Whenever I speak with local business owners, getting clients for your local business using the Internet is always a cause for concern.

They can see the validity of having an Internet presence if you’re a global company and, they feel they ought to have a web site because their competitor down the road has one.  For most local businesses though, they find it hard to combine having a website and generating more leads or more sales and many will sadly resort to their old ways of marketing despite the fact that these same old strategies are responsible for cleaning out their bank account and bringing them very few new leads or sales.

So, if this is you, in other words, you’re a local business and you want to use your website to generate more leads and more sales, this is what you do:

Have a Web Site

First of all, if you don’t already have a web site, you need to get one and second, if you have a web site that isn’t bringing you targeted traffic, it’s time to look at ways you can optimize your site so that you can find new customers via the web.

Unlike selling from a High Street store, if you want to sell a service successfully online, you need to build credible relationships with your potential clients.  Also, on the High Street, the look and location of the shop can mean the difference between success and bankruptcy.

On the Internet, looks matter, but they are just a tiny element of what creates success since you can’t rely on “passers by” and so you have to promote your website in a way so they can a) find you amongst the millions of other sites online and b) buy from you rather than one of your competitors.

The other most important element of being found online and attracting targeted traffic is content.

I have heard so many local businesses, independent professionals and small business owners say that no one makes any money from their web site but this is because they are taking advice from the wrong people and conversing with the naysayers who have what I call a “glorified brochure” as a web site.

Back in 2003, I was a member of the Professional Speakers Association, here in the UK and, the amount of speakers who used to say “no one makes any money with their website anyway,” was amazing to me.  And yet, across the seas in the US, was a respected speaker called Tom Antion whom all the speakers knew and respected because not only was Tom regarded as a great speaker, he made the most of the Internet.

If you compared what Tom Antion was doing with his online business compared to what the others were doing, it was obvious why their websites didn’t sell.  Tom Antion made the web his business and used it to grow his business, the other speakers used their sites merely to advertise their speaking service.

This brings me on to what I think is perhaps the biggest reason outside of search engine optimization that people fail online …

Unique Content

Looks are good online, but content is definately king and, the more unique that content, the better.

By creating content that people want, you establish credibility which inspires trust and motivates your prospects to make that first contact to hire you or, to locate your store so they can visit your shop and buy from you or, get their credit card out to buy from your online store.

Whether you are a plumber, local Italian restaurant, grocery store or chiropractor, if you follow this basic process and put some time and effort into building an online presence rather than just building a web site, I guarantee you, prospects will want to hire your services or buy your products and you’ll attract more “walk-in” prospects because of the free information you’ve provided on your site that has made you a respected and credible expert.

Try it and see for yourself.

Watch out for more articles on online client acquisition strategies.

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