The ways in which consumers are both searching and finding local businesses are rapidly changing, and local businesses and marketers are quickly adapting to take advantage of new opportunities to drive business in the door.

Here are my 7 key takeaways from the event:

1.  Local Business Spending Remains The Same

But, this spending is increasingly fragmented and focused on online presence. Over the past 12 months, total annual spending on advertising and promotion by SMBs has remained consistent at about $3,000, according to BIA/Kelsey’s Q3 2012 update to its Local Commerce Monitor survey, which was presented at the conference. But the ways SMBs are spending those dollars is increasingly changing.

As the number of media platforms continue to grow, local businesses are broadening their spend. In 2007, SMBs on average used three types of media for advertising and promotion. In 2012, they used 5.8. We can only expect this diversification to continue as new platforms like social media, mobile and tablets take greater hold in the consumer shopping experience.

Today the platform getting the most attention is online, where SMBs are continuing to increase dollars spent on their website and other web properties. They SMBs surveyed by BIA/Kelsey said they spend an average $1,190 on their online presence as of 3Q 2012, up an astounding 36% from $876 in 4Q 2011.

Key takeaway: SMBs shouldn’t worry that the only way to compete in today’s changing media environment is to dedicate more resources to advertising. Rather, they need to strive to spread those dollars across a wider array of platforms to reach consumers in more of the places they’re searching. Right now, many SMBs see building their online presence as an increasingly important part of that effort.

2.  Social Media Serves As The Central Platform For SMBs

While SMBs are investing in everything from landing pages to website videos and mobile websites, social media is dominating the field.

The BIA/Kelsey report found that about 63%, or nearly two-thirds, of SMBs said they use social media as a marketing tool for their business. The study showed that 46% of SMBs have a Facebook page, and that an additional 15.3% will likely create one within the next year.

According to data released by Facebook to coincide with ILM West, the number of local business pages advertising on the social network has doubled since January. Local businesses are also doing a better job of keeping pages up to date: active local pages increased more than 40% since January.

Additionally, more than 300,000 pages have promoted more than 2.5 million posts since Promoted Posts for businesses feature launched in June. While Facebook figures don’t focus specifically on SMBs, there’s no doubt that SMB activity is a strong part of this trend.

Key takeaway: SMBs should strongly consider the benefits of building and maintaining their social media presence. Nearly half (49%) of SMBs say Facebook is extremely or very important to their business, according to the BIA/Kelsey study. And it’s no longer seen by SMBs as just a place to build brand awareness or community.

An astounding 41.7% of SMBs surveyed by BIA/Kelsey say they see Facebook most importantly as an acquisition tool. SMBs believe there are transaction opportunities that social media can provide.

3.  Customer Loyalty Programs Are Seen As Growing Opportunity For SMBs

A majority of SMBs said they currently have (34%) or are likely to add (21.3%) customer loyalty programs to their marketing mix, according to BIA/Kelsey’s survey. Approximately 53% of SMBs described loyalty customers as “high quality,” and nearly half (49%) said their competitors have loyalty programs already.

Key takeaway: Consumers today have greater access to information when it comes to the businesses they choose and the products and services they buy. A couple looking for a restaurant or a mom shopping for cleaning supplies at the local grocery can easily whip out their cell phones and find reviews, deals and other information that can guide their buying selections.

One of the strongest opportunities to build and maintain momentum for an SMB is to develop customer loyalty programs that have real meaning to the customer and make them feel that the extra dollars they spend with the business are worth it. Their enthusiasm about a business could translate into them checking into a store on Foursquare, tweeting about the business, liking its Facebook page, writing a positive review and a host of other activities that generate important visibility and new business opportunities.

4. As Smartphone Usage Grows, SMBs Are Taking Mobile More Seriously

At ILM West, Mike Boland, program director at BIA/Kelsey, talked about the significant gap that exists today between mobile usage by consumers and the advertising demand that follows.

According to Google Mobile data cited at the conference, 50% of mobile searchers are local. Like all businesses, SMBs have a lot of opportunity – and work to do to – to better connect with new and potential customers in this space.

One area that I’ve discussed previously in this column is the value of creating something as simple as a mobile website, so that consumers searching on their phones can easily access information about a local business. So I’m glad to see that while just 15% of SMBs said they have a mobile website today, a remarkable 52% said they plan to add one in the next 12 months, according to the BIA/Kelsey survey. This represents widespread recognition that mobile is key to the local advertising mix.

But SMBs and local marketers need to more strongly focus on opportunities available in targeted, location-based ads, which are the fastest growing segment of mobile advertising, according to Boland. He discussed how location-based ads have higher click-through rates and also encourage secondary actions in consumers including making a purchase.

Key takeaway: While SMBs are starting to realize that mobile is something they need to invest in, many are just getting started with the basics. And there’s a long way to go.

IdeaLab’s Bill Gross, who delivered the opening keynote at ILM West, talked about creating mobile advertising that adapts to customers depending on their particular wants and situation. He cited an example of a consumer receiving a pizza ad after he tweeted that he’s craving pizza. The opportunity for SMBs to tap into that type of advertising is unprecedented, but it will take a lot of effort and commitment.

5. Show-rooming Phenomenon Is An Increasing Threat To SMB Business

As I mentioned earlier, there’s little stopping a customer from testing an SMB’s products and receiving its expert salesman’s advice, and then taking that information to make their purchase for a cheaper price online.

In a session on local online retail innovation at ILM West, comScore’s Matt Archer shared that 37% of consumers say they have engaged in show-rooming at stores, and that 72% of those say they do so to find a better price online. That trend can only be expected to grow.

In addition to building customer loyalty programs and other initiatives that give consumers incentive to keep their business with the SMBs they visit, local businesses also need to be sensitive to the types of customers walking in their stores and their intentions, so as not to invest valuable time and effort focusing on those who have no intention of making a local purchase. But they should also look for opportunities to play in this new field.

