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Local Search Marketing – Starting Point

August 31st, 2006

Patricia Hursh, President and Founder of SmartSearch Marketing writes a great Aug. 31 ClickZ article labeled “Four Steps Every Business Can Take to Improve Local Search Results”.

As in any business industry, there are core foundations that must be set before you can build from them. The article gives a great understanding of these marketing starting points, including ensuring your correct business and profile information are listed in yellow page data. There are currently many more incorrect business listings out there than many of us would ever think.

If you run a Minnesota business, you are most likely listed in Dex Online. If your business listing is incorrect at all, you can go into their data partner, InfoUSA, and update your business listing. If you’re a Dex advertiser, you can create a free basic business profile. This not only ensures your listings are correct when users find you, but by adding categories and information to your profile, there’s a better chance you will be seen by users searching on local search engine properties, such as Google and Yahoo.

This is all just a start, but a start that is too often overlooked by local businesses.

Posted in Local Search, Small Business Marketing | No Comments »

Fallon Agency – Brawny Academy Campaign

August 30th, 2006

The Duluth News Tribune syndicates an article regarding Minneapolis ad agency, Fallon Worldwide and their newer Brawny Academy campaign.

Paper towels aren’t exactly exciting, so the premise is to brand Brawny paper towels in a humorous way. In this case, it’s an online reality show type campaign teaching men to be better husbands by learning how to clean (who says we’re pigs, anyway?!).

In episode one, the guys were in a honeymoon period (calm before the storm) being fed great food and endless beer in a plush cabin. One of the men stated “you know, um… this was all about us and enjoying ourselves. We were opening up and laughing, and it almost seemed like we were single again”. Ouch!

This was probably the most “reality” programming I’ve watched in quite awhile. I got a kick out of it! Whether this Fallon Brawny Man campaign is working or not will be decided by the powers that be.

A buddy and myself hoofed it to the Twins game tonight. On the way home, I stopped at the local C-store to get a hoagie. They had a Brawny paper towel display up front, I was running low, so I impulsively bought a roll. I guess the campaign earned 2 whopping dollars of revenue from me because of it. ;)

Posted in Ad Agencies, Minnesota Business | 1 Comment »

Using Flickr to Market Your Small Business

August 29th, 2006

Over in Kennewick Washington, home of the Tri-City Americans, Matt McGee from Small Business SEM writes a piece on how small businesses can market Flickr photos.

Flickr is Yahoo’s shared photo portal, and is mainstream by web users. Considered one of the forerunners in Web 2.0, creative local and small business owners can use this as a way to interact with local consumers.

I did a quick Flickr search for the Oceanaire in Minneapolis. Basically, it shows some people having a decent time. That’s fine, but it doesn’t make me want to visit. I did a Google search, and actually found a Flickr photo set of the Oceanaire in Seattle. This is a different story. Mmmmm… me want seafood… eeep eeep.

The Seattle photo set is a perfect example of Web 2.0 and user-generated content. It wasn’t from the restaurant itself, but from (I’m guessing) a local photographer who really liked the presentations.

Posted in Flickr, Local Search, Small Business Marketing | No Comments »

NearbyNow is at Your (San Jose) Mall

August 23rd, 2006

Greg Sterling writes a great Search Engine Watch article about NearbyNow, a site providing real-time inventory information to mall portals. In this case, it’s for the San Jose Eastridge Mall.

It’s pretty slick. Find products and their information, reserve them for pickup, view payments accepted, store hours, driving and parking lot directions, check out movie times and restaurant hours, all at one place.

I recently had a hard time finding “Adidas Samba” soccer shoes around here, so I figured I’d put it to the test. The San Jose Eastridge Mall definitely has a nice selection, and who would have thought you could find these shoes at Sears? In a different search, I even found a pretty cool At The Drive In EP.

If there was something like this in Minneapolis, I’d have my holiday shopping done, wrapped, and in my car in 4 hours flat.

A couple months ago, I had the opportunity to chat with Dan Steinman, NearbyNow’s VP of Customer Relations. It was fun to talk about local search behavior, online search/offline purchases, and how I’m not the hugest fan of that mall here in the Twin Cities area… the one with the amusement park… and that camp formerly known as Snoopy. ;)

My nickel is on this portal coming to a mall near you.

Also see Greg Sterling’s Screenwerk blog post about NearbyNow.

Posted in Local Search | 2 Comments »

Pierce Skate & Ski

August 22nd, 2006

On Sunday, I took the ol’ bones out for the St. Paul Inline Marathon. Being the procrastinator I sometimes am, last Friday I finally decided to buy new wheels.

I called a few places specifically looking for 84mm wheels, but no one had them. After a few searches, I finally found this profile for Pierce Skate & Ski. The Superpages profile didn’t really give me much info, but since I’ve heard of Pierce Skate before, I gave them a call. They had one set left, and after work I came and picked them up.

