Tag Archives: local seo companies

In honor of Small Business Saturday, which is coming up this Saturday, November 24, here are some great facts that explain why small businesses should build their online presence (whether they are building a website, a social media following or a mobile marketing campaign) and focus on reaching their target audience via the Internet.

Building a Web Presence

  • 85% of consumers are searching for local businesses online
  • 63% of small businesses don’t have a website
  • 25% of small businesses don’t show up in the search results

Social Media

  • 22% of consumers’ time is spent on social media sites
  • 86% of small business owners view Facebook as a valuable website
  • 57% of businesses have acquired a customer through their company blog
  • 72% of consumers trust online reviews as much as personal recommendations

Mobile Marketing

  • 50% of mobile search is now local according to Google
  • 79% of smart phone users use their phones to help with shopping and 74% make a purchase
  • It is predicted that by 2014, mobile Internet users will surpass desktop Internet users

The Web gives small businesses with a smaller advertising budget the ability to compete with the larger corporations. With a combination of social media marketing, local SEO and mobile marketing, small business owners can connect with their target audience and grow their business just in time for the holiday season.

Photo courtesy of Search Engine Watch

According to a recent survey by Balihoo, 47.3% of national brands plan to invest more money in local search in 2013 than in 2012. Forty-four percent said they will invest the same amount in 2013 as they did in 2012.

The companies reported that most of that budget will go to mobile local marketing. In fact over 34% expect to use mobile as a major marketing technique in 2013, up 2% from last year.

Other interesting findings:

  • Companies that earn an average revenue of $100 million to $250 million are more likely to use social media more often
  • 87% of national brands are not properly represented on local affiliate websites
  • Only 8.6% of companies said they will spend less on local marketing in 2013 than they did in 2012

Back for more Pinterest for business how to’s? Here are a few more tips to help you grab the attention of your target audience on the social network and keep it!

  • Pin often and use keywords in the descriptions. This will help make sure your pins are searchable. Although it is unknown how Pinterest ranks its search results, many believe a combination of how recently an image was uploaded and which keywords were used is what determines the rank.  This is why it is important to pin often so your pins are always recent and attach a keyword-rich description to each. If you are pinning a product, add a $ to your pin with the price and it will be added to the Pinterest Gift section where even more users will see it!
  • Share others’ pins. Don’t only use Pinterest to upload your own pins; repin others’ pins too! Whether you are re-pinning your customers’ pins or pins from other professionals in your industry, re-pinning is a way to make friends. If you share others’ pins, they are more likely to share yours.

These tips will help you get started on Pinterest so your company can connect with customers on the popular network. Happy pinning!

Missed part 1? Read it here!