Key takeaway: As show-rooming gains popularity, Google’s Product Listing Ads (PLAs) are emerging as a popular way for retailers to list their products and get found by customers searching for those products.

Kenshoo Local’s Paul Wicker, who once worked as a YP sales rep, said he wants to help SMBs better understand the value of PLAs. He said Kenshoo Local has developed an algorithm to help SMBs increase the impact of the PLAs, noting that beta tests so far have showed positive metrics in terms of cost per call and ad effectiveness. So there are opportunities out there for SMBs to take their share of this growing trend, too. 

6.  SMBs Need To Continue To Invest In “The Phone Call”

As someone who started in the Yellow Pages business a long time ago, I know the value that SMBs have placed on customer phone calls, which play a big part in the decision-making process for consumers. And while online and mobile advertising gain increasing traction, the old-fashioned phone call is retaining its prominent role – particularly for professional and home services as well as appointment-based companies. As CityGrid’s Jason Finger noted at ILM West, “phone calls aren’t going anywhere for a long time.”

Key takeaway: While SMBs are spreading out their advertising dollars onto new platforms, one fundamental investment that can’t be compromised is ensuring that there’s a voice at the end of the phone. Consumers are increasingly relying on online and mobile in their decision-making process, but often times they want to call up a store and have a direct conversation about the product or service they want to purchase. If no one answers the phone, they are significantly less likely to move forward with that business and will go elsewhere.

7.  It’s Time For SMBs To Claim Their Online Directory Listings!

My final takeaway has to do with something I’ve often talked about here in my column: the importance of SMBs claiming their online directory listings. The rationale is simple: with consumers increasingly searching for local business information online and via mobile, SMBs with incomplete or inaccurate information on online directory sites stand the chance of losing easy business.

So I was very surprised to see that only 14% of SMBs have claimed their listings on one of the major online directory sites (and that only 18% plan to do so in the next year), according to BIA/Kelsey’s survey.

Key takeaway: Research has shown that consumers are increasingly looking for basic local business information online: address, phone number, website, social media channels, hours, menus and the like. Most online directories offer local businesses with the opportunity to claim their listings – for free! Therefore, there is no excuse for an SMB not to take the time to claim their listing.

Small businesses today often struggle with the idea that local advertising can no longer be executed using a small number of platforms. In the past, print Yellow Pages, newspapers, direct mail and possibly television were the key driving forces in attracting consumers and getting them in the door.

Today, these platforms – in addition to new tools including search engines, local sites, mobile apps, daily deal sites, and others – are all becoming as equally valuable. Our industry is often challenged to convince small businesses that this transformation is real and to demonstrate the individual and collective performance of both old and new local search tools.

A new national survey sponsored by YP and conducted by immr and Street Fight, entitled “How Consumers Are Using Local Search,” provides powerful insight into this topic. The survey asked 1,100 respondents questions about how they search and what they search for across 11 business categories. The survey responses both enhance our understanding of local search behavior and confirm our conviction that small businesses benefit from implementing dynamic and comprehensive local advertising strategies.

In today’s column, I will share my five key takeaways from this study and how I believe these concepts should influence small business advertising decisions moving forward.

1.  More Devices = Greater Local Search Volume

There’s a false perception among many small business owners that in today’s changing media environment, consumers are rapidly replacing old habits with new ones: the traditional print Yellow Pages user who starts searching online or via mobile for local information stops using the phone book completely, the online user who buys a tablet stops relying as heavily on his or her PC, etc.

As such, small businesses have a tendency to want to completely replace the platforms they advertise on with new ones instead of extending and shifting resources gradually to correspond with changing habits.

The YP study discloses an interesting finding that debunks common perception on this topic. As the above chart shows, the more devices a consumer owns, the more likely they are to conduct local searches on each individual device as well as in total.

The study found that consumers with PCs, smartphones and tablets do more than 21 local searches per week, or an average of three searchers a day. This compares to 13.5 local searches per week for consumers with PCs and smartphones, and five local searches a week for consumers with PCs only. Therefore, as more consumers purchase smartphones and tablets, we can expect local search queries to increase, both across devices and overall.

2.  Mobile & Tablet Searches Increasing Towards PC Levels

The survey looked at how consumers are searching for local information in key categories such as entertainment, restaurants and dining, and the like. At first glance, we see how strong local search performance is across all surveyed business categories.

The chart below shows both the percentage of consumers making purchases within each category and, of those, the percentage who did a local search in each category in the last year. Interestingly, local search is prevalent in frequently purchased categories, such as entertainment, as well as in less-frequently purchased categories, such as transportation and professional services.

For example, while only 41% of consumers purchased transportation in the last year, 80% of those had done a local search for transportation. That’s a pretty significant figure.

What’s even more striking is the number of consumers who conducted mobile and tablet local searches. In some categories, such as entertainment, restaurants, and transportation, the percentage of consumers who searched for local information on PCs and those who searched via mobile were extremely close or even on par with one another.

Searches via tablets – which have only been available for a few years – are already being made by 20%-40% of those making purchases in each category. It’s clear that no matter what the business category, small businesses need to invest in advertising that reaches consumers across the growing number of digital platforms.

3.  Local Searchers Require More Complete Content

As local search continues to soar and more options are available in the marketplace, consumers are increasingly looking for more comprehensive business information. Until recently, local search data comprised primarily of NAP (name, address, and phone number), and sometimes possibly a brief description and hours of operation.

Today, a much wider array of information is available. This includes basic information, more personalized information (directions to the business from a user’s location), and dynamic information that changes regularly, including product availability, prices, deals, and more.

The survey asked consumers to indicate the reasons why they search for local businesses in different categories. While listings and other basic information are among the most frequent responses, other reasons are becoming increasingly important.

