In many popular social media and marketing blogs, the controversy of targeting online versus targeting local is a trending topic. This is a problem many companies face, and the answer can be difficult to find. What do the majority of bloggers say the answer is? A blend of both online and local.
Chris Brogan, President of Human Business Works and an active blogger, says the most important thing he is studying about this issue is understanding how the Internet makes local work better.
It’s important for companies to have relationships with both the online trust agent and the local hero. Brogan says this is “a missing piece of many companies’ puzzles.”
Creating a contact database is a start to blending. The online trust agents can direct companies to local heroes. There are people that have a job, online trust agents, and people who live to serve, local heroes. The majority of the time, connecting with local heroes will be the most helpful.
Local marketing is growing, but it still has a long way to go. In his blog, Brogan provides statistics on how small businesses are (or are not) using the web:
- 40% of small businesses don’t have a web site
- 81% of entrepreneurs still don’t take advantage of social media
- 47% don’t think that Facebook, Twitter or even LinkedIn are beneficial to their business
Being a local web development company that provides services for local (and not so local) companies, these statistics are shocking. So how do we reach these small businesses? According to Brogan:
“Make it dead simple. That’s how you’ll sell them.”
After reviewing this issue, questions rise:
- How will companies continue to blend the online and local even more?
- How will companies help people understand what they offer?
What do you think?
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