Google Tags:

Google is offering it's Tags feature in all 50 states today. The Google Tags option, available for $25/ month, allows a business to place a special tag on their G  Maps listing.

A yellow Tag shows up on both the map and business listing calling attention to the merchant. A scissor icon on the map can denote a coupon offered by the business.

It remains to be seen how effective the Google Tags feature is, but for less than a dollar a day it is certainly worth testing. There are no contracts, so you may cancel at any time.

One drawback is obvious.  You must attain a Google Map Box placement. But no worries, a Local Search Marketing Services Professional can help you with that.

Sacramento Internet Marketing

Running a small business is not an easy thing to do. Our current economic climate only makes it more difficult. Sacramento businesses must use their marketing budget wisely. Many small business owners advertise in the yellow pages and newspapers as they have for years.

But is that where their customers are looking for them?

Newspapers?

The Sacramento Bee's circulation dropped more than 13% just in the 6 month period ending 3/31/2010. Fewer and fewer eyes are falling on newspaper ads and coupons.

The statistics a clear:

70 percent of online searchers will use local search to find offline businesses. (Kelsey Group)

If your customers search for your product or service online, will they find you or your competitor?

The phone book is a dying advertising medium!

Another sobering tidbit:

97% of Internet users in the U.S. gather shopping information online, and of those, 51% explicitly characterize their behavior as “Shop Online, Purchase Offline” (NPD Group)

It  is absolutely necessary to get your business listed in local search directories.

Can you market your business without spending a fortune? Absolutely.  But before I tell you how, I'll tell you of a couple of marketing pitfalls.

Pay per click and yellow page advertising are two high cost, low return marketing techniques.

Buying adwords displays will get you on page one. But it is not for those faint of heart. Your budget can be eaten up very quickly. And unless you know what you're doing, you'll be paying for worthless clicks.

And the good 'ol Yellow Pages. This old fashioned media is becoming less and less effective. Those slick salesmen tell you your business has to be in the book, preferably a full page ad. But what happens if your business moves, changes phone numbers or adds services? That listing is locked in for a year! Most phone books are thrown into the recycle bin as soon as the are delivered. How's that for return on investment?

The reality is that people still let their fingers do the walking, but now they do it online.

 According to Google, 20 percent of all searches are related to location. In March 2010, nearly 3 billion Google search queries contained local terms. These searches were similar to  "Portland Plumber" or "Florist Elk Grove".

You must capitalize on this! Otherwise you're  giving 1 in 5 potential customers to your competition.

 An online business presence is absolutely essential to compete today. Below are a few techniques you need to utilize…

 5 Proven Online Marketing Techniques for Small Businesses:

    * Optimized Website: It all starts with a website. Your best bet is a WordPress Blog. They are fairly easy to set up and Google loves them (this site is WordPress).

    * Local Directories: Set up or claim your listing in Google Place, Yahoo Local etc. List your products and services then optimize with photos and videos. Encourage your clients to leave good reviews on these sites.

    * Social Networking: Sign up with Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter. Get your name and brand out there.

    * Write Articles: Writing articles about your field of expertise is a great way to get traffic and links back to your site. Submit to services like EzineArticles, GoArticles etc.

    * Social Bookmarking: These sites let you "share" your website and articles with the world. Check out sites like Digg, StumbleUpon, Mixx and Del.icio.us. These will also send traffic and links to your business site.

These are but a few of the essential techniques to utilize in marketing your enterprise. With some research, you can implement most of these yourself. But it may prove more prudent to hire an expert so you can focus on what you do best………………. running your business.