For example, 38% of those surveyed said that prices are a factor when they search for restaurant information, just a few percentage points less than the 41% of those who said looking up the actual restaurant listing itself is a reason they search. In the groceries category, 30% of respondents said that promotions and discounts were a reason they conduct a local search, on par with the percentage who said they’ve conducted a search for a grocery store’s address.

As we can see can, consumers are looking for an increasing amount of information across various business categories. Small businesses of all types need to ensure that comprehensive information about their business is available in order to be considered by today’s local searcher.

4.  “Local” Is Not Clearly Defined

The YP study shows that the definition of local changes based on a variety of factors, ranging from personal preference to business category. Often, consumers are less likely to travel far for basic and regular services, but more willing to venture longer for services they don’t use often.

However, there are various reasons why consumers might decide to travel further than usual for local products and services. In those cases, the definition of local is stretched beyond traditional boundaries.

As the above chart indicates, businesses offering a wider selection, better prices, more brands, and higher quality can incentivize consumers to traveler further.

With that in mind, small businesses should not allow themselves to feel tied to a specific local area. Instead, they should test varying boundaries to see if aspects of their business are notable enough to drive customer traffic outside their area. Each business category and individual business will realize different results.

5.  Tap The “Avid” Local Search User

The YP study indicates that a large share of consumers use local search on a regular basis. But the study also found that a specific population subset, labeled avid local search users, use local search tools much more extensively than average users. These users use local search daily on average and across a range of business categories.

While avid local search users represented only 24% of those surveyed, they accounted for more than half of all local search activity. These users, who are more likely to own smartphones and tablets and use them for local search, could be seen as early adopters and representative of what’s to come in the local search space.

As the above chart of activities over the past 30 days shows, avid local search users are almost evenly split between men and women. They are often younger, employed full-time, and college graduates. Their income is also usually higher.

Avid local search users are more likely to engage in a variety of local activities, including patronizing local stores or shopping using a local app than average users. They are also more likely to check in to a store, purchase a daily deal, scan a QR code, download a mobile app, and click on a mobile ad.

Avid users represent a significant share of today’s local search activity presaging the types of consumer behaviors we can increasingly expect from current average users in the months and years to come. All small businesses should keep a close eye on the changing face of local search to ensure that they can adequately attract new and existing customers.

Small businesses today operate in a time when smartphone adoption is growing rapidly (eMarketer predicts there will be 116 million U.S. smartphone users, representing 37% of the population, by the end of this year.

A continuous wave of new statistics are illustrating that consumers are increasingly turning to their mobile devices for local information (Google announced that as much as 50 percent of mobile search via its platforms is for local information), and even major companies like Apple are apologizing when public outrage ensues over their local maps features not being up to par.

Mobile is where today’s consumers already are, but local businesses are not. The LCM study showed that approximately 19% of SMBs said they have learned about mobile marketing but don’t use it, 31% have heard of it but don’t know much, and 29% simply haven’t heard of it at all.

Additionally, a separate survey by Borrell Associates found that only 27 percent of SMBs plan to increase their spending on mobile media over the next 12 months.

The rapid fragmentation of today’s local media landscape, which now includes options ranging from local sites and social media to online search and daily deals and also mobile – has SMBs playing an ongoing game of catch-up. Many are overwhelmed by the options and worried that investments in these new platforms won’t pay off.

What concerns me about the trend for mobile in particular is that many SMBs don’t have a basic education on the fundamental concepts of this form of advertising or its potential.

As a result, many SMBs are missing clear opportunities to attract potential new customers in the mobile space. Over time, these businesses may lose even more potential customers to competitors who are testing and utilizing mobile in their marketing plans.

Below, I’ll overview recent data that illustrates the state of local mobile advertising today and what SMBs can and should be doing to successfully leverage this platform.

Local Relevancy, Offers & Recognition Driving Mobile Advertising

xAd and Telmetrics recently released a Mobile Path-To-Purchase study, conducted by Nielsen, which explored the growing importance of local mobile search. The study found that 2 out of 3 consumers notice mobile ads and that 1 out of 3 ads result in a click – promising figures for any form of advertising, let alone mobile, which is just getting its start.

The study determined the top 3 reasons that consumers have for engaging with local mobile ads:

1. Locally relevant: the ad is for a business that is nearby and easy to access
2. Local offers coupons/promotions: presented with multiple business options, the ad presents a deal that the consumer can’t get with the others
3. Features a known brand: like any type of advertising, consumers are often drawn to businesses they know and trust

These are valuable tenets to help drive your business’ mobile strategy. For example, unlike other forms of advertising where businesses may blanket an entire city with ads to draw customers, the study suggests that the better approach with mobile is to find those within a targeted proximity.

YP’s most recent Local Insights Digital Report, a quarterly look at trends in local advertising based on internal data from YP’s Local Ad Network, echoed this view. The YP study found that consumers within a sweet spot of 1-2 miles were more likely to click on banner ads for local businesses. The further away from the business, the less likely consumers were to click the ad.

Apps & Mobile-Friendly Websites Are Vital

The xAd/Telmetrics study found that 45 percent of mobile users go directly to an app or website when searching for local information versus being directed by a browser. That demonstrates the increasing value of both investing in your business’ placement in apps and mobile-friendly versions of your business’ website, rather than simply relying on search engine tools.

Many local directory apps like those from Yelp, Citysearch and YP provide free listings for local businesses with the opportunity to increase exposure with paid advertising. It’s worth taking the time to meet with representatives from several of the major players in order to see what’s available. In all cases, make sure that any paid obligations on your business’ part are justified by analytics demonstrating a strong return on your investment.

If you’re unfamiliar with a mobile-friendly website, it’s a simplified version of your regular website page that can be more easily be accessed and viewed on a smartphone browser.

