7 Tips For Building Local Business Through the Internet

Are you have a difficult time finding local customers through the internet? Are you getting emails from people out of your local area? This article will show you strategies you can use to create a local customer base using the internet - and doing it all for free. First, create an attractive business listing (or ad, depending on where you're going to place it). Make it two or three paragraphs in length and make sure it contains your contact information. Your ad should highlight the benefits customers would receive from doing business with you. Put yourself in your customer's shoes and write your ad based on what you think they're looking for in a business. Once you're satisfied with your ad, it's time to start placing it on the internet for local residents to see. Here are the seven nation-wide directories we recommend:

1. Merchant Circle: This directory will will put you in front of local customers. Their website is indexed often and has a Google Page Rank of 7 - which is really good. I listed my business here and had my first customer from my listing within 3 days.
2. Craigslist): You have to be careful where you post on Craigslist, but if you post an ad in the "Small Biz Ads" section, you should be okay. You are allowed to have one ad running at a time. Ads will remain on Craigslist for 45 days. When your ad drops off, make sure to create a new one so you always have an active ad running at all times.
3. SuperAds: This website offers free ad placement within local markets. Most major cities are covered by SuperAds. You can add pictures (which make it nice for personalizing your ad with your logo or pictures of your products). They have various categories available for ad placement.
4. Kijiji: This directory also offers local ads. Pick the best category for your product or service and list your ad. You can also upload a picture with your ad. Kijiji does a lot of advertising for their directory, so it's likely they will become more popular as time goes on.
5. Stumble Here: With a 60-day ad, this is a really great directory. You can include very specific local information to pinpoint exactly the area your business services. They also allow for the uploading of pictures.
6. WebCosmo: This local directory offers a 90-day ad for your business. You do have to confirm your email address in order for your ad to go live, but it's worth it. Though they only have a Page Rank of 4 (out of 10), they appear high on Google's search results and would be a good choice for free exposure for yor business.
7. ListPage: You can add a free 60-day ad on this site that is pretty specific for local traffic. I wasn't able to find my exact city, but I was able to add a listing for a nearby city that I'd be willing to travel to.

These are just a few of the many online directories that will allow you to post a free local ad or listing for your business. These can be very successful if you stay on top of them (and update them when they expire). Create a spreadsheet or database to keep track of when they'll expire so you'll always make sure to have a current listing available for local visitors to see. With a little work and a good follow-up system, you can successfully drive local traffic to your business for little to no money (some of the sites offer upgrades that might be worthwhile).