There is little argument, or debate, left regarding the necessity of internet marketing for small, and local businesses…even if those businesses do not serve a market larger than the town, city or county where they are based.

According to the Kelsey Research Group, a major online resource for small and local businesses, 30%, or more, of all searches typed into major search engines (Google, Yahoo, Bing, etc) are “local” searches.  In other words, they are searches for a particular product, service or provider in a particular location (usually the home town, city or region).  In fact, the vast majority of “buyers” will first search for a product, service or provider online before making their purchase decision…even if they eventually choose to buy offline.

This translates into millions of searches every single month that are specifically geared towards “buying” keywords.  Simply put, these searchers, those who are very specific in what they are looking for, are far more likely to become paying customers quickly and easily.  This because, when a prospect goes through the trouble of telling your exactly what they want, and exactly where they want it, they typically have a need, or at least a strong desire, and they are ready to spend their money to fill it right away.

And, even better, these searches typically cover nearly every industry and every single market…no matter how small, or large.  Local small business internet marketing is important for every business…and when it is done right, it can be devastatingly effective.  Right now, a number of small and local businesses are using local small business internet marketing strategies to dominate their markets.  Some of these businesses include:

• Real estate agents and mortgage lenders
• Home builders, general contractors and solar installers
• insurance agents and companies
• Car dealers and equipment suppliers
• Retail and clothing stores
• Bars, nightclubs, dance clubs & more

What makes local small business internet marketing so popular with many businesses is the effectiveness, the variety of marketing options and the lower costs compared to traditional offline marketing.  These traditional offline marketing strategies, such as…

• Yellow pages, newspapers and magazines
• Television and radio commercials
• Local flyers, etc

…are typically expensive.  They often require not only the cost to create the marketing pieces, but also the associated costs, such as the high costs of print ads in newspapers and yellow pages, as well as the bloated expense of TV and radio airtime.  And, in today’s market, very few, if any prospects, actually look for their products or services in places such as the Yellow Pages.  Just think about it…where is your copy of the Yellow Pages?  Have you opened it to find anything lately?  I haven’t.  Mine is actually keeping a homemade bench in the workshop level (shows the level of my wood working craftsmanship).

However, any type of marketing that was once done offline, can now be done online, for a fraction of the cost.  And, because of the increased use of the online marketplace by the vast majority of prospects and customers, these internet marketing strategies tend to be far more effective than their traditional offline cousins.

The most widely used local small business internet marketing strategies employed by the most successful companies (regardless of size and market) include:

• Articles, Press Releases & Blogs
• Web 2.0 Sites & Social Networks
• Videos, Images & Podcasts
• & More

By targeting the “local search” phrases that the prospects in their market are using to find their products or services with these local small business internet marketing strategies, a small or local business can put their marketing message directly in front of the most qualified, ready-to-buy prospects…and, use the marketing pieces to drive these prospects directly to their website, their phone lines, or their storefront.

This type of local small business internet marketing can increase the sales and profitability of a small local business by increasing the effectiveness of their marketing while lowering its wasted costs.  In today’s economy, and difficult business market, it seems imperative that all businesses look to cutting their costs and increasing their sales…local small business internet marketing is one of the easiest and effective ways of doing that.