Have you ever wondered how your customers find you? Within today’s digital era, this tends to an easy answer, Google Adwords and Analytics offers lots of valuable tools which business owners may use to get insight, yet the problem is that there are so many methods of promoting a business that finding out the ones which receive the most conversions, as well as develop customer loyalty within a fragmented Internet marketplace is the billion-dollar question.
Recently, MarketingSherpa spotlighted a Chart of the Week in which they showed the findings from their survey of 2,147 adults in the United States to assist in identifying efficient local marketing channels.
In this survey, the big winner showed that as it came to searching for local services or businesses, search engines won out – 65 percent indicated that the search engines are the first place they’d go to search for a business. With that said while 65 percent isn’t anything to sneeze at, MarketingSherpa mentioned that there were still 30% of individuals NOT browsing the search engines. Therefore, where exactly are they going?
Within the chart of the week, mobile searches and company websites came out as bronze and silver medal winners followed up by a 4th runner-up – PRINT yellow pages. Irrespective of Internet marketing professionals discounting its effectiveness, print still is a popular medium for locating a business. Newspapers also were on that chart at a somewhat shocking 30%.
What’s the lesson here? MarketingSherpa, ultimately, states that this means that both online and traditional methods may work in combination. Digital will have the mechanism to better track users than will print sources, yet ultimately, a mix of both online and print is an excellent strategy: Your local newspaper, Yelp, Yellow Pages, as well as Yahoo! may all work collectively to increase your business.
What were the least likely methods that individuals used to locate a company? See below:
• From Local Search Association
• Paid online listings: 21 percent
• Blogs: 19 percent
• Location-based social media websites: 18 percent
Question – As you look for a local business – how willing will you be to consult those sources of information:
• Search Engines: 65 percent
• Company Website: 50 percent
• Mobile Search: 36 percent
• Print Yellow Pages: 35 percent
• Internet Yellow Pages: 33 percent
• Newspapers: 30 percent
• Reviews and Ratings: 29 percent
• Daily Deals: 28 percent
• Social Media: 27 percent
• Internet-based videos: 25 percent
• Internet-based city guides: 23 percent
• Apps on your phone: 22 percent
• Internet-based industry guides: 21 percent
• Paid online listings: 21 percent
• Blog sites: 19 percent
• Location-based social media sites: 18 percent
While it might not be shocking that search engines include the most common method of people finding your business, you ought to consider what individuals see as they search for your company. Online reputation management will involve taking proactive measures to make a good first impression as individuals are looking for you or your business on the Internet, by promoting positive details about your business and you, as well as eliminating or minimizing the impact of damaging content online.
For more information on online reputation management contact Soaring Away at (910) 471-5030.
