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Benefits of Local Business Listings

There are several reasons why all businesses need local business listings. It might even be necessary to list in more than one local business directory. Listing in a local business directory is important because it increases exposure. With some listing directories, listing goes hand in hand with search engine optimization, meaning yours will appear high up in search engine results pages or SERPs. Search engine local business directories like Google Places increase your exposure since there will be a map pointing your business premises out in the first SERP. The exposure is important because the more the people who end up in your website, the more you will sell.

Local directory listings are important because they enable you to pass valuable information to your customers. Most local business listings allow you to include a short description. You also get to leave such information as your telephone number, your email, and your physical address for anybody who would like to talk to you or visit you.

Local business listings are important because they allow you to compete with larger competitors. Your ranking will not be determined by your annual returns, meaning you can compete for the same customers with larger competitors. Local directory listings lead to brand awareness and there is a big likelihood of your brand going viral.

More and more people are relying on their Smartphones, tablets, and other hand held devices to tell them where they can get a particular product or service. Take advantage of the huge opportunity this presents through local directory listings.

The cost of running businesses is on the increase, as are advertising costs. Local business listings allow you to advertise inexpensively. Some of the best local business directories such as Google Places are free of charge. You also get to advertise conveniently since you do not need to leave the comfort of your home to get listed.

You will be able to make corrections after local directory listings. With traditional marketing methods like the Yellow Pages and newspaper ads, you have no way of correcting a mistake once you make one. With a local business directory, you can change such things as your phone number with changing circumstances.

Local business listings are advantageous over other Web promotion methods that target the whole of the Internet since most of the people who are likely to buy from you are from your locality (unless you are running an eCommerce store). This means local directory listings ensure you use your advertising dollars efficiently. There are industry-specific local business directories that allow you to target those who are more likely to buy from you.

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Online Versus Offline Business Marketing

People have traditionally used such offline marketing methods as direct mail marketing, classified ads in papers and magazines, TV and radio ads, the Yellow Pages, and posters, but there has been a shift towards online business marketing over the past few years. Each option has pros and cons worth considering before you can make an informed decision. With the many benefits of online marketing, it is difficult to see why a company would still do offline business marketing.

There are real-time monitoring and tracking tools (online analytics) that enable you to determine how your online marketing campaign is doing and you can then make changes without any problem. With traditional marketing, there is no real way of telling how your campaign is doing and you may end up injecting all your marketing dollars in a campaign that is doomed.

One of the greatest advantages of online marketing over traditional marketing is that you can change your marketing campaign overnight. As an example, if you decide that email marketing is not working for you, you simply have to stop sending email and embark on another marketing strategy such as affiliate marketing the following day.

Online business marketing allows you to target a specific demographic. The target demographic could be a particular age, gender, or location. With traditional marketing, ads are released for the whole world to see with the hope that a potential customer will see them. Targeted marketing has obvious cost benefits. A good example of targeted marketing with online marketing is PPC (pay-per-click) marketing. With this type of marketing, only people who are interested in what you have to offer will click on a link to your website.

There are many online marketing methods, including those based on video, audio, email, social media, newsletters, and blogs. This means there will be something for you, whatever your particular needs are. You can combine several online marketing methods for the best results.

Online business marketing is cheaper compared to traditional marketing. Some online marketing methods like email marketing and social media marketing are absolutely free of charge. Once you embark on an online marketing campaign, you will start receiving results immediately. This is not the same with magazine ads, TV ads, and other traditional marketing methods.

You will reach a global audience with online marketing while you are only restricted to your town, region, or country with traditional marketing methods like newspaper ads. Online marketing gets you instant clients/customers that are important in such things as product development. There is a big chance that your message will go viral with such online business marketing methods as email marketing and social media marketing since sharing is encouraged.

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Why Use Google’s Local Business Directory Listing?

There are many local business directory listing services. The major search engines (Google, Bing, and Yahoo!) all have business local listings. These are the best listings because they combine local business listing with search engine optimization. Google Places, Google’s local business directory listing, is the most popular of all local business listings. There are several reasons for this popularity.

Google Places is popular because it makes your business easily found on Google Maps and Google.com. Once you do a search on Google.com, you will get a list of businesses that match your criteria in the first search engine results page (SERP), including a map to the businesses. The map is particularly helpful because it makes it easy for people to locate your premises. The results will feature a short description of your business. This allows you to promote yourself. The results will also feature your phone number and other contact details should viewers wish to make an inquiry. Appearing in the first SERP means greater visibility, which leads to greater sales, whether online or in your brick & mortar store.

