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<\/p>\nIn 2016, I surveyed over 2,000 local business owners. The results were unanimous.<\/p>\n
The single greatest struggle brick and mortar businesses face is their inability to generate leads.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
What frustrated me the most about the comments were the complaints.<\/p>\n
I get it…<\/p>\n
You’re restricted by geography and old school marketing methods are less effective today because of online accessibility.<\/p>\n
If you continue to rely on word of mouth, foot traffic, or a genie in a bottle, then you might as well hit the roulette table and throw everything down on black.<\/p>\n
The truth is, you need to take your local lead generation campaigns online to have a fighting chance in today’s market.<\/p>\n
And once you start to effectively use these online lead generation strategies<\/a>, you’ll find that the ROI from your local campaigns to be off the charts.<\/p>\n If you want results, then keep reading.<\/p>\n Because in this 4,500 word post, I’ll cover absolutely everything you need to know to make your next local lead generation campaign a success, while your competitors are looking out the window hoping for someone to walk through their doors.<\/p>\n The local business owners in the survey above aren’t out of the norm. A lot of them are actually very smart marketers.<\/span><\/p>\n Despite their marketing prowess, they do not know how to <\/span>effectively target local leads<\/a>\u00a0online in a way that is measurable and repeatable.<\/span><\/p>\n With online lead generation, you have access to a plethora of data that will help you go beyond a one-hit wonder.<\/p>\n You can take the data to reach new audiences who will likely purchase your services and create scalable campaigns that can be\u00a0replicated based on prior successes.<\/p>\n No matter how excellent your lead generation campaigns might be, unless they are specifically engineered to <\/span>attract local clients<\/a>\u00a0and can be statistically repeatable,<\/span>\u00a0they are ultimately doomed to failure.<\/span><\/p>\n So how do you guarantee that you can generate qualified <\/span>local <\/span><\/i>leads for your business?<\/span><\/p>\n That\u2019s exactly what I am about to show you. <\/span><\/p>\n Here is the good news. <\/span><\/p>\n Local lead generation is not <\/span>that <\/span><\/i>much different from traditional lead generation.<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, due to the comparative lack of competition, it is often much easier to generate results with local campaigns than it is with its national or global counterparts. <\/span><\/p>\n However, the bad news is that the actual steps, strategies, and techniques are slightly more difficult to execute due to the meticulous attention to detail and laser focus that is required. <\/span><\/p>\n Luckily, with the following 5 tips, you will be able to quickly propel your business\u2019s local lead generation capacity forward 10 fold. <\/span><\/p>\n So let\u2019s get to it. <\/span><\/p>\n Becoming proficient at local SEO<\/span><\/a> is one of the single most important things that you can do to generate new leads at a rapid pace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n It is actually significantly <\/span>easier <\/span><\/i>to rank highly for (most) local keywords than it is to try and rank for keywords that are searched on a national scale. <\/span><\/p>\n For example, ranking for \u201cPR Firm Denver, Colorado\u201d is going to be a walk in the park compared to getting your website on the first page of Google for the keyword \u201cPR Firm.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n And, to make things even better, <\/span>local SEO<\/span><\/a> can be boiled down to three simple components that you need to master.<\/span><\/p>\n While almost every strategy detailed in this article will improve your SEO performance in some way, these three steps are the pillars upon which all local SEO success rests. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Google My Business<\/b><\/p>\n The first step that you need to take in order to boost your local SEO ranking and quickly generate more leads is to claim and <\/span>optimize your Google my Business page<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n While I cover this (and many other local SEO tips) in my extensive article on local SEO<\/a>, the basics of Google My Business optimization are:<\/span><\/p>\n For example:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. Make Your NAP Consistent<\/strong><\/p>\n This point is simple in theory but can be quite challenging in practice. <\/span><\/p>\n One of the key factors in your local SEO ranking is the <\/span>consistency of your NAP<\/span><\/a> or business \u201cName, Address, and Phone Number.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n You need to make sure that your NAP is present and consistent across all of your marketing mediums and web pages. <\/span><\/p>\n And this is pretty easy.<\/span><\/p>\n The tricky part comes whenever you have to <\/span>audit NAP citations<\/span><\/a> on <\/span>other<\/span><\/i> websites like Yelp! or Trip Advisor. <\/span><\/p>\n This process can be extremely time-consuming and tedious, but is, nonetheless, absolutely essential for your SEO ranking. <\/span><\/p>\n 3.Fully Optimize On-site SEO Factors<\/b><\/p>\n The next step on your road to local SEO mastery is to fully optimize on-site factors. <\/span><\/p>\n The majority of on-site optimization boils down to a few simple things. <\/span><\/p>\n While there are certainly <\/span>more advanced tactics<\/span><\/a> that we could delve into, the above bullet points should be more than sufficient to give your website the boost it needs to start dominating local SEO. \u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n Now, with your SEO running full steam ahead it\u2019s time to shift gears a bit and start <\/span>optimizing the mobile design of your site<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n Some of you may be tempted to disregard this particular piece of advice and assume that mobile optimization isn\u2019t <\/span>that <\/span><\/i>important.