When a searcher types in a word or phrase into a search engine, they start a process to locate information about a particular subject of interest. The searcher will continue to add or adjust the words and phrases they use until they get the results they want. When a searcher has a specific interest in mind, they will add more words to a phrase. These individuals may have already searched the subject and know what they want already. Their need for information is specific, so their search becomes specific. This is known as the “long tail” search, so named because the searchers use more words in their phrases to get specific results.

How can this concept help local businesses? Simple. Long tail searchers have most likely done the research for a product or service and are now interested in finding a business that can supply their needs. In other words, these people are ready to buy and are looking for a business from whom they can purchase. For the local business, this means that they are looking in their area, looking for you.

This brings us back to the item of content. Search engines need content to help their searchers find what they are looking for, quickly. When a long tail searcher searcher wants a dog trainer, they will use the phrase “dog trainers Grand Rapids Michigan”. So what do you need to do? When you are commenting on blogs or forums or creating new web pages, list your special service, but so not forget to mention your local area. When you edit your forum profile, be sure to add a line saying that you are serving a particular part of a city or even a county in your state.

An added benefit of this approach is that so few local merchants use this technique, your listing will be near the top of the search results page!

In an article on Local Search in Tough Economic Times, there are few important points to remember. Link building is always essential. You need to go to this article and either list yourself in the directories provided, or go to your listing in the directories and make sure you are still high on the page. There is also a big emphasis on branding. Make sure that your “brand” is as broad as possible. You are not a specific service provider, but your service can be used for many things. For instance, you do not just do airbrushing, but you are essential to the success of a party, thus you are an event planner as well.

If you have been following the advice on this blog, then now is the time to take advantage of your work and move people closer to the purchase decision. When you were at events, people became aware of you. If they received at tat and you told them how save their tat forever, then you have an email that you can use.

Create an email campaign that compares your broader brand identity, letting them know that entertaining people at parties, even creating parties with tats as the theme is advantageous to other forms of entertainment.

You have been working hard on your marketing for a while. Now is the time to take advantage of all that work and create business now.

Today is another historic moment for our country. “We are here today because we have chosen hope over fear” (The Inaguration speech of President Barack Obama)

I voted twice last year. The first time was in November on voting day. The second time was at Christmas. I spent more this year than I have in previous years, without using any debt to do it.

I believe that I am in the right company with the right product under the right leadership.

Are you voting for your future?

An easy way to get links is by joining a relevant forum and adding your web site url into your profile. I found this profile in the tatstore forum, and it is a great example of how to set up your profile signature.

http://battractive.com/blog/2008/10/06/two-website-findability-facts/

If done regularly, marketing can be routine ans easy. Marketing is about building momentum and if done routinely, will create that momentum. My regular tasks include reading Google alerts (more on that in my post http://blog.tatstore.com/2008/07/15/using-google-alerts/). I also use bloglines.com keep track of my favorite blog post, of which I follow over 50. I include in my routine making comments on relative blogs with a link back to my site and comment on forums and user groups.

The momentum to this strategy is simple. The more I appear when the subject of airbrush tattos is mentioned, the more we appear as an authority. From this strategy, we have gained new customers, some of whom are now affiliates with our company.

Sometimes, it seems more hassle than it is worth. But when you begin to see reults, you will realize that by maintaining an easy daily schedule, your marketing becomes habit and will develop a life of it’s own.

This is a second blogging effort for me. At my previous employment, I was responsible for three blog posts per week. Currently, I read up to 54 blogs each day to get an idea of how others handle their task, what post get the most comments, and how different companies take an approach to blogging. The results are that their is no specific formula or easy way. It just has to be done.

With our 100th post today, I wanted to tell you a little about how we are doing. Our most popular writer is Bonnie. Her offerings on practical ways to increase a tat business has drawn faithful readers each week. Our most popular post is Getting a Website (Part 2), and although well written, this post caught the attention of one of the sites mentioned in the post and is being used by them as part of their testimonial page. This one post alone accounts now for over 38.44% of our blog traffic. Kirk’s posts have gotten the most readers in a day, but we told him he cheats because he has sent out an email to everyone, letting them know he has posted.

The effort has been worth it, at least for me. We have plenty of marketing material already up on our site. This blog lets us educate and interact with people in a different voice.

Let us know what is your favorite post or what you would like to see us talk about in the future.