Best Social Media or Web 2.0 Sites to Promote a Local Business?

nileearls

12 years ago

Let Me Know When you Find out ALso !

Thanks

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wally247

12 years ago

Facebook pages are great if you do them right, so even though I think for personal use Facebook is the dumbest thing ever, I think for business it's great.

If you engage with the fans, it will work for you. You'll find tons of WSO's on doing all of that, but you don't need them. If they have a FB page, just post interesting stuff.

Not "Hey January is national chiropractor month" interesting....actual interesting images and stuff that people will share with friends, which helps.

I am brand new to Twitter but that thing is awesome. With some simple searches you can find people in your city searching or bitching about things, and directly respond to them.

Forget about all of the bots and scams...the real power of twitter (in my opinion) is to have a 100% legit account and engage with people in interesting ways.

Squidoo and that kind of thing is fine too, but that's all SEO just like your site so you know that drill.

You know one thing I've found though that I haven't seen anyone else talk about?

Merchant Circle.com!

After you fill out your local businesses info, they have a "blog" section where you can write articles...as many as you want.

And you know what?

Those things rank damn high without much effort. Send a few links to them and they will rank higher I would guess, but I haven't tried that yet.

I never jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon so I couldn't tell you about that, but I think all of the products out there are about how to scam Pinterest, so I would stay away.

Hopefully you get some ideas there.

I've bought a LOT of traffic guides, and there are no real secrets. You have to have something to say that people find interesting or helpful and you'll find traffic.

Find some Facebook fan pages for local businesses that have lots of fans, and lots of posts and lots of likes on those posts....then copy what they do!

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kebertt

12 years ago

Here's a list of web 2.0 sites you should find very useful. These are all also great for building backlinks.

Code:

PR9
http://wordpress.com		
http://blogger.com		
PR8		
http://livejournal.com		
http://my.opera.com		
http://sfgate.com		
http://tumblr.com		
http://typepad.com		
http://weebly.com		
http://cerncourier.com		
PR7		
http://diigo.com		
http://en.netlog.com		
http://freewha.com		
http://goodreads.com		
http://jimdo.com		
http://jugem.jp		
http://knol.google.com		
http://multiply.com		
http://newsvine.com		
http://officelive.com		
http://over-blog.com		
http://posterous.com		
http://rediff.com		
http://salon.com		
http://schuelerprofile.de		
http://skyrock.com		
http://squidoo.com		
http://tripod.com		
http://tripod.lycos.com		
http://webnode.com		
http://webs.com		
http://wikidot.com		
http://wikispaces.com		
http://yola.com		
http://yolasite.com		
http://academia.edu		
http://angelfire.com		
http://bravejournal.com		
http://bravenet.com		
PR6		
http://democratandchronicle.com		
http://diaryland.com		
http://dmusic.com		
http://doodlekit.com		
http://edublogs.org		
http://fc2.com		
http://foodbuzz.com		
http://foss4lib.org		
http://fotki.com		
http://freeblog.hu		
http://gather.com		
http://hubpages.com		
http://jazztimes.com		
http://jigsy.com		
http://journalspace.com		
http://moonfruit.com		
http://onsugar.com		
http://piczo.com		
http://podbean.com		
http://purevolume.com		
http://quizilla.teennick.com		
http://shutterfly.com		
http://siteforum.com		
http://springnote.com		
http://travelblog.org		
http://travellerspoint.com		
http://twoday.net		
http://ucoz.com		
http://webspawner.com		
http://webstarts.com		
http://wetpaint.com		
http://wikia.com		
http://xanga.com		
http://zimbio.com		
http://areavoices.com		
http://atom.com		
http://babycenter.com		
http://bitcomet.com		
http://blog.co.uk		
http://blog.com		
http://blog.de		
http://blogs.rediff.com		
http://blogsome.com		
http://bonnersprings.com		
http://dailystrength.org		
PR5		
http://devhub.com		
http://dinstudio.com		
http://ewebsite.com		
http://fixya.com		
http://flixya.com		
http://freeblogit.com		
http://freeflux.net		
http://freehostia.com		
http://galtime.com		
http://hazblog.com		
http://insanejournal.com		
http://jukeboxalive.com		
http://kaneva.com		
http://lifeyo.com		
http://livelogcity.com		
http://madville.com		
http://migente.com		
http://myanimelist.net		
http://mytripjournal.com		
http://opendiary.com		
http://ourmedia.org		
http://ourstage.com		
http://ourstory.com		
http://pinkbike.com		
http://postbit.com		
http://quietwrite.com		
http://realbuzz.com		
http://scrapbook.com		
http://shoutpost.com		
http://simplesite.com		
http://snappages.com		
http://sosblog.com		
http://sosblogs.com		
http://soup.io		
http://spruz.com		
http://tblog.com		
http://terapad.com		
http://thoughts.com		
http://wayn.com		
http://webgarden.com		
http://weblog.ro		
http://weblogs.us		
http://yousaytoo.com		
http://ziki.com		
http://zoomshare.com		
http://11alive.com		
http://20six.co.uk		
http://350.com		
http://alivenotdead.com		
http://beep.com		
http://blinkweb.com		
http://blog.com.es		
http://blog.hr		
http://blogage.de		
http://blogbaker.com		
http://blogdetik.com		
http://blogdrive.com		
http://blogs.ie		
http://blogtext.org		
http://boulderweekly.com		
http://centerblog.net		
PR4		
http://doomby.com		
http://fotopages.com		
http://free-conversant.com		
http://freeblogspot.org		
http://getjealous.com		
http://hipero.com		
http://hpage.com		
http://i.ph		
http://iamsport.org		
http://inube.com		
http://iseekblog.com		
http://jamrie.com		
http://kiwibox.com		
http://mahiram.com		
http://meemi.com		
http://mylivepage.com		
http://mywapblog.com		
http://nearlyweds.com		
http://netcipia.com		
http://nexopia.com		
http://nireblog.com		
http://nyc.net.au		
http://ohlog.com		
http://ontheroad.to		
http://pnn.com		
http://profileheaven.com		
http://quechup.com		
http://singledad.com		
http://spi-blog.com		
http://supernova.com		
http://tabulas.com		
http://typolis.net		
http://upsaid.com		
http://vilago21.com		
http://visualsociety.com		
http://wallinside.com		
http://weddingwindow.com		
http://wikipages.com		
http://wikyblog.com		
http://worldofminecraft.com		
http://xomba.com		
http://2itb.com		
http://bcz.com		
http://beeplog.de		
http://bigadda.com		
http://blog.ca		
http://blogeasy.com		
http://blogetery.com		
http://bloggerteam.com		
http://bloggorilla.de		
http://bloggum.com		
http://bloghi.com		
http://blogigo.com		
http://blogion.com		
http://blogreaction.com		
http://blogskinny.com		
http://blogspace.fr		
http://blogstudio.com		
http://blurty.com		
http://busythumbs.com		
PR3		
http://flippingpad.com		
http://flukiest.com		
http://fotolode.com		
http://iblog.at		
http://incompany.com		
http://jacso.hk		
http://journalfen.net		
http://lagbook.com		
http://metsbook.com		
http://modwedding.com		
http://myindospace.com		
http://publr.com		
http://schuelerchat.net		
http://siterun.eu		
http://spyuser.com		
http://sweetcircles.com		
http://weblogplaza.com		
http://wedshare.com		
http://allmyblog.com		
http://blogge.rs		
http://blogono.com		
http://blogspot.com.au		
http://buzzherd.com		
PR2		
http://directorise.com		
http://evood.com		
http://getwed.com		
http://glbsocial.net		
http://gonegothic.com		
http://inlocaltv.com		
http://makinitmag.com		
http://medicalmarijuanalisting.org		
http://salsahook.com		
http://uwcblog.com		
http://anyhow5.com		
http://bizeso.com		
http://blogpico.com		
http://blogster.com		
PR1		
http://donkbook.com		
http://yapperz.com		
http://cloodles.com		
http://deinekollegen.de		
PR0		
http://getjelous.com		
http://honmag.com		
http://jamendo.net		
http://journalhub.com		
http://kambase.com		
http://lastbyte.com		
http://my.telegraph.co.uk		
http://myblogsite.com		
http://mynewblog.com		
http://petbam.com		
http://premizturma.mixxt.com		
http://qapacity.com		
http://wheretogetengaged.com		
http://250.com		
http://bgm.me		
http://blog2blog.nl		
http://blogspirit.com		
http://blogstream.com		
http://bloguni.com

