REGIONAL GEOGRAPHIC TARGETING
Who Should Consider Regional Geographic Targeting?
If you are a physically-based business that serves a limited geography which may include several locations or a particular service delivery or shipping radius, regional targeting will serve your needs well. As with local targeting, all of the major search engines (Google, Yahoo & MSN/Bing) have the capability to allow your ads to be shown to visitors located in several metros or states, or even a radius around particular locations. This is a huge benefit because it allows you to engage in the very effective directional search engine marketing without having to pay for advertising that will not benefit you.
Why Use Regionally Targeted Online Advertising?
Whether you serve business customers or consumers, somewhere between 60% and 99% of your prospective customers are online. Business purchasers led this change, but consumers were not far behind. In fact, it is expected that over $1 Trillion1 will be spent in local markets from shopping that occurs online, so building a strong online presence is not just for ecommerce companies. It should be very much a part of your short and long term marketing plans, even if you are a physically based company that has traditionally made great use of offline media (radio, television, newspaper).
What Are The Types of Regional Advertising To Consider?
Some of the most common forms of regionally-based advertising include:
- General search engine marketing in Google, Yahoo and Bing. Business users and consumers use the general search engines for purchases they intend to purchase offline. Search engines have become much more sophisticated, such that frequently the search engine is aware of the searcher’s physical location and so presents relevant local results. At other times, searchers will use geo-modifiers to specify their location, thus assisting the search engines to present desired results.
- Local search engines, including Google Maps and Yahoo Local are more frequently used by searchers in local markets, and so present a perfect opportunity for targeted sponsored search. In addition, many of the local search engines allow a free business listing for each location, and should be leveraged as part of a larger business directory listing initiative.
- Local business directories such as CitySearch, Insider Pages, the above mentioned Yahoo and Google products, and more. In addition to these nationally known local directories, many metro areas have favorite portals that should be evaluated as well. LocalDirective assists local businesses to get listed in the right local directories, although there are restrictions based on where you are physically located vs. the radius you serve.
- Local Classified Advertising sites such as Craig’s List and Kijiji offer great opportunities to display products and services in multiple local markets. As with business directories, many of these sites offer free listings, so the investment is the time it takes to identify, post and maintain your listings on these sites.
- Search Engine Optimization is a critical component of the long-term strategy for any regional business, and should be used to build a location-based presence for each location or for the radius served.
In the dynamic online environment, there are many more regional geographic targeting advertising and marketing opportunities. LocalDirective works with clients across the US to select the most appropriate tactics to help you achieve your business goals, within your timeframes and targeting your regions of interest. Contact us today to learn more!
