Small Business Owners Capitalize on Local Search Opportunity
Business owners in Long Island recognize the power of local search and social media. And they’re taking action to capitalize on both.
Local search is when someone wants to find a business in your neighborhood, town, or county. That person might be local or they might be from anywhere in the world. The point is: doing a local search means their need can best be fulfilled by a local business.
That’s why local business owners on Long Island are joining the Long Island Social Media Directory.
This site allows you to find Long Island business owners on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and YouTube. It gives access to the RSS feeds from their blogs and connects members to LinkedIn groups focused on Long Island.
You don’t have to be from Long Island to join the site, but it makes sense. This is a group that has come together to do local networking, promote Long Island businesses, and build a community. Anyone joining that community should either be a Long Island business owner or someone who does a lot of business in Long Island.
If you’re interested in creating a site like this for your own business area, I suggest having a look at Ning. They offer an excellent free service for developing your own social networking group. It will work as well for you on a local basis as it does for other people with a national, international, or global focus.
Another option is a Wordpress blog. This will allow you to easily set up public and members-only sections for the site. That allows your members to post content that everyone else on the internet can have access to.
To give your effort some traction or credibility, think about teaming up with a Chamber of Commerce, Rotary, or Kiwanis club (all business owners), or a Business Improvement Association. Although the name can be different from place to place, what you’re looking for is a group of local business owners.
It’s fine to start off with just a couple of dozen members. As you develop content and improve your service offering, your membership will increase. Drop me an e-mail and I’ll show you how easy it is to do.
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