When changing the wheels late Saturday afternoon, I broke the screw holding together the back wheel and brake. I took that skate back to Pierce Skate & Ski, showed them the skate and broken screw, and asked them if they could sell me whatever it took to fix it. A few minutes later, a manager came back with an 5 buck axle/screw set that fit perfectly. Big thanks to Pierce Skate & Ski! :)

I’ll visit them again because they sold me what I wanted. When calling a different store previously, they tried to sell me the 80mm wheels they had in stock. The benefit was since it’s a smaller wheel, I could turn more sharply. That’s fine, but I wasn’t concerned with the 1 turn every 7 miles or so. I wanted some speed and wheels to get me through 26.2 miles.

Posted in Local Search, Uncategorized | 1 Comment »

Google Coupons for Local Listings

August 16th, 2006

Clickz just released an article about the launch of printable coupons on Google Maps, partnered with direct mail solutions provider, Val-Pak. Type a Google local/maps search query, find a desired result, print a coupon. Pretty slick if you ask me.

From a consumer point of view, I’ll get the Val-Pak envelope every once in a while, look at it, rip it up, and toss it. Maybe I just don’t want to be sold via standard mail. If I’m searching for something and see a coupon, I’ll be more apt to print it out.

The Local Onliner gives a more comprehensive view on this.

Posted in Google, Local Search | No Comments »

San Jose SES – Local Search

August 13th, 2006

The San Jose SES is all wrapped up. The number of attendees and quality of sessions were fantastic.

The local search panel included some of the best, moderated by Greg Sterling of Sterling Market Intelligence:

Justin Sanger – Local Launch!
Patricia Hursh – SmartSearch Marketing
Stacy Williams – Prominent Placement, Inc

The session as a whole is too comprehensive to place in a blog post. However, for those newer to getting your local business online, it is absolutely crucial that you have correct and updated business data in your print and Internet yellow pages. If you’re unsure how to do this, it’s worth the 130 bucks to have it taken care of by RegisterLocal of Local Launch.

Also, kudos to Matt McGee from Small Business SEM for his plug on local search.

Update: Search Engine Roundtable covers the local search marketing session.

Posted in Local Search | 2 Comments »

I'm in San Jose, and I Really Need a Chiropractor!

August 10th, 2006

As mentioned in a recent post, I might have a user case study regarding local search.

I’ve been visiting a chiropractor in Minneapolis for 6 months treating a pinched nerve. Well, due to slacking on my exercises, “office chair posture” and cancelling a couple sessions, the pinched nerve came back, hard, just a few days before I headed to San Jose for a week-long Search Engine Strategies conference. Pretty sweet.

So, last Friday night I did quick Google search for a San Jose chiropractor. I clicked the local results, and after finding one close to my hotel I found this profile. Their first web reference came from Citysearch with a testimonial that reads …Best customer service. Great care. They really care about their patients. They are highly skilled and perform a comprehensive exam…

That was good enough for me, so I ducked out of a Monday morning panel to call and see if they had any openings. They got me in at 3:30, diagnosed me, knew exactly what was wrong and went to work.

Here’s the kicker. See the testimonial above? This is exactly how I was treated. I’m just an average visitor who really needed a chiropractor, but they treated me like I’ve been a customer forever. I’ve gone in 3 times. Each time, Lupe greets me with a smile, asks me about the conference, and brings me back to an open room. Either Stephanie or Jennifer comes in, works on my neck, asks me about the conference, how I’m liking San Jose, and makes me feel at home. Every morning, I’m waking up knowing I can be productive without wincing in pain.

I jokingly told them that I’ll probably be here this time next year, and I hope that I do NOT have to see them :) … and Lupe seems to really like the Findology back massager and other tradeshow knick-knacks I brought in for them today.

I’ll be putting together a more comprehensive article about how this is a perfect example of local search marketing benefits, but for now I just wanted to throw a big thanks to the entire staff of Family Life Chiropractic.

Local search doesn’t have to be about SEO. It can simply come from running a great local business.

Posted in Google, Local Search | 2 Comments »

IAC (ask.com and Citysearch) and local search

August 5th, 2006

“There’s no question we have the best local content, in breadth and depth. Our quality puts everyone else to shame,” Diller said.

Pretty bold statement, although they definitely have some credibility. Ask.com has been pushing their local product for quite some time, which includes Citysearch results.

It’s not just about ask.com.

In an article back in November 2004, I mentioned how Citysearch often showed up in Google results (they also often show up in Yahoo!). The same mentioned results still appear in G today:

Pizza joints in Seattle
Day spa Miami
Martini bar Minneapolis

These Citysearch results are definitely visible, and have always presented good amounts of local business information, including editorial and user reviews. This certainly can’t hurt.

I may have a small, user case study next week. Stay tuned…

Posted in Google, Local Search | 2 Comments »

Net Neutrality – Viral Marketing

August 3rd, 2006

Minneapolis digital marketing agency Space150 voices out on net neutrality with their newly announced viral marketing strategy, We Are The Web. Bretton Jones from Twin Cities SEM also explains how net neutrality could negatively effect small businesses.

I’ve had the opportunity to meet a couple people from Space150 before, and the group is definitely impressive and creative. I think this viral marketing campaign will work very well. It’s like a bad car accident. You don’t want to look, but you can’t help yourself.

On the lighter side of news, Jon Stewart has his fun with net neutrality.
Part 1
Part 2

Posted in Minnesota Business, Small Business Marketing, Viral Marketing | 1 Comment »

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