A mobile-friendly site usually focuses on providing basic information like business name, address with a map, and phone number (more on the significance of phone numbers later), as well as other features like online appointment scheduling. You can create a simple mobile-friendly website for free using Google Sites, DudaMobile and a host of other options from local ad providers.

A recent study by Google, conducted by Sterling Research and SmithGeiger, found that 61 percent of people surveyed said they’d quickly move onto another site if they didn’t find what they were looking for right away on a mobile site. The survey showed that 67 percent of users said they were more likely to buy from a mobile-friendly site.

What’s more, the mobile experience can reflect on the company as a whole: 52 percent of those surveyed said that a bad mobile experience made them less likely to engage with a company. These statistics and others in the survey demonstrate how important a mobile-friendly site is to your business both on- and offline.

Vertical & Device Type Play Role in Crafting Strategy

Determining the focus of your local mobile marketing strategy will depend on what type of business you’re in, since customer preferences are different depending on the vertical being searched and device type being used.

• The xAd/Telmetrics study showed that while local directory apps are most popular for smartphone users searching in the restaurants and automotive categories (53 percent and 34 percent, respectively), brand websites are most popular for users searching in the travel category (47 percent).
• Meanwhile, among tablet users, brand websites are the most popular among all categories (51 percent restaurant, 56 percent travel, and 48 percent automotive).
• The study also demonstrated that smartphones are used more to find and contact local businesses, while tablets are used more for research including price comparisons and reviews. Additionally, smartphone users are mostly on the go when the search (68 percent), while a majority of tablet users are at home (72 percent).
• Finally, the YP study found that Apple/iOS in-app ads accessed on its network yielded nearly 47 percent higher click through rates than Android in-app ads.

These insights can each play roles in calculating where exactly you’ll place advertising and how you’ll focus the content you share to maximize exposure and generate new sales.

Additionally, it’s important to note that popular verticals like restaurants, autos and travel are hardly the only ones that mobile users are searching regularly. The YP report showed several interesting categories like outdoor/recreation, landscaping and home & garden among the fastest growing between Q1 and Q2 2012.

Your Digits Can’t Be Forgotten

No matter what business you own or where you’re advertising via mobile, don’t forget that the basics still apply. The xAd/Telmetrics study showed that as high as 73 percent of smartphone and tablet users said they look for a business phone number in their searches and subsequently contact the business.

One might think in today’s digital-savvy world, the phone call itself would lose some significance. But it’s clear that consumers still want to speak with your business directly by phone before making a final decision to come in the door. Selecting mobile advertising options that allow you to prominently feature your local phone number is vital.

As Google Employee No. 20, Mayer played an influential role in Google search and launched 100 well-known features and products during her tenure, ranging from image, book and product search to toolbar, iGoogle, Google News and even Gmail.

But Mayer’s most recent work involved heading up local, maps and location services for Google. Mayer was behind some of the major local search stories we’ve been talking about recently, like Google’s acquisition of Zagat, the launch of Google+ Local, and the ongoing evolution of (and new competition to) Google Maps.

The fact is, Mayer lives and breathes local, knows the increasing importance of local search, and is an expert in creating innovative user experiences in the space.

If she makes local a priority at Yahoo – which still commands one of the largest audiences on the Web with 700 million monthly users – she may help to revive its once dominant local search platform, Yahoo! Local.

As recently as last April, analysts including Greg Sterling were asking whether Yahoo! Local was on the chopping block. But the offering survived the closing of about 50 Yahoo sites/products and in May, Yahoo surprised us by launching Yahoo Marketing Dashboard, a free offering with premium services, that includes business listing offerings, online business reputation management, website traffic and online sales analysis, and more.

Now with Mayer’s new role, Yahoo may really be back on the map as yet another platform for local marketers to watch and reconsider.

Let’s take a look at Yahoo! Local today. The site, which attracts in the neighborhood of 22 million unique monthly visitors (compared to Yelp’s 71 million monthly users), provides an overly basic user experience with minimal advertising opportunities for local businesses.

Users are presented with simple business listings featuring Yahoo user reviews and a compilation of reviews from other local sites. Local offers were added to Yahoo! Local in 2010 – and the beta version of the site features daily deals and a compilation of deals provided by sites like Groupon and LivingSocial – but the inventory is limited.

The Yahoo! Local mobile experience is also sparse with a generic mobile website and no app, although local business search is available via the Y! Search app.

Local businesses can choose between two listings options: a free basic listing with phone number, address, store hours, and products and services; and a paid enhanced listing to add a company logo and tagline, up to 10 photos and a detailed business description. Additionally, Yahoo! Local offers homepage, city guide, and category-specific ads as well as local coupons and deals.

Given where things stand at Yahoo! Local today, what changes might we expect for the offering with Mayer at the helm, and how will that affect your local business?

• Mayer’s first directive may be to build out Yahoo! Local listings to allow businesses and users to add much more content ranging from menus to videos – while eliminating the current paid barrier. Local businesses will need to create new content or repurpose existing content from their listings elsewhere to build out their Yahoo! Local profiles.

• Mayer might team up with a popular local search site (she is an active Foursquare user) to integrate more reviews, deals and social media features. Mayer said at the time of Google’s acquisition of Zagat that “getting local search right is important, and to do that you need great reviews.”

• Given her role launching Google+ Local, Mayer also understands how important integrating social media into the local search experience will be for Yahoo! Local to be successful. It will be important to watch what partnerships come to be with Mayer in charge and how that impacts your local marketing plan.

• While Yahoo maintains nearly the same number of business listings as a competitor like Yelp (17 million vs. 19 million, respectively), Mayer’s commitment at Google to create “pages for all known places” might be a goal for Yahoo! Local. Yahoo may incentivize businesses to add or claim their listings, giving your local business a nice bonus for participating.

