Traditional marketing methods — such as advertising on newspapers, magazines, or television — have always been effective in giving a business more exposure and solidifying its brand image. However, as a small business owner in Chicago, marketing through these methods might be a little too exorbitant. Why not turn to the internet and take advantage of an effective (and low-cost) marketing tool to give your small business a competitive edge in the local market? All you need to have to leverage the reach and ROI of marketing online is a well-designed website.
It’s important to understand that there is no “one-size-fits-all” approach when it comes to marketing your business online. That said, if you are looking for a way to boost your presence on the web quickly without overspending, you may want to consider getting your business listed on online business directories — think Google My Business, Bing Places, Yelp, Foursquare, Yellow Pages, or Chamber of Commerce. If you have your business listed in one of these (or ideally, all of these), you can improve your rankings in local search results and increase the foot traffic in your business.
Benefits of Listing Your Business Online
It will save you money.
You don’t have to spend anything to get your business listed on most online directories. This is one of the biggest advantages, as you can then use the money you save to further your marketing efforts elsewhere.
It will save you time.
Online business directories allow you to be available to a wider audience. This helps you save time in having to advertise everywhere and daily. Of course, you can still advertise, which will give you an even wider exposure, but generally, listing your business in the main directories is a great starting place.
It will give you more exposure.
With mobile devices, one can now access the internet from anywhere — at home, at work, in a local café, or traveling. If your Chicago business is listed in an online directory, you can be found by anyone who is searching for you or your services nearby.
Be found in search results online.
Online business directories are usually more optimized for the search engines and allow your listing to be found near the top when people search for you. People usually look no further than page two of a search engine’s results, and many will find what they want on page one and look no further. This is why it is essential to get your business listed on an online business directory.
Your customers can reach you faster.
With offline listings, you usually only get a phone number, which can sometimes make it difficult for the customer to reach you. With an online directory, on the other hand, you have a link that takes your customer straight to your business website, where there are many ways to contact you. If your customer is on a mobile device, they can just tap on their preferred method of communication, and it will take them straight there: dialing, emailing, or messaging you on any of the social media websites.
Higher SEO rank and increased traffic to your website.
As a result of the business directory being ranked high, your website ranking will increase as well. You will then receive more free traffic from the search engines. You will have more prospective customers seeing your website and getting to know about your services. A good online business directory will also be able to offer you advertising in the form of a featured listing, a classified ad, or a banner ad. This will help your marketing efforts even more.
Looking for a Top-rated Listings Management Agency in Chicago, Illinois?
The team of search experts at Digital Destination can help your business position itself in front of potential customers and ahead of market rivals. With our listing management services in Chicago, Illinois, we can help you maximize your profitability by driving more qualified leads to your business. Contact us to request a free quote!