aha!local university: overview of local online marketing techniques
DESCRIPTION
These slides are the first in a series from seminars designed to teach business owners and operators how to market themselves online to local customers. This session is an overview of 7 or 8 candidate techniques that should be considered for this purpose. For each technique, we evaluate its strengths and weaknesses, and what business types might be more or less applicable for the technique.TRANSCRIPT
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Aha!Local University Session One The Online Marke8ng Landscape for Local Businesses
The first in a series of seminars and webinars
about how to market your business online to local
customers
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Agenda
• Marke(ng Channels for Local Audiences > Local Lis(ngs and Local Search > Local Paid Adver(sements > Social Media > Loca(on-‐Based Social Networking > Reviews > Online Coupons > Mobile
• Preview of Upcoming Sessions • Final Thoughts
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Characteris8cs to be Reviewed
• What it is
• Strengths • Weaknesses • Applicability for local marke(ng (strongest and weakest)
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Which Channels May Be Right for You? • What are your goals?
> Finding new customers, or deepening rela(onship with exis(ng ones?
• Which match your audience?
> What is their online behavior?
• Which match your transac(on type?
> Rela(onship-‐based? Casual? Analy(cal? • What is a customer worth?
> Life(me value, including referral value
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Local Lis8ngs Are Everywhere
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Local Lis8ngs Are Everywhere
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Local Lis8ngs Are Everywhere
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Local Lis8ngs Are Everywhere
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Local Lis8ngs Are Everywhere
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Local Lis8ngs: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Modern replacement to printed
Yellow Pages • Key tool for new client
acquisi(on > How customers now find local
businesses
• 86% of local searchers take ac(on (call or visit) on the results
• Dominate search results pages, diminishing the importance of website op(miza(on
Weaknesses • Suscep(ble to hacking • Limited opportunity to present
your business the way you want • Limited ability to monitor
performance
• Compe((ve environment for top placement
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Local Lis8ngs Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Firms relying on new
customers or with high churn > Restaurants > Retail
Weaker Applicability • Firms relying on repeat
customers
‣ Membership orgs
• Firms servicing areas other than their physical loca(on
‣ Building contractors • High density segments
‣ Den(sts
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Local Pay-‐Per-‐Click & Pay-‐Per-‐Call
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Other Local Paid Ads
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Local PPC: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Scalable budget -‐ spend only
what you can afford
• Measurability! • Good geotarge(ng or
demotarge(ng (Facebook)
• Delivers searcher to exact page you want > Landing page with dedicated
messaging and offer
Weaknesses • Clicks are sold by auc(on, so
compe((on can drive up cost
• Requires investment in well-‐op(mized landing page
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Local PPC Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Broadly applicable • Firms on which customers
want to do research before approaching
Weaker Applicability • Businesses that are likely to
be visited immediately > Restaurants
• Overcompe((ve PPC segments > A[orneys
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Social Media
• Includes: > Blogging > Microblogging > Video/music/photo sharing
> Life sharing > Many others
• More closely associated with public rela(ons than promo(on > Branding strength, versus driving sales directly
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Social Media: Blogging
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Social Media: Microblogging
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Social Media: Microblogging
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Social Media: Microblogging
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Social Media: Video Sharing
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Social Media: Video Sharing
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Social Media: Video Sharing
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Social Media: Video Sharing
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Social Media: Video Sharing
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Social Media: Facebook
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Social Media: Facebook
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Social Media: Facebook
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Social Media: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Good PR vehicle
> Messaging delivered directly to people you care about
> You (mostly) control the message
Weaknesses • Not paid media – you need to
build an audience
• Too much promo(on can be viewed as a nega(ve
• Indirect (e from engagement to ac(on
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Social Media Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Businesses that establish
strong rela(onships with customers and community
• Event-‐driven businesses > Food truck loca(on > Changing class schedules
• Businesses that have something to say > E.g.: Posi(on themselves as
experts in their field
Weaker Applicability • Businesses with low-‐
involvement transac(ons > Becomes couponing channel
only
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Loca8on-‐Based Social Networking
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Loca8on-‐Based Social Networking
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Loca8on-‐Based Social Networking
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Loca8on Based Social Media: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Instant word-‐of-‐mouth
marke(ng
• Easy way to establish a rewards program for frequent customers
• Serve as a form of review site • Very (ghtly targeted
promo(on > Can draw people to your
business that are nearby
Weaknesses • Everything outside of
hospitality > Nobody cares if you check in at
your car dealer
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Loca8on-‐Based Social Media: Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Entertainment and hospitality
> Places where friends join friends
Weaker Applicability • Professional or trade services
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Reviews
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Reviews
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Reviews
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Reviews: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Provides customers with
‘unbiased’ third-‐party evalua(on of your business
• One of the strongest influencers toward purchase
• Can be recruited at low cost: just ask happy customers for them
Weaknesses • Much of it is outside your
control > Very limited ability to directly
address nega(ve reviews
> We have discovered ‘serial bashers’ and had their reviews removed on Google
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Reviews Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Business-‐to-‐consumer
• Hospitality • Service providers
Weaker Applicability • Business-‐to-‐business
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Online Couponing
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Online Couponing
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Online Couponing
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Online Couponing
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Online Coupons: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Drives customer ac(on
• Trackability! > Know which channels are
working
> Know which offers are working
Weaknesses • Coupon-‐cu[ers are not your
best customers • Experienced shoppers seek out
coupons > Giving money to someone who
was already going to buy
• Customers become addicted to coupons > The Pizza Hut problem > Long-‐term margin erosion
• May provide nega(ve impact on your brand
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Online Couponing Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Properly defined, they are
broadly applicable > Trade services > Retail > Hospitality > Business-‐to-‐business
Weaker Applicability • Professional services
> Do you want to use an a[orney that offers a coupon?
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Mobile/SMS
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Mobile/SMS: Strengths & Weaknesses
Strengths • Mobile search:
> Ease of administra(on
• Mobile display: > High level of engagement, good
for branding
• SMS: > Over 90% of texts are opened > Provides one-‐to-‐one dialog with
customer > High clickthrough rate (14.1%)
and conversion rate (8.2%)
Weaknesses • Mobile search:
> Op(miza(on required for good ROI
> Op(mized landing pages required
• Mobile display > Ads expensive to create
compared to placement opportuni(es
• SMS: > Require opt-‐in phone numbers
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Mobile/SMS Applicability for Local Marke8ng
Stronger Applicability • Mobile search:
> Broadly applicable • Mobile display:
> Businesses trying to establish strong brand images
• SMS: > Businesses relying on repeat
customers (e.g. spas)
Weaker Applicability • Mobile display:
> Promo(ons requiring specific calls to ac(on (promo(ons, sales)
• SMS: > Businesses with high churn,
targe(ng new customers
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Your Assignment: Which Channels may be Right for Me? • What are your goals?
> Finding new customers, or deepening rela(onship with exis(ng ones?
• Which match your audience?
> What is their online behavior?
• Which match your transac(on type?
> Rela(onship-‐based? Casual? Analy(cal? • What is a customer worth?
> Life(me value, including referral value
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Planned Curriculum
• Local Lis(ngs and Local Search • Local Paid Adver(sements • Social Media • Reviews • Online Coupons • Loca(on-‐Based Social Networking • Mobile
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Final Thoughts
• Slides will be posted online > Link will be sent to meetup.com group and to Twi[er followers
• Please sign in to make sure we have your complete contact info
• Please provide feedback on the meetup.com group site
• Referral gil: Bring another next (me and get a gil!
• Follow us on Twi[er @parallelpath