Thanks
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Lopaca 12 years ago

I think that many online marketers get so involved with the online resources we forget that there are alternative methods that can sometimes be far more fruitful. We all know that word of mouth has been the holy grail of promotion since time began and it still can be the most effective source of generating leads, sales and referrals but standing on a roof top and screaming out that you have a great product may not be the best thing.

Many of us look at social networking as the new age word of mouth but even social networking can be challenging particularly if your looking to market for a client. We see all sorts to Internet products that claim to make social networking, SEO, PPC, Video marketing, and a whole gambit of software solutions that are suppose to get business owners rushing to the phone to call you, sure wish it worked like that.

Don't mean to sound so negative and believe it or not there are real world solutions that do produce incredible earnings but the reality of all this is it comes from hard work and focused energies and with all my ranting here I'm trying to get to your question without making a cheep promo (cause I'm not suppose to do that)

I guess the best way to say it is to use what has got a lot of people talking in the online and offline market. If you have been doing the standard online solutions to help local offline businesses your primary focus has been on customer acquisition. The big buzz word is now Customer Retention. 90% of marketers are spending most of their customers ad dollars on getting customers when retention is far more profitable due to lower cost. A great place to make money now is in helping local businesses keep the customers they have now and get them to visit more frequently and spend more on each visit.

PM me and I would be happy to elaborate.

BK
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Lopaca
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daddyoh

12 years ago

Tons of really good points here about FB & Twitter, Wally!

The tip about Merchant Circle is something I didn't know and will test it out!

I haven't tried Pinterest yet either but FB & Twitter are higher up on my To-Do List.

I've bought a LOT of traffic guides too but my sense is that the traffic will be from all over the world and I just want traffic from 1 big area. That's why I want to get into social media in addition to SEO.

GREAT TIP!

Find some Facebook fan pages for local businesses that have lots of fans, and lots of posts and lots of likes on those posts....then copy what they do!

Thanks!

Originally Posted by wally247

Facebook pages are great if you do them right, so even though I think for personal use Facebook is the dumbest thing ever, I think for business it's great.

If you engage with the fans, it will work for you. You'll find tons of WSO's on doing all of that, but you don't need them. If they have a FB page, just post interesting stuff.

Not "Hey January is national chiropractor month" interesting....actual interesting images and stuff that people will share with friends, which helps.

I am brand new to Twitter but that thing is awesome. With some simple searches you can find people in your city searching or bitching about things, and directly respond to them.

Forget about all of the bots and scams...the real power of twitter (in my opinion) is to have a 100% legit account and engage with people in interesting ways.

Squidoo and that kind of thing is fine too, but that's all SEO just like your site so you know that drill.

You know one thing I've found though that I haven't seen anyone else talk about?

Merchant Circle.com!

After you fill out your local businesses info, they have a "blog" section where you can write articles...as many as you want.

And you know what?

Those things rank damn high without much effort. Send a few links to them and they will rank higher I would guess, but I haven't tried that yet.

I never jumped on the Pinterest bandwagon so I couldn't tell you about that, but I think all of the products out there are about how to scam Pinterest, so I would stay away.

Hopefully you get some ideas there.

