To achieve a high-level of online visibility and internet marketing success, local businesses need to consider multiple factors…  

According to a 2010 study by web analytics firm Compete, three out of five consumers “always” or “often” search online before conducting a purchase. Only 6 percent of consumers do no research prior to making a purchase.

So how can a local business balance this need for strong, online visibility with proven forms of traditional advertising?

Marketing tools may produce one level of results when used alone or independent of each other. However, when you combine the tools into an integrated marketing plan—a cohesive symphony of marketing efforts with coordinated timing and consistent messaging—the synergy increases results dramatically. The explosion in new media combined with more traditional promotional platforms means that there are more opportunities than ever to create strategic integrated marketing plans.

For some insight and expert guidance you’re invited to download this free white paper -

Marketing 360: Developing an Integrated Marketing Plan .

Another new co-branded site, the Google Places/yellowbook360 partnership channel on YouTube is also now up and running…

All businesses are Internet businesses — even if they don’t have a website or sell anything online. Surprised? You shouldn’t be. Up to  70 percent of offline purchase decisions are made on the Web, according to Herschel Thompson, head of InteractiveStrategist.com, an online marketing consultancy.

Online searches are the new Yellow Pages, leading customers to goods and services. Even the most conservative observers of the online space concede that search engine marketing is playing an increasingly important role in driving business, particularly for small companies serving local markets.

And the local market is search’s sweet spot, he said — 29 percent of all online searches are local. There are lots of acronyms flying around in the realm of online search — SEO, SEM, PPC, etc. But it boils down to two main categories: organic search, which is based on a site’s contents and the number of other sites that link to it, and paid search, which involves bidding on key words and phrases that you believe will drive profitable traffic to your business.

Search Engine Optimization (SEO) involves building a site that is search-engine friendly so that your business shows up in organic search results.

“With SEO, there are no guarantees,” said Thompson. “In some industries, it’s going to be hard to get to the top through organic search.”

But there are ways of maximizing how you appear to the algorithms that guide online search. High-quality original content is key,” he said.

“Hyperbole gets filtered out by skeptical consumers,” Thompson said. “You win online by being authentic. You can’t put lipstick on a pig.”

Search engine authority Matt McGee agrees that content is king.

“There are a whole lot of things you can do that you don’t have to hire an expert to do,” McGee said. “A lot of really good content is an absolute must. Content that answers people’s questions, all the stuff people ask when they send you an e-mail.”

McGee’s specialty is Search Engine Marketing (SEM), which takes up where SEO leaves off. That process begins by taking stock of what you already have, auditing your current Web presence to see what content you have and what could be improved, how search-friendly the architecture of the site is and how well the key words and phrases match the actual language people use when they search.

Not paying attention to how customers search is a major stumbling block for many sites, he said. How you refer to your goods and services may not be the way your customers refer to them.

Once you know what you have, SEM addresses what you need.

“Identify phrases and terms you could use to add new content to your site,” McGee said. “Make sure you have analytics on your site. Google Analytics is probably more than enough for most websites. You have to know what’s working. The great thing about online markets is the analytics on the web — you’ll get solid, actionable information.”

The hardest part follows — link-building. Your company’s visibility, McGee said, is largely dependent on how many links you have to your site. There are several ways to attract links, including becoming active in social media and leaving quality comments on blogs that don’t necessarily include a hard sales pitch. But link-building can be very difficult for many small businesses.

Social media audiences are extremely attuned to nuance, McGee said. They don’t want to swamped by a barrage of hard-sell postings and a constant barrage of sales pitches.

“Social stuff is about adding benefit to the community,” he said.

“Link-building is time-consuming,” McGee said. “And if it’s not time-consuming, then it’s costly. It’s either a time or money issue.”

Even though link-building eats up time and has a steep learning curve, though, McGee recommends businesses give it a try.

“The most successful online marketers are the ones who are willing to commit the time to learn as much as they can,” McGee said.

The third leg of the search marketing stool is paid search, also known as Pay-Per-Click (PPC).

“With SEO, there are no guarantees,” said Thompson. “Pay-per-click is easiest to measure. “

That’s both SEO’s beauty and its liability, said Ben Kirshner, CEO of Elite SEM.

“The best thing about PPC is the measurability,” Kirshner said. “It’s good because you can see how much money you’re making. It’s bad because you can see how much money you’re losing.”

Managing a PPC account, much like link-building, is very time-consuming, he said — which is why many companies outsource this function to agencies specializing in PPC.

If you do decide to outsource, Kirshner said, ask the agency how much time will be devoted to your account and who will be working on it. Will it be staffed with untested rookies or vetted professionals?

Find out their terms of engagement. Some agencies want to lock you up for a year, he said. And ask about the technology they’ll be using.

“You have to use technology to beat the big boys,” Kirshner said.

While  driving the other day I passed the 2010 Rockefeller Christmas tree being transported into NYC, police escort and all.

Pretty cool, but hard to believe I’m seeing Christmas preparations already. It got me thinking about all the SEM advertisers that need to start preparations of their own. 

Most businesses experience ups and downs throughout the year; some cyclical, some triggered by one-time events.  Christmas of course is a biggie, as are other holidays. Changing seasons, one-time economic and weather events and increased competition are also factors. Thinking 30 days ahead of these predictable trends and positioning yourself  “ahead of the curve” will ensure you remain competitive. At the same time, you’ll capture additional new customers and gain market share. 

For example, I know of a Manhattan-based Costume Shop increases their PPC budget ten-fold every August to prepare for the upcoming crush of consumers in the following 60 days. Google Insights data confirms this decision as being a smart one:

Insights is just one of the great tools you can use to predict things like search interest (aka: “demand”). Based on this, as well as IYP usage data, I’ve looked at a number of businesses verticals and identified those that are now entering their “prime season”. They include:

• Caterers & Restaurants 
• Anything retail
• Electronics
• Jewelery & Watches
• Ski Shops  
• Snow plowing & Equipment
• Tires
• D.J.s
• Carpet Cleaners
• Accountants
• Tax Attorneys
• Divorce Lawyers
• DUI Attorneys
• Health Clubs

Competition is increasing, as is demand for these products and services. Smart businesses that are prepared and proactive will benefit from the increased exposure and additional new sales that are sure to follow!

Innovative center includes new ChatterHub reputation management tool and ability for businesses to update business profile information for free.

UNIONDALE, N.Y., Oct. 28 /PRNewswire/ — Yellowbook, a national leader in local search, today announced the launch of a number of dynamic services for small businesses available online in the new Yellowbook360 Business Center. The initiatives, geared to help businesses grow, provide Yellowbook clients and non-clients opportunities to increase their business exposure, manage their Yellowbook marketing programs, and monitor their online reputations.

The Yellowbook360 Business Center provides a secure centralized space for clients to view the results generated by their Yellowbook marketing campaign to easily track their return on investment, incorporate more detailed information about their business, and learn more about other Yellowbook products and services.

Entire press release is here.