It’s true –social media is a great way to engage your clients and customers, nurture leads, and expand your company’s mindshare. That said, numbers don’t lie, and when it comes to getting information about local businesses, the data is pretty clear – more people say they rely on search engines than Facebook, Twitter, and other popular social platforms.
That’s at least what researchers over at the Pew Research Center found after surveying 2,251 adults about whether they get news and information about local businesses and what medium they use most frequently to do so. Of the people surveyed, 55 percent said that they get news and information about local restaurants, bars, and clubs; 60 percent said they get news about businesses other than restaurants and bars. Here’s where it gets interesting, though: of those 55 percent, 38 percent say that they rely on search engines for information; only 3 percent report using social networking websites. Similarly, of the 60 percent of people who receive news about businesses other than restaurants and clubs, 36 percent use search engines; only 1 percent gets its information from social networking sites.
In other words, for all the fanfare around Google+, Twitter, and Tumblr, most people still rely on good ol’ Google search. What does that mean if you are a small business owner with a brick-and-mortar store? It goes back to basics. If you haven’t yet, head over to Google Places and claim your listing – Google gives more weight to listings that have been verified. And while you’re at it, don’t get stingy with the amount of content that you provide. Upload photos of the storefront and your staff, include links to your website and social media profiles, respond to user reviews (both positive and negative!), advertise special promotions, etc. If your Places page is a ghost-town, prospective customers will treat your business accordingly. And if you are feeling adventurous, check out this comprehensive list of local search ranking factors, put together (and updated annually!) by SEO guru David Mihm. It can be a bit overwhelming, so if nothing else, pay special attention to the Overall Top Ten section.
Beyond optimizing your Places page, don’t forget about your website. Obviously, you can’t learn everything there is to know about SEO in one day – we wouldn’t be in business for very long if you could – but there are plenty of existing resources to get you started. If you are completely clueless, take a look at the Search Engine Optimization Guide from Google, as well as this Beginner’s Guide to SEO from SEOmoz. And if you get hooked and want to learn more, head over to the Webhead Facebook Page, which we update every day with helpful tips, tricks, and industry highlights.
What medium – search engines, social networking sites, newspapers, TV, etc. do YOU rely on to get news and information about local businesses? Let us know in the comments!