases.
The demand for call-based advertising services, such as call tracking and pay-per-phone call, will grow.
For consumers, the local search experience will improve, delivering more accurate and actionable results that more effectively connect consumers with local businesses.
The local market will be less fragmented due to consolidation, innovation, and partnerships."

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Fri, 07 Mar 2008 21:17:00 +0000

LocalDirective.com Now Sending New Customers to Local Businesses

(TAMPA, FL) --- Local businesses that have not focused on search marketing because of its cost and complexity can now gain prospects and customers through campaigns on Google, Yahoo, MSN and Ask.com, starting at just $300 a month.

For decades, local businesses have relied on yellow page ads to attract customers. But there is now growing evidence that local businesses need to consider other alternatives:

• Over 60 percent of consumers search for a local business on the internet, and only 33 percent use the yellow pages. [Source TMP Directional, 2007]

• Almost 40% of local shoppers say that a presence on the internet – or lack of presence – will affect their decision about who they do business with. [Source: Web.com, 2007]

But two problems have kept many local businesses from advertising online:

1. Online Advertising Is Complex: To reach your potential customers on Google or Yahoo, or dozens of other local sites, you have to set up accounts, manage keyword research and selection, set and optimize bids, develop and optimize ads, create a company profile, submit content to key directories and databases…and more.

2. Until Now It Was Too Expensive: Because of the complexity and knowledge required, marketing agencies concentrate on businesses willing to spend thousands, and even tens of thousands of dollars, each month.

“Too often local businesses have suffered from over-priced or ineffective search marketing campaigns,” says LocalDirective founder Lisa Maier, a Wharton MBA with significant experience in search and directional marketing. “Our team offers decades of experience building literally thousands of local advertising campaigns. We understand the local market and are dedicated to providing services aimed at that market.”

LocalDirective offers a complete, low-cost online solution with a variety of search marketing packages, each customized based on business category, geographical location, and business objectives. In addition to search marketing, services include landing page or microsite development, business profile development, and submission to more than 20 important online databases.

Clients also gain advanced campaign management services aimed at generating the greatest number of responses at the lowest cost. This optimization is how LocalDirective maximizes the return on advertising investment.

Clients are provided with reports that show the number and types of responses received. This feedback on prospect quality is used in the LocalDirective process to continually hone advertising programs and tweak the content of ads and landing pages.

For more information, visit www.LocalDirective.com, email morecustomersplease@localdirective.com or call (866) 925-9524.

noreply@blogger.com (Mike Freedman) — Tue, 22 Aug 2006 03:48:00 +0000