The headlines – Apple introduces new Maps feature and Google Places becomes Google+ Local – sparked great interest: not only in what the moves mean for the industry, the companies themselves and the consumers who use these offerings everyday, but also in how they will impact local businesses that increasingly count on these tools to drive visibility and ultimately sales.

While many questions remain about how these developments will play out, it does appear that with some foresight and work, local businesses can take some steps now to prepare for the new realities presented by these changes. The tactics for success themselves aren’t new, but they’re essential to the task.

They include:

1. Ensuring comprehensive and accurate business listings with key distribution channels and websites
2. Maximizing the quantity and quality of reviews
3.  Becoming a more active and “social” business in the online space

Let’s take a look at both announcements and discuss what your local business can be doing to generate the most effective outcomes in this period of change.

Make An Accurate & Positive Debut With Apple Maps

Apple’s introduction of Apple Maps, which will be released with the iOS6 update later this fall, will represent the launch of entirely new local mobile search platform. With the iPhone representing 23% of the global smartphone market as of the first quarter, according to IDC, Apple Maps will be a medium your local business can’t ignore.

Not being among those appearing in Apple Maps, appearing inaccurately, or appearing with a host of negative reviews will not only be a lost opportunity for your business, but one that could hit your bottom line.

In its announcement earlier this month, Apple said that Maps “includes information for over 100 million businesses with info cards that offer Yelp ratings, reviews, available deals and photos.”

Greg Sterling, who has been following this story closely, has pointed out that while Yelp is providing its more than 27 million local reviews to Maps, it likely isn’t providing listings data. An Apple copyright page notes the names of various other vendors that Apple is using to supply listings information, including Localeze, Acxiom, and TomTom.

Until Apple Maps launches – or more information becomes available – we won’t know the exact mix of how listings will be supplied, or, as Greg has noted, what the quality of those business listings looks like.

We’ll also be on the lookout for what tools – if any – Apple will have available for both business owners and consumers to make necessary changes to incomplete or inaccurate listings.

Based on what we know now, however, there are several steps your local business can take to prepare itself for what’s ahead in the coming months:

• Certify that your business is listed (and accurately) with Localeze and Acxiom, since these primary listings providers will likely supply the basic NAP identity (name, address, and phone number) of your business to Apple Maps. Visit Localeze and Axiom’s websites to work through the process. While you’re at it, you’ll also want to update or confirm all of your business’ additional basic info like hours of operation, payment methods and options, and products offered. Along with Yelp’s data, it appears that Localeze and Axiom’s information will form the basis for information appearing in the Apple Maps “Info card.”

• Invest in building out a positive and comprehensive listing for your business on Yelp, which will play a key factor in where and how your business is represented in iOS 6. If you haven’t already, claim and update your listing for free and add attractive photos of your business, which will appear in the Maps “Info card.”

• Familiarize yourself with the do’s and don’ts of responding to reviews – both negative and positive reviews. Let customers know you’re on Yelp and ask those satisfied with your business to share their feelings on the site – the more, the better (more positive reviews will also help lesson the significance of the negative ones you receive). Also note to customers willing to listen that the more descriptive they are about their experiences – e.g., “John is a great carpenter who helped me pick out new carpet, windows and flooring” – the better chance that others will be able to find your business when searching specific terms.

• As we’ve learned with the integration of Yelp into Siri on the iPhone 4S, your business’ ratings and number of reviews play key factors in where you’re listed in iPhone search results. Continue to do the great job that you’re doing serving your customers, but keep in mind that having your work represented well on Yelp – and Apple Maps – will require some additional effort and patience.

• Pay attention over the next several months(and of course at launch) for more information about Apple Maps’ business listings and the factors influencing how your business gets found on the iPhone and iPad. Staying the course is just as important as laying this foundation to ensure your business receives the positive placements it deserves.

Take Advantage Of New Social Opportunities With Launch Of Google+ Local

Late last month, Google kicked off what are reported to be some significant changes to its local offerings by transitioning 80 million business pages on its longtime Google Places platform toGoogle+ Local, effectively merging its local business listings into its Google+ social network.

For the past few years, marketers have stressed the need for local businesses to leverage social networks like Facebook and Twitter to drive engagement with existing and potential customers. Now Pinterest, the visual scrapbook network that allows users to “pin” images and video they want to share from across the web, is becoming part of the conversation for a number of reasons:

• Unprecedented user growth. In March, Pinterest had nearly 19 million users, according to comScore, and is one of the fastest-growing standalone sites ever.
• High usage. Pinterest users spent an average of 89 minutes on the site in January, far surpassing Twitter and LinkedIn and second only to Facebook, according to comScore.
• Young, female, relationship-centered demographic. While women make up 65% of Pinterest users, they represent 84% of both minutes spent on the site and pageviews, according to comScore. The firm also found that the average pinner is 32-years-old and a strong majority are married or in a relationship.
• Defined interests. Pinterest users have clearly defined interests in creative and visual categories like jewelry, clothing, furniture, photography and other lifestyle and vintage goods.
• Unlimited future opportunities. Just this month, Pinterest raised $100 million from a group led by Japanese online retailer Rakuten, indicating that investors see big possibilities for the site and its ability to capture advertisers and consumers alike.

Most importantly for your local business, Pinterest is already becoming a notable player in social commerce.

Shopify recently released an infographic from results of a study that analyzed data from more than 25,000 of its online stores. The study found that referral traffic from Pinterest is now equal to that of Twitter. The study also indicated that shoppers referred from Pinterest are 10% more likely to make a purchase than those from other social networking sites.

Businesses of all sizes are certainly recognizing the opportunity. National brands like Coca-Cola and Neiman-Marcus are jumping on the Pinterest bandwagon, and The Wall Street Journal recently profiled several small business owners across the country who said they are experiencing notable jumps in website traffic and online revenues being driven by referral traffic from Pinterest.

So what should your local business be doing to increase visibility and generate sales on Pinterest?

