local search and finding the right customers
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Mark HarperVP Strategic Relations
GenieKnows.com
Local Search & Finding the Right Customers
Changing economic climate
• Sub-prime mortgage = melt-down> Credit and financial crunch
> Everyone is effected in tough economic times
• World recession or depression?> Economic slowdown all sectors
• Hardest hit sectors> Banking, Auto, Property, Retail, Airlines
Marketing during a recession
• Tighter marketing budgets> Costs are under the microscope / cutbacks / shrinking budgets
• Smarter marketing spends> Calls for more creative Ad spending
• Measurable campaigns> “Can I measure it? / Does the Ad spend perform?”
• ROI that delivers> “What are the returns – does it make sense?”
Marketing spend shift• Businesses are shifting their
marketing tactics
• Traditional media brands are failing (Chicago Tribune, Seattle Post)
• Newspaper circulation declines 7% (Source: MarketWatch, April 2009)
• New technology & online services are taking more market share. (Example: Urbanspoon and Yelp.com very popular App’s on the iPhone)
Social media explosion
• Consumer behaviours are changing> Love it or hate - Facebook has 175M users
• Other social media platforms> Smart businesses adjust to embrace social media explosion;
Local search marketing
• Local Information access is changing> Local content, reviews, weather and news sites (ie; AllNovaScotia.com)
• ROBO - Research online, buy offline> 89% of buyers perform ROBO before purchasing offline (Source: Comscore)
> As recently as Dec. 2008 data suggested that up to 50% of local businesses didn’t have a website presence.
> Declines in traditional access to local information (YP & local print news). Newspaper circulation declines 7% (Source: MarketWatch, April 2009)
Local search marketing (cont.)
• User interaction & user generated content> Consumers are taking part in reviews, rating, rants, blogs
• Businesses want motivated users > Positioning their products across local sites as users are engaged in a buying or research mode. > Local Search Engines taking more market share;
Advantages of search marketing
• Campaign tracking tools> Array of 3rd party management tools; Hitwise, Omniture etc.> Web Analytics; page views, clicks session time
• Adjusting campaigns> Respond to poorly performing campaigns> Adding new campaigns and keywords
• Taking advantage of trends> Respond quickly to an industry ‘buzz’
• Diversify campaigns > Test multiple platforms for ROI that works
Local marketing a case study
• RESTAURANT A
• creates a Facebook and MeetUp.com group page to announce events and post a link to its new website with a menu
• buys into a search marketing campaign targeting specific local keywords related to its business.
• opens a Twitter.com account to engage users who show an interest in dining out in their city
• RESTAURANT B
• decides to stay with their old print creative with a traditional offline business directory
• buys into local radio time slots to announce a recent refit and menu change.
• prints flyers to be posted across the City and handed out to passers by on the street
• Which restaurant is engaging their potential clients with a meaningful message?
Online marketing – industry trends
• Vertical search marketing now accounting for over 39% of all online spending (Source: Nielsen)
• Local online advertising to grow faster than any other online sector (Source: Kelsey Group, January 13th ‘09)
Contact me:
• EMAIL: [email protected]
• TWITTER: twitter.com/markharper
• LINKEDIN: linkedin.com/in/harpermark