<\/span><\/p>\n According to a study by Neustar Localeze and 15miles, more than <\/span>63% of the population<\/span><\/a> uses mobile devices to find local businesses.<\/span><\/p>\n And what is even more telling is that this same study showed that 73% of searches on mobile devices end in purchases compared to only 50% of searches on desktop devices. <\/span><\/p>\n Now, with the importance of mobile devices quantified, let me pose a question. <\/span><\/p>\n How do you think users will respond to your company if they cannot easily navigate and use your website to find the information they are looking for?<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n I know that if I were them, I would probably go find another company who cared enough about their prospects to <\/span>design a user-friendly website<\/span><\/a>. <\/span><\/p>\n And even if you ignore these statistics, mobile optimization is still important for SEO.<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, since <\/span>Google\u2019s recent updates<\/span><\/a> which were released to encourage the websites to improve their UX, sites are now <\/span>penalized<\/span><\/i> if they do not have a fully optimized mobile design. <\/span><\/p>\n The bottom line?<\/span><\/p>\n Go mobile or go broke. <\/span><\/p>\n Social media is one of the fastest growing if not <\/span>the <\/span><\/i>fastest growing phenomenon and marketing mediums of this generation.<\/span><\/p>\n And it isn\u2019t slowing down.<\/span><\/p>\n In fact, in the past year, the number of social media active users increased at the same rate as the increase of internet users, resulting in nearly a quarter of a billion new social media accounts!<\/p>\n Which makes it disturbing for me to see so many local businesses not taking advantage of the raw lead generating power that social media provides. <\/span><\/p>\n Let me say this loud and clear, if you are not using and optimizing your social media presence, you will <\/span>never <\/span><\/i>achieve the kind of business success you desire. <\/span><\/p>\n It\u2019s as simple as that. <\/span><\/p>\n However, I understand that many local business owners, even those who already have social accounts for their company, simply lack the knowledge required to successfully leverage social media to achieve their goals. <\/span><\/p>\n So in this section, I am going to help you eliminate that excuse and teach you how to use social media to generate leads at a size and scale you never thought possible. <\/span><\/p>\n Since B2B businesses market to high-level professionals and entrepreneurs, you will not be using the same platforms or tactics that B2C businesses use. <\/span><\/p>\n In my experience, there is one platform that shines above the rest for B2B specific lead generation. <\/span><\/p>\n LinkedIn, or as we like to call it, The B2B Lead Generation McDaddy.<\/span><\/p>\n Now obviously you <\/span>can <\/span><\/i>use Facebook, Twitter, and Google+ and see some phenomenal results.<\/span><\/p>\n But many studies have shown that LinkedIn is <\/span>the <\/span><\/i>most effective platform for B2B lead generation. <\/span><\/p>\n In fact, at one point in LinkedIn\u2019s history, Hubspot found that it was <\/span>277% more effective<\/span><\/a> than Facebook for lead generation!<\/span><\/p>\n Not too shabby for a social network with over 1 billion fewer users. <\/span><\/p>\n But now that you know <\/span>why <\/span><\/i>LinkedIn is important, the question still remains \u201cHow can you take full advantage of it for generating local leads?\u201d<\/span><\/p>\n 1. Optimize Your Profile<\/b><\/p>\n No serious businessman or entrepreneur will invest their money with a person whose profile lacks professionalism. <\/span><\/p>\n To <\/span>optimize your profiles<\/span><\/a>, get rid of the selfies and sarcastic job descriptions and opt for an approach that reflects the standards of excellence held by your company.<\/span><\/p>\n This means a professionally taken profile picture and a succinct but informative job description that appeals to your local clientele.<\/span><\/p>\n 2. Create Killer Content for your Local Audience<\/b><\/p>\n The internet is filled with content on broad national subjects. <\/span><\/p>\n For example, if you are in the real estate business, there are literally thousands of LinkedIn articles on real estate investing, national market trends, and common industry mistakes.<\/span><\/p>\n However, in stark contrast, there is a serious lack of location-specific real estate content. <\/span><\/p>\n So, if you are trying to build your LinkedIn presence for local lead generation, niche down and address topics that are <\/span>The Necessity of the Internet for Local Lead Generation<\/span><\/h2>\n
Simple Strategies for Generating Local Leads<\/span><\/h2>\n
1. Master Local SEO <\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"download-1\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/download-1.png\")
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2. Fully Optimize Your Website for UX and Mobile Users<\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"cross-device-infographic-neustar-15miles\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/cross-device-infographic-neustar-15miles-e1480997117109.jpg\")
<\/p>\n![\"blog-optimize\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/11\/blog-optimize-768x720.jpg\")
<\/p>\n3. Optimize Your Social Profiles <\/span><\/h2>\n
![\"screen-shot-2016-02-15-at-12-04-18\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Screen-Shot-2016-02-15-at-12.04.18.png\")
<\/p>\na. B2B Social Media Optimization <\/span><\/h3>\n
![\"3-why-linkedin\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/3-why-linkedin.png\")
<\/p>\n![\"linkedin-profile-photo-example-bad-5\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/linkedin-profile-photo-example-bad-5.png\")
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<\/p>\n![\"screen-shot-2013-07-10-at-10-49-55-am\"](\"https:\/\/www.moneyjournal.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2016\/12\/Screen-Shot-2013-07-10-at-10.49.55-AM.png\")
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