1.  Determine If Pinterest Is Right For Your Business

There are several key factors to consider when deciding if Pinterest will work well for your local business:

• Do visuals play a key role in your products or services? If your business sells jewelry or art, prepares gourmet meals, landscapes beautiful lawns, or remodels kitchens, Pinterest may be an ideal place to engage your target consumer with photos and videos highlighting your products, past work, customer testimonials, and other content. If you’re a lawyer or an accountant, Pinterest is probably not the best place to dedicate your marketing resources.
• Do your visuals link to products and services featured on your website? One of the major benefits of Pinterest is that users can follow links to business websites where they can move forward with online purchases, call in an order for pickup / local delivery or find the address to nearby locations.
• Does your business cater to women? As the statistics above indicate, women represent the majority of traffic on the site.
• Are you prepared to dedicate the time and resources necessary to make Pinterest a success? This involves preparing new and original content and engaging with other users on a daily or near-daily basis – in addition to moving forward with your other online and social media efforts. 

2. Ensure Pinterest Is Set Up In Ways That Maximize Your Presence

Setting up an account on Pinterest is easy (once you’re sent an invitation to join, which typically doesn’t take too long), but taking the right steps to reach your target audience requires some additional effort:

• In the “About” section, add descriptive keywords about your business and its location.
• Add your website URL to your profile and link your account to your Facebook and Twitter channels to further the reach of your content.
• Add the Pinterest “follow” button to your website and “PinIt” buttons to each product and service page featured on your website.
• Create individual boards on your profile with easy-to-identify names that highlight specific product and services. For example, if you sell women’s shoes, create boards with names like “Boots,” “Evening,” “Sandals.” Also create boards that promote discounts: “Under $50″ or “On Sale.”
• On each board, pin images and videos featured on your website. Use descriptive language in each pin and make sure to include prices where applicable (according to Shopify, pins with prices receive 36% more likes than those without). Users that like a specific product or service featured in a pin can easily click the image or video to see the offering on your website.
• Don’t use your boards to just promote your own content. Regularly pin other relevant content that you think your followers will enjoy, even if you don’t sell it. Also take the opportunity to showcase images with advice and tips – for example, how to wear a scarf or a belt – so that users begin to see your brand as a resource.

3.  Engage The Pinterest Community

There are numerous ways to participate in the Pinterest community and increase visibility for your business in the process:

• Follow like-minded businesses in your area, local community influencers, and even your own customers so that they know you’re interested in their content, but also so you can monitor and react to what they’re sharing.
• Comment, like, and re-pin content to generate a positive conversation about topics you and your followers care about.
• Host contests to generate activity for your Pinterest profile and attract more eyeballs for your products and services.

4.  Remain Active & Integrate Activities Into Larger Social Media Plan

It’s important to remember that your business’ Pinterest presence will only be successful if you dedicate time and resources to updating content and engaging with other users. If you choose to engage on Pinterest, update it with the same priority as you would pick up a call to your store or stock your shelves.

Also take the time to review what content your followers enjoy most and what specifically drives increased traffic to your website and in the end, generates greater sales.

Speaking to a crowd of local search leaders from around the world, Boysman described in detail how she and her team developed a comprehensive strategy that drove meaningful local leads for her business and elicited support from the highest levels of her organization.

The presentation left the group buzzing because it outlined the type of innovative and integrated local marketing plan that many local search providers are trying to explore and develop with their clients.

I want to share some of the key learnings I walked away with after Boysman’s presentation. It’s a model for local businesses everywhere looking to navigate the complexity of today’s fragmented media environment. Let’s talk through the steps it takes to create a powerhouse marketing organization.

1.  Develop An Understanding Of The Company & Its Target Customers

The first priority is to clearly understand your company’s mission and create a marketing plan to help achieve it. Pinpoint ideal customers by drilling down their ages, genders, education levels and incomes to create distinct “customer target profiles.”

Then, research those profiles intensively to determine associated attitudes towards your company’s services and the specific obstacles in the way to getting target customers in the door and spending on services.

These findings inform strategic marketing messaging and programs that address those concerns directly, as well as provide insight on the types of media channels that should be used. By having clarity on your company’s mission and target customers, you’ll be able to start thinking about ways to bridge gaps between the two.

2.  Evaluate & Reconfigure Media Mix

Just a few years ago, many companies’ advertising strategies relied nearly entirely on print; newspapers, magazines, direct mail, and Yellow Pages. But, with a deep understanding of your target customer, you’ll be able to identify areas to diversify and expand the your marketing approach.

Think about refining your advertising model. You may find that directories continue to deliver sales volume, but newspapers do not. Or you may find your magazine spend isn’t performing as well as direct mail. Reallocate your budget where it makes sense and build out your advertising portfolio to channels you’re not reaching if the research supports it.

By adding channels over time, you’ll be able to continuously track progress and position the company to reach a greater number of target customers in the places they are searching most – whether through television commercials, direct mailings, or search engine-sponsored ads.

The choice and designated spend on each platform should be carefully planned based on understanding the attributes of each channel and how they contribute to ongoing success. It’s all about moving consumers through an engagement continuum from building awareness and response to making purchases and recommendations.

An integrated and multi-platform media mix will ensure the strongest visibility for your company. It’s vital to understand the inter-relationship of all media and how they drive awareness and response. It’s also important to create a fluid planning process that allows for implementation of major initiatives but is also nimble enough to adjust for changing trends.

3.  Grow digital & Mobile Presence

Digital plays an important role in how target customers find company services. Track Google query demand in your vertical and build out your company’s digital presence to match increases in that audience. Launch a fully optimized website, social media channels, organic and paid search, digital advertising and sponsored content and digital promotions to better connect with new and potential customers.

Also, invest in a presence on local sites including Citysearch, SuperPages, Yellowbook and YP.com. It’s a must to have an associated and integrated strategy for all of these initiatives along with key performance metrics to understand what success looks like for your clients.

