This presentation runs through relationship building techniques for SMB and personal brands to help gain visibility in the local space.

2. Local Changes & Challenges
For the small business owner:
•Time
•Scalability
•Knowledge
For the large companies/corporations
•Too much budget
•Not sure where to focus
•Conflicting management

3. Current Local Rollup
Local Changes & Challenges
•
•
•
•
•
•
Full and Meaty Plus Pages
Images
Zagat Integration from Buyout
Citation Review integration
Competitive Local Pack
Tons and tons of other signals

4. Local Changes & Challenges

5. Local Changes and Challenges
For regional/national businesses, localization has varying appearances
depending on the query and metro
•Fluctuations per metro
•Fluctuations per query
•Local vs. Big Local [Pack vs. Organic]

6. Local Changes and Challenges

8. How Can I Approach Local
Sustainably and Strategically?
Understand Your Competition [STALK]
Leverage Your Community
Leverage Publisher Relationships
Embrace Your Business Model

10. Seek Reviews
Reviews are holding more weight in the local space and are trust signals.
•Integrate review options into direct mail campaigns
•With brick and mortars, have a sign encouraging good or bad reviews
•Split these review signs into different areas of your store to align with
categories/products
•Explain the starring and review system

12. Citation Stalking & Updating
NAP – Name, Address, Phone Number
•Biggest Mistake – no blanket updates when changes occur
•Create a feeling of “inconsistency” to the engines
•Creates conflicting signals and information

13. Your Local Page Is Your Hub
•Update with fresh images
•List in multiple, relevant categories
•Brand your page and integrate useful keywords if possible
•Make sure you have a full description added
•List store hours

14. Where is Your Competition Getting Citations?
• Local?
• National?
• Niche?
Tools:
• Whitespark Local Citation Finder
• Localeze
• Sweet IQ
• Identify where they’re listed, and not listed, and GET LISTED.
• Strengthen your social presence - claim all social locations
(Foursquare, Yelp etc) for your stores.

15. What’s Their “Community” Strategy?
•Do they own a blog?
•What relationships do they hold locally?
•Are they partnering with colleges or other businesses?
•Are they receiving reviews?
•Are they offering Living Social or Groupon specials?
The “Offline” Stuff
•Are they holding events?
•Are they offering “Real Life” incentives via online channels? [Foursquare
/ Yelp]

17. Social Ads & Messaging Analysis
[Message Resonation or- “WTF Do They Like?”]
Paid ads allow for constant A/B testing on a large or small scale
•With smaller budgets – Small Facebook campaigns – CPC or CPM
•Testing different messaging in your local area
•Understand what resonates and encourages click through/conversions
•Work that messaging and topic into content
•Multiple locations? Test different “slang” and “dialects” to see what
resonates
•Create and pitch content that integrates that “speaks” to your target

18. Social Ads & Messaging Analysis
[Message Resonation or- “WTF Do They Like?”]

19. Videos & Images
•Encourage staff to take videos and images
and submit to Google + page and other
channels like Flickr, YouTube etc.
•Hold events and encourage attendees to
submit videos and images

21. Local Publication Outreach

22. Benefits of Local Blogger Relationships:
• Audience sharing
• Extra promotional channels – bloggers love to promote their
work
• Reaching other locals
• *Free content* - Less time needed on content creation
• Opens up door for guest contributions on other blogs

23. Local Publication Outreach
[Local Link Currency is People + Relationships]
Offers geo-signals to further validate importance of your brand in city
and broaden your local audience:
•What’s your UVP? Why should they work with you?
•Query Google News for relevant and ‘hot’ topics/news to identify
publisher.
•Mine your competitor’s backlinks if possible.
•Local publishers are your friends. REACH OUT. Build Relationships.
•Be a Value Add-on - Offer to create custom content for their column.
Content creation goes both ways.
•Generate links to both your main site, on-site location page, and Google
+ Local page

24. Local Publication Outreach
[The Two Way Street For Generating Local Links]
Work on relationships with columnists that cover your business/niche
Start a partnership – what stories are they planning to cover? Can you
contribute?
Example:
•Worked with a local lawyer
•Created relationships with local news publications
•Discussed topics that they were covering and created content sponsored by
business
•Generated relevant and timely links from local publications
•Saw increased movement around relevant phrases being tracked

25. Meetup Groups
• Excellent for finding niche influential groups
• Many Meetup group attendees are bloggers - Find them
• Offer incentives/events for those groups to come to your business
• Potential for reviews and Yelp cross integration
• Reviews tie into Google +

26. Meetup Groups

28. Launching a Blog
[Your Blog is the Core]
There’s no “Easy” way to create a blog – it’s hard work
Your local blog should be the “hub” and meat of where you’re driving
local users and other businesses for info:
•Integrate local and relevant content into your posting schedule
•Create national pieces that are focusing on your specific industry or
niche with city integration
•First hand research – the fresher the better
•All content should be pushed via social [If there’s manpower behind it]
•Review analytics for informational queries – How can you help your
local audience?

29. Launching a Blog
[If You Build It – They Won’t Just Come]
NEVER.
•Interview others in similar niches
•Work with local charities to “give back” and trade coverage
•Attend local events and write about/promote it
•Host events at your place of business
•Work with local focus groups or small groups of people for mini-studies

30. Volunteering in “RLE”s (Real Life Events)
• Identify local events, clubs or sports your business can sponsor
• Cover event in blog or within social channels [if applicable]
• Identify local blogs and news publications that have covered
event previously and offer fresh content/perspective
http://www.eventbrite.com/directory/sitemap/
http://www.active.com/

31. Offering RL (Real Life) Incentives
• What would bring people to your
store?
• What will encourage images and
videos?
• What will encourage check-ins and
sharing?
• What will encourage cross-channel
reviews?
• Can you take advantage of Groupon/
Yelp Elite / Living Social?

32. WHAT ARE YOU WAITING FOR?!
Well?
Find where your competitors are generating
citations
STALK and identify where your presence is
lacking
Nurture and build community relationships to
increase geo and relevance signals to your local
website – it’s never *one size fits all*
Get involved IN REAL LIFE.
Find YOUR niche local strategy