I've bought a LOT of traffic guides, and there are no real secrets. You have to have something to say that people find interesting or helpful and you'll find traffic.

Find some Facebook fan pages for local businesses that have lots of fans, and lots of posts and lots of likes on those posts....then copy what they do!

[ 1 ] Thanks
1 reply

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ankur018 12 years ago

If you have a business website, it also make sense to provide social login, social sharing as functionalities for better interaction. It will also help in collecting user profile data and other details. Services like loginradius.com, Gigya provide all these features
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David B.

12 years ago

A local online classified on one the local news agency website. It has become the go to online classifieds for our city.

My lawn care guys gets 2-5 calls a day from it.

The site is getting so much traffic they are doing paid ads, banned businesses from having a classified ad for there services, added a local business directory section where a business must pay to be on top of 1st page....but has little traffic compare to the classifieds section.

I create throw away accounts to post my lawn care guys ads in the classifieds because they delete the account after a couple of warnings.

So find a site that is buzzing with local traffic and then advertise on there.

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think more

12 years ago

Use facebook pages,squidoo,hubpages.craiglist.

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Mekanism

12 years ago

Personally I think most social media efforts for local business (like plumbers, doctors) are a big fat waste of time. Occasionally running certain promotions or coupons that gets shared among people might get some business. But for the most part it's a complete waste of time. Instead you should focus on things like Google places, yelp, and getting ranked for local keywords

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daddyoh

12 years ago

Originally Posted by Mekanism

Personally I think most social media efforts for local business (like plumbers, doctors) are a big fat waste of time. Occasionally running certain promotions or coupons that gets shared among people might get some business. But for the most part it's a complete waste of time. Instead you should focus on things like Google places, yelp, and getting ranked for local keywords

Thanks for this insight. I'm leaning to this thought process more and more after reading many people saying the same thing.

Thanks

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KamauAustin

12 years ago

Really if you don't get in the SEO game with reviews and ratings you are dead. You're sure swimming against the tide of the way people are now searching for local businesses. FB pages, Linked IN promotion targeting your local area will get some business. But not replace the search engines. Just not gonna happen.

FB advertising has worked in some cases targeting your area. But social media users are spontaneous prospects. They aren't as good as people on search engines looking specifically for your service.

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riverview

Banned 12 years ago

[DELETED]

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Mekanism 12 years ago

Originally Posted by riverview

social media network has turned a new leaf for business purposes.through advertisement here,advertiser gets lot of traffic.

i dont know whats worse, your english or your advice.
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ksetu

12 years ago

Have been doing local affiliate marketing for almost 5 years now and nothing has proved more efficient,fast and powerful than adwords. Works like a charm for getting local leads.

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daddyoh

12 years ago

"Local Affiliate Marketing"??? What do you mean?
Can you give us an example?

Originally Posted by ksetu

Have been doing local affiliate marketing for almost 5 years now and nothing has proved more efficient,fast and powerful than adwords. Works like a charm for getting local leads.

Thanks
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ksetu 12 years ago

In online aff marketing, your transaction happens online whereas in local aff marketing it happens offline. So it's like driving online customers to offline stores/services. There is huge opportunity in local aff marketing if you can create a good pay per lead/sales model with local businesses. Works like a charm.
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- DABK 12 years ago
  
  If you're in the USA (well, parts of it) look into Patch (allows for announcements free, ads (paid), blogging (free). It's in about half the states.
  
  It's for suburbs. I asked about visits... it seems they get 1 for every 2 people in the suburb. In other words, Evanston (about 60k), according to one of their reps, for the month I asked, had 30k visits, Niles/morton grove, about 42k residents, had 16k, Des Plaines, 56k, had 29k visits. Whatever press release or blog post you place stays on page one for about a day (unless something newsworthy happens in your suburb).
  
  You can only post in one suburb/accouunt.
  
  Thanks
  
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ehmadlee

12 years ago

LInkedin, Facebook and Twitter is the best to get best exposure to local business.

Thanks

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