Marketing Opportunity and Security Challenges

March 9, 2011 - PRLog -- Go to Google and type in your company name. You’ll probably see a map locating your business and an address.Local business listings began with a basic business directory more than a decade ago. You may find other information too. Local business listings are treated passively by many businesses. That is a mistake. You’ve probably read that prospects have something specific in mind when they are shopping. So try this test. Go back to Google, type in the name of a product or service your business provides plus your hometown. Did your business show up? If it did not: you’re missing a major marketing opportunity. If it’s not at the top of the list then you have a lot of room to improve.


Welcome To The 21st Century.
Social media and mobile deviceshave fostered a boom from a marketing standpoint. The use of local business listings has exploded with the increase of these new tools. Customers are using these interactive yellow pages to locate businesses, products and services in their area.Customers are also posting reviews of those products and services.  

It’s Time To Engage Your Customers Where They Are
You must first “claim” the listing with all the search engines, social communities, websites and organizations that lead people to it.Once you prove the listing is really yours you can update it with your business marketing material. Many businesses are realizing the importance of this claiming process.  Once you have claimed your local listing you can update information and optimize it for web searches.  Some websites, such as Google, allow you to use all these options while others charge a fee for enhanced listings making this information present for local consumers through web or a mobile search.

So what’s the “security challenge”?
Act fast to claim your listing. This is crucial to security because if the wrong person gets access to your business local listing they can direct customers to a different location by phone or website address. Other damage can include incorrect information on photos, videos, coupons, etc.

Don’t Let Your Local Listing Get “high-jacked.”
It is absolutely important yourbusinessnot just wait for local listing websites to put the appropriate security in place before you claim your listing. Security starts with the obvious claiming process, but many sites allow data to be inserted from other databases on the Internet. If someone wanted to hijack a local business listing, they could easily insert the wrong information through a low level business directory that sells its data upstream or inserts its data directly into a higher level local listing website. It’s not that difficult if the listing is unclaimed.


Certainly your time resources are limited and Local Business Listing Management Services are provided by SmartFinds Internet Marketing. You will find this to be of great benefit to your time resources and the low cost service may eliminate your yellow page ad costs. Let the experts of over 15 years Internet marketing experience help you use this local business marketing tool properly and prevent brand security issues from occurring.

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SmartFinds Internet Marketing provