In spite of some negative publicity and Presidential comments, here in Las Vegas we still host a lot of conventions, especially in internet marketing. The hottest topic for the last few years has been marketing local businesses on the internet. There are some programs being sold on the web but, so far, the jury is still out on their effectiveness.
However, the premise is still accurate. The next wave of internet wealth will not be overseas in a global economy. It will be right here in our back yards showing local businesses how to be found on search engines, social networking sites and media sites.
This was predicted several years ago by Paul Zane Pilzer in an interview with Dr. Joe Vitale (pdf available upon request.) Mr. Pilzer seems to be one of those rare individuals in actual possession of a “crystal ball.” He taught economics at NYU for 20 years, was an economic advisor to the first Bush administration and both Clinton terms. He made millions in IPOs and is an author of several books on futuristic economic trends.
He subscribes to the local business internet marketing boom and is upset that the current “marketing experts” are missing the boat. He maintains that the next wave of internet wealth is indeed in your local restaurants, dry cleaners, auto repair and all local product and service providers.
Pretty much all small local businesses across the board are experiencing reduced revenues, layoffs or even losing their businesses and shutting their doors completely. The attrition rate has been on a scale not seen since the Great Depression of the 1930s.
Also, whether we like it or not, the game has changed and is continuing to change, sometimes at the speed of progressing technology which can be blindingly fast. Not only are the demographics different but it is now a rare occurrence for a potential customer to actually pick up that heavy yellow book when they’re trying to find a particular product or service. It’s becoming more and more common, especially as more consumers are buying and becoming proficient with computers, to simply go to your favorite search engine, usually Google, and type what you’re looking for in the “Search” window.
This is the contemporary reality and woe to those who don’t get with the new program. And, the truth is, most of these business owners are too busy and uncomfortable with marketing on the internet. The main reason for their discomfort is a lack of knowledge on just how to do their marketing in the real world. They are frequently approached by companies who charge them to build a website, promise them the world and they wind up with another business expense that, instead of producing revenues, is just another drain on their operating capital which has already been taking quite a beating in this economy.
Most of the reason for this is that the IT people are great (sometimes) at building a website but don’t have a clue on how to market one. Unfortunately, most of these outfits just want their check and then they leave the client hanging in the breeze. Exacerbating this is the fact that the business owners and, if they can afford it, their so-called “computer guys” are completely clueless as to how to get the potential customer to even find their website despite the fact that the search engines read the local IP addresses to try and direct this traffic directly to them.
The upside to this is that the savvy and hard working internet marketer has a huge, mostly untapped source of revenue sitting virtually in their back yard. He/she must also stay abreast of the latest technologies, one of which I know is only a few months old, that can bring fresh, relevant content to the customer’s website so they can, at the very least, be found by a paying customer who is actually looking for them.
Although much attention is given to the search engines, though vital, the smart marketer cannot ignore the social networking and media sites. Video and article marketing must be taken into account and those who can provide these turnkey systems to local business owners will reap the reward inherent with this trend.