Totally Business News Story
Advertising Online = Making Money Offline?
12/07/2006 2:59 PM
New research suggests that internet users are increasingly relying on search to find local service businesses, possibly making traditional print yellow pages and classified advertising all-but-obsolete in the future.
Totally Local has been watching this trend for years. In fact, some consumers we've talked to won't even contact a business if they don't have a website.
Of important note from the research:
Among those who conducted a search for a local business, most didn't convert immediately:
- 35% of respondents saved the business' phone number
- 27% searched a second time
- 23% had bookmarked the service vendor's website
- 5% used a phone book to find the service vendor
- 11% did not contact the vendor a second time
54% of the respondents who'd conducted a local search reported refering that business to a friend by:
- 59% verbally recommending the business
- 38% e-mailing a link
- 3% writing a favorable review on a consumer website
So, it's increasingly important to advertise online! Totally Local can help your business create an effective online marketing plan, complete with search engine optimization strategies, paid placement opportunities in search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN, and virtual yellow pages placement.
(The information above was taken from an article by Greg Sterling at Search Engine Watch. Read the entire article here.)