4.  Measure & Contextualize Results

Measuring success is critical.  Don’t lose advertising budget because you can’t prove that what you’re doing works. Keep track of traffic to your company’s online properties – including total Web visits, unique visits and total calls and clicks for each platform.

Determine which marketing tactics are working to convert consumers into customers – whether it’s downloading a coupon or buying a product. Map out increases in revenues to justify the return on investment on advertising activities.

Remember that knowing the cost per click or the cost per call isn’t enough. The best marketers understand how much revenue a call or click generates, not just the cost of the call or click itself.

Additionally, make sure to reserve some budget to test out new tools and tactics on an ongoing basis, even if you’re not assured they’ll initially drive leads. While it’s important to make sure that your marketing influences actual sales, it’s equally valuable to try new approaches. Otherwise, you’ll quickly fall behind your competition in engaging the newest advertising trends.

Follow an approach in which you constantly analyze the outcomes of advertising efforts and make adjustments to capitalize on the positives and dial down on the negatives.

5.  Look For The Right Advertising Partners

Finding the right partners is key to ensuring your success over the short and long-term. Make sure you and your team are keeping tabs on the latest new and emerging media and exploring innovative approaches. Meet regularly with local search sales representatives to learn more about their latest offerings and what they can do for your business.

Remember that tying your advertising budget down to one or a few channels simply because of habit or personal relationships is not the right approach for your business. Also, try networking with other advertising leads in similar verticals so you can exchange ideas and advice.

Above all, make sure every advertising option you utilize makes smart business sense. When it comes down to it, proving how media drives revenue is what your job is really all about.

Without a doubt, the Yellow Pages space is in a state of transformation. Research has found that fewer people are using print directories in both numbers and frequency than they have previously, and a multitude of new platforms ranging from the Web and mobile directories to iPhone and iPad apps and daily deals offerings are fragmenting the way consumers make purchasing decisions.

Where it used to be easy to reach your intended consumer through a small number of media channels, there are now many options for a small business advertiser. Yellow Pages players have responded by introducing new offerings that leverage these areas of growth, while also working to preserve and enhance print and other existing offerings that have and continue to drive leads for millions of businesses across the country.

Inspired by Chris’ column, I propose four key reasons advertisers should think twice about abandoning their Yellow Pages relationship.

1.  Yellow Pages Providers Now Offer More Than Just Print Directories

Many have also launched Yellow Pages-branded websites, mobile apps, SEO and search services – and more innovations are on the way.

Yellow Pages providers have completely changed their playbooks. Company names and business strategies have changed to reflect a new era in which they use their experience in the local advertising space to deliver a full-spectrum of local marketing services to neighborhood businesses.

Many people would be surprised to learn that the same companies that deliver their phonebooks also provide them with the local business information they find online or access via apps on their mobile device, or the daily deals they purchase through links shared on social networks like Facebook and Twitter.

Local businesses might be intrigued to hear that the company that publishes their local directory also offers advice on areas like SEO, paid search, online advertising, online reputation and social media. Yellow Pages providers are often behind vertical websites dedicated to selling cars or wedding planning.

As BIA/Kelsey’s recent update of its Global Yellow Pages report indicated, newer Yellow Pages offerings like websites, video, social, mobile and search engine marketing will be their primary growth drivers in the coming years. And by 2015, an estimated 53% of global Yellow Pages revenues will be digital, compared with 29% in 2011. Yellow Pages providers should be judged on everything they are doing and will be doing in the near future to drive growth.

2. Yellow Pages Have Long-term Relationships With Local Businesses

This puts them in a unique position to offer advertisers personal advice and service, relative to start-ups with little history or local team members.

There are many interesting and innovative local search companies out there, but something has to be said for the close bonds that this Yellow Pages’ vast sales force enjoys with its local business advertisers and its deep understanding of their individual objectives and challenges.

Yellow Pages representatives have been working with these businesses for years and have gained their trust by delivering results that have positively impacted their bottom lines. Today’s Yellow Pages representative can counsel a client how understand and implement effective digital strategies.

If you’re a small business advertiser, take time to talk to your Yellow Pages representative and see what they might be able to do for you beyond your print or Internet Yellow Pages ad. When it comes down to it, where else can a local business go for one-stop access to all the various local advertising options now available to them – from the same companies they have worked with for years?

One of the biggest problems I see for small and local business owners is they don’t have the time to research and understand their advertising options. That’s a real need that Yellow Pages providers are equipped to address.

3.  YP Providers Are Partnering Behind The Scenes With The Search Engines

Advertising with one of these companies rarely means that a business’ listing is confined to one Internet Yellow Pages website. Many of these companies now enjoy relationships with competitors such as search engines and other popular local sites that allow them to cross-promote advertising and resell their products.

Data that fuels popular local search sites is often provided by a Yellow Pages provider because they maintain the most comprehensive and accurate listings, which is key to delivering the local search experience advertisers want and consumers expect.

Companies like AT&T and Yellow Pages Group are investing in building relationships with developers through APIs and supportive resources, resulting in the creation of dozens of new web and mobile apps that leverage their business listings. There is no doubt that these efforts will continue to grow and deliver valuable results for participating local businesses.

4.  Print Is Not Dead

It’s also not an either or proposition. Advertisers should study closely when an investment in print advertising would make sense.

In an era when a growing number of consumers DVR programming and view video content online, is there a general consensus that TV advertising is on the outs? Because less people read the newspaper today, have major advertisers simply stopped running full-page ads?

We live in a fragmented media landscape where consumers of all demographics are picking up information in a multitude of places new and old.

Our research conducted with Burke finds that nearly 8 out of 10 of print Yellow Pages searches resulted in a purchase or purchase intent. How many new local search offerings can claim such high exposure and drive so many leads?