You should go for Google’s business directory listing because you will be able to easily edit your listing. Note that most businesses show up on Google without being listed on Google Places if you have an online presence elsewhere. If this is the case, verify your listing to make sure all the details therein are thorough and accurate. It is possible to include notifications in business local listings.

Google business local listings are advantageous in that you do not need a website to have an online presence in Google Places. You will get statistics once you are listed. One such statistic is the number of people who have clicked on the listing. This will help you determine what more needs to be done in the business directory listing and to anticipate business growth.

Google business local listings are free of charge. This is a big advantage given the fact that the business directory listing services that charge you do not give you a higher ranking than what you get with Google Places. With Google Places, you can make your listing stand out by including videos, photos, custom categories, and coupons.

The signing up process to business local listings is easy and you can do it from the comfort of your home. With Google Places, customers can review and rate you, you can add any certification you have, and mobile phone users will find your business easily without needing a computer.

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Tips on Picking the Best Online Business Directory

A business directory can be taken to be the online version of the Yellow Pages. It allows you to list your business to help customers find you easily. You can leave a small description in the listing and give your contact address, including your phone number. Another benefit of business directories is that they give you global exposure. There are many business directories from which you can choose from, some better than others. So, how do you ensure you get the best business directory?

The best directories are local business directories. This is because this allows you to target a specific area where your customers are most likely to come from. List in as many business directories as possible since this increases your chances of having a favorable listing.

The best local directories are those by the major search engines (Google, Bing, and Yahoo!). This is because these directories guarantee listing in the first SERP (search engine results page). Google’s Google Plus even allows viewers to view you on Google Maps, which is on the first page of the search engine results. These business directories are free of charge and they help your search engine optimization (SEO) campaign.

There are paid and free business directories. Note that you get more with a paid business directory, but list wherever you can. List with the top rated business directories. These include Yelp, Merchant Circle, Mapquest, Biznik, Local.com, Foursquare, LinkedIn, YellowPages.com, Whitepages, Supermedia, Yellowbook, CitySearch, ThinkLocal, CitySlick, USYellowPages, MyCity, Outside.in, Dex, BizJournals.com, TeleAtlas, and Justclicklocal. Others are Discover our Town, Metrobot, Best Deals on, twibs, Zipweb, MatchPoint, UsCity.net, Local Site submit, InfoUSA, LocalEze, Kudzu, CityVoter, Manta, Axciom, Infignos, Yellowassistance, TeleAtlas, Navteq GPS, Judysbook, ChoiceVendor.com, Myhuckleberry, Genieknows, MojoPages, Brownbook, Magic Yellow, and CitySquares.

Consider going for industry-specific business directories since such a business directory is more competitive. There are several sources of information on the best business directories. You could read independent reviews in review websites and magazines. You could get tips from online communities such as discussion forums. You could get recommendations from people who have already listed in business directories. You could also get tips from customer testimonials.

Monitor your performance using online analytics to determine how you are doing on different business directories. This will help you get the business directory that is bringing you the best results and you will therefore be able to focus all your efforts on a single directory.

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How to List a Business in a Small Business Phone Book

Small business phone books are still widely used today. The small business phone book could be an industry-specific Yellow Pages or the country’s Yellow Pages directory, but there has been a shift towards online directories in the past few years. So, how do you go about entering your business in such a phone book?

In the case of traditional Yellow Pages, all you have to do is call the company responsible for the directory. You could also visit the company’s premises. You will be required to pay for the space and to give the details you want to appear. Note that you will be charged based on the space occupied by your ad. If you want your ad to be more effective, you could include your business’s logo.

An online small business phone book is advantageous over the traditional Yellow Pages since you will pay less. Some small business phone books are free of charge. Listing in small business phone books begins by picking the best local phone provider. You could get tips on the best providers through online communities like discussion forums, through recommendations, and through independent reviews. Once you have established the company you want to work with, create an account with the company.

Once you have created an account, the next step is giving the necessary information. You will be asked to give the full name of your company, the company’s phone number, business categories, the physical address, the opening and closing times, and other information. A good small business phone book will allow you to include a small description of your business and to list services offered.

It is free to post in some small business phone books while you have to pay with others. If you get a phone book where you have to pay, this will be done before listing. Once you have paid, it will take several weeks before your company can be listed in the small business phone book. Going to a directory that does manual review of submissions is advantageous in that people trust these directories more and there is a greater chance that your listing will be optimized for search engines. You will be asked to verify the information to ensure you are a real business.

Note that you are allowed to list cell phone numbers, landlines, VOIP service, and 800 numbers in a small business phone book, provided the lines work. You can enter more than one phone number. It takes sometime before you can start seeing positive results, meaning an improvement in ranking. You can edit the information provided anytime.

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