To make the problem even more difficult, most local start-ups will already have established competitors in their market. There will be the landscape gardener who has been in business for twenty years, and is recommended by everyone. There will be the real estate agent who has a proven track record and locals know to contact her whenever they want to buy, rent or sell.
While it may seem difficult to win new business, there are also things working in your favor. The fact is, established businesses have a tendency to get complacent over time, particularly when they are bringing in enough sales to survive. Many local businesses also don’t have much competition. The chances are that everyone will come to them anyway, so they have never had a reason to learn the finer details of online lead generation. So, with the right strategy, you can quickly begin acquiring new customers.
There are companies that provide full-service online lead generation services. As you can see from these [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]videos about Yodle[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]videos about Yodle[/tp], many businesses prefer to have everything managed on their behalf. They set their budget and have an expert handle the process for them.
Others prefer to learn about the techniques themselves. A common approach is to pay a web designer to design your website, and then implement the marketing strategy on your own, but most people make big mistakes at this stage.
The first mistake is to try and find the cheapest web designer, as if you’re shopping for a toothbrush or a lightbulb. It’s easy to compare prices when products are exactly the same, but web design is more sophisticated, and so you need to compare apples and oranges each time you compare quotes. Google doesn’t hire the cheapest web designers, and neither should you.
Most people starting a business for the first time have never worked on a website before, so they have still to learn about the best ways to [tp lang=”en” only=”y”]increase conversion rates[/tp][tp not_in=”en”]increase conversion rates[/tp]. A good tip is to make sure you have your contact details clearly visible on each page, and you have a simple form that people can complete in order to get in touch with you. Don’t ask for unnecessary details, or else people will be put off completing the form. And don’t forget to keep your website simple and focused on the benefits of your service.
The next step is to think about generating online leads. The fastest and easiest way to do this is to use Google AdWords. You pay per click and choose the keywords that you want to show up for. If you’re a plumber, you’ll show up when someone types “emergency plumber” and they’re based in your city. You also need to look into social media and search engine optimization. As a local business, local SEO could be pivotal to your success.