Do you have your mobile-colored glasses on? I sure hope so, given the buzz, action, and reaction of the digital marketing world to 2015's biggest talking points, which unless you live under a rock, you know are all about mobile.
Near the end of 2014, marketers - myself included - began predicting 2015 would be "The year of Mobile." Then, early in 2015, we started hearing rumblings of a mobile-centric Google algorithm update, which dominated the digital world from February until April 21st (the Here's the deal: mobile is important (which you get), but you need to use and take advantage of your understanding of mobile's importance. Doing the stuff that keeps you status quo - like ensuring you're site is mobile - won't get you ahead of the competition. But thinking outside the box and doing something different will. For example (hat tip to Mike for this one, btw), let's say you run a landscaping company and use lawn signs to generate business.
day of the update). Lost in all the hoopla is perhaps the most important mobile development of the year: Google reported that the number of mobile searches surpassed desktop searches.
Needless to say, mobile is on everybody's mind. We hate to pile on (and I don't think we actually are) but you know what goes hand-in-hand with mobile marketing and is getting the short end of the stick right now? Local campaigns and targeting! Marketers often get so caught up in reaching every corner of the Internet that they forget how many potential customers they have right in their own backyard. So for our latest WSI infographic, we put together some stats that'll convince you to Be A Good Neighbor and Target Customers in Your 'Hood.
Here's the deal: mobile is important (which you get), but you need to use and take advantage of your understanding of mobile's importance. Doing the stuff that keeps you status quo - like ensuring you're site is mobile - won't get you ahead of the competition. But thinking outside the box and doing something different will. For example (hat tip to Mike for this one, btw), let's say you run a landscaping company and use lawn signs to generate business.
Yes, lawn signs. In 2015.
Okay now that we're done freaking out, instead of lawn signs and paper plastered to street signs and mailboxes, what if Landscaper Larry (that's you) ran some enhanced mobile PPC campaigns. In this age of the Internet and technology, doesn't that sound like a more effective tactic? I think so, but I haven't relied on lawn signs for 20 years. Change is tough, but adaptability is necessary for marketers and businesses in 2015.
So moving right into the numbers, we start off with a staggering stat: 59% of consumers use Google every month to find a reputable, local business. Of course, it's true, and we all know it (which is the reason why it's such a booming stat). Whether it's to find an ice cream place, dry cleaner, a barber, a butcher shop, or a pub - the list of local businesses that each of us uses in our everyday lives goes on and on.
The other day, I realized I needed to get a dress dry-cleaned for an upcoming event. I know there is a dry cleaner around the corner from my house, but I've never been there. So I went online to try and verify their location and find out when they close, but they didn't have a website or any information online. Guess what? There are five dry cleaners within ten minutes of my house, so I found one that had hours listed on a website and used them.
We often use Google to verify location, operating hours, price, or anything else we're not sure of, and when we don't find answers online, it takes us ten seconds to find the next option.
As seen in the example above, people are usually looking for local businesses because they need a product or service immediately. So again, it's important to have a digital presence because local searchers are at a critical stage of the buying cycle: the end. The stats say that 61% of local searches result in a purchase; the question is, do you want to get in on the action, or are you satisfied with your competitors bringing all the local business to their yard?
If you need further proof of the case of local marketing efforts, consider a fact: 50% of mobile users visit a store within a day of conducting a local search. This stat confirms exactly what we concluded in the last section, which is local searchers are ready to buy as they are surfing the Internet. No matter what business you're in, there are local people who need or want your products or services. Period. They're out there, so your job is to find them or ensure they find you. It's a hard concept to deliver on all the time, but in theory, the goal is easy. Keep it simple by thinking local, and before long, you'll be marveling at how many customers were right under your nose.
Back to the lawn sign and Landscaper Larry example from above. Approximately 70% of mobile searchers have used the call button directly from Google Ads to phone a local business. Who wants to bet that 70% is higher than the rate people see a number on a lawn sign and dial Larry? Yeah, I didn't think so. For starters, when you drive by a lawn sign, there's not enough time to jot down a number, so I'm not even sure how they're supposed to work in the first place!
With Google Ads and features like enhanced mobile campaigns reaching local customers - and making it super easy for them to get in touch with you - your phone will be ringing a little bit more than you're used to!
Repeat this statement over and over in your mind every time you come across a problem with your marketing: make it as simple as possible for your customer to complete the action you want them to take. Consumers will choose the path of least resistance, so if there is anything standing in the way of dealing with you - a broken form, a wrong phone number, information that's hard to find - they will move on to one of your competitors.
The solution? Location-based ads, which studies show consumers take action more than 60% of the time. With things like click-to-call, operating hours or directions right on an ad, or simply an address, consumers realize well-placed local ads provide them with the information they require to make an easy purchase.
The kicker is these are only a couple of reasons businesses need to embrace local marketing - there are many others we haven't discussed! The purpose of this infographic is to show how effective local campaigns and geo-targeting ads can be for your business, so get out there and give them a shot!