Local businesses advertising with print Yellow Pages should take advantage of tools developed to demonstrate the value of their investment. Pay-per-call is one way; Co-Op advertising is available in many categories; surveying customers is another.

Like anything, assumptions can be made about who uses what medium more. But the real question is what the data shows, and it varies not just from industry to industry, but business to business and even as specific as product to product.

For example, a construction company owner profiled in a recent Bloomberg Businessweek story on the industry said that while print ads don’t help the customer-home building side of his business, they drive the “reactionary and spontaneous” lines of his work, such as emergency repairs and insurance-funded restorations.

As long as a print Yellow Pages investment returns more than it costs for an individual local business, it is worth their expense.

Here’s a quick guide to get you started on the path to “mobile-izing” your business using apps and search marketing.

Why Mobile Is Important

Research on the growing relationship between mobile and local is endless. Approximately 61% of smartphone users conduct local searches on their phones, according to a new study conducted by comScore and released by Localeze and 15miles.

The majority of these users are ready to buy: 72% of those surveyed said they made a purchase during their most recent smartphone-based local search. There’s simply no denying that mobile is where your customers are and where you need to be.

Search Vs. Apps? Try Both

The ways consumers conduct local business searches on their mobile devices vary. While many rely on major search engines to find a local business’ website or its listing on a local site, about half (49%) of mobile users use search-based apps, according to the Localeze and 15miles study.

It’s clear that new and potential customers are looking at a variety of channels to find you on their cell. Capturing their eyeballs requires your business to be present on as many of platforms as possible, or you risk losing customers to your competitors.

Tackle Your Mobile Website

For those trying to locate your business through a major search engine on their mobile device, your website could be the first thing they’ll find and visit. But what will their experience be when they view your site on the small screen? Will they able to easily get around and find the information they need?

Google launched an initiative recently called “Go Mo” that encourages businesses to develop mobile-friendly sites. A mobile-friendly site is a version of your desktop site that is formatted to a mobile screen, has readable text, and includes large-enough buttons for users to easily thumb through and take actions.

The initiative cites a variety of research indicating that consumers want and expect mobile-friendly sites, and that they play a key role in whether consumers engage a local business.

Some of the top findings include:

• 71% of users expect a mobile site to load as fast as a desktop site, according to a 2011 study by Copuware
• 57% of users would not recommend a business with a bad mobile site, while 40% have turned to a competitor’s site after a bad mobile experience, according to the same Copuware study
• Nearly 1 in 5 visits to a small business’ mobile-friendly site results in an immediate call to a business, according to internal Q4 2011 data from DudaMobile, a mobile website developer that partnered with Google on the initiative (and as you can see, the numbers are much higher in certain categories)

To sum it up from the start, the changes will likely provide local businesses with the ability to merge aspects of their search optimization and social media strategies into a unified approach via Google+, the company’s new social network.

The new opportunities presented by the revamp will undoubtedly deliver unprecedented search visibility for the products and services of proactive local businesses over time. Their success will be dictated by two basic needs: generating buzz about their offerings on Google+, and creating an effective business page on the site.

Lay of the Land

According to the company, Google’s new ‘Search Plus Your World’ offering “transforms Google into a search engine that understands not only content, but also people and relationships” through three basic ways:

• Further personalizing results: users are now able to find personalized information – including Google+ photos and posts from themselves and their friends – within their basic Google.com search results. Additionally, they can tab out personalized results featuring content from those they’re connected to on Google+.
• Raising profile visibility: users can immediately find people they’re close to or might be interested in following in Google+, both in autocomplete and results
• Raising people and pages’ visibility: users can find Google+ profiles and pages related to specific topics or areas of interest via basic search, and follow them instantly

Relevancy To Local Businesses

More personalized results will enable local businesses to more easily get found by users searching for keywords related to their products and services.

For example, a hungry user searching “hamburger” in their Google search could come across a post from one of their Google+ friends talking about the great meal they just had at [your] local diner.

Not only will the post get your diner’s name right in front of the hunger user – showing up right within top search results on the page – it will have added value because it came from their friend, whose recommendation they most likely trust. And right there, you could very easily have a new customer.

Raised visibility for Google+ profiles and pages via Google search could also help your local business attract new customers.

As the above example shows, users searching for simple topics like “shopping” are presented with recommendations on pages to follow in a “People and Pages on Google+” section. And as we know, once a Google+ page is followed, each time a user searches for something related to or mentioned on that page, it will receive increased visibility with the user.

It will be interesting to see how this feature builds over time. For example, I wonder if a traveling user searching “Bed & Breakfast + [location of your B&B]” will one day see your B&B’s page appear in that section. It seems that placement will be based on how prominently your page ranks in terms of followers with other pages reached by the same keywords.

What You Can Do Now

The full impact of Google’s new search offering and its heavy reliance on Google+, which itself is still in its infancy, is not yet clear. But what you can bet on is that your local business will significantly benefit from high visibility on Google+. Actions you can take now to stay ahead of the competition include:

• Create a Google+ business page. It’s simple, free, and a no-brainer.
• Incorporate your business’s Google+ page into its online presence – including its website, blog and other social media channels – as well as its advertising and offline materials.
• Similar to your business’s approach with other social media channels like Facebook and Twitter, encourage customers to follow your Google+ page for special announcements and deals.
• Update your business’s Google+ page constantly with new information, whether its links to articles relevant to your business or photos of new products, not only to keep your page relevant with customers but also to increase the number of keywords that users can search and reach you through. For example, had Domino’s Pizza not posted about its stuffed cheesy bread offering, the hungry user may not have seen it when they searched and ordered from someplace else. And obviously the newer the post, the better visibility it will receive.

Most importantly, keep your eye out regularly for additional recommendations on what your business can and should be doing to leverage Google’s new search tools. This will surely be an evolving topic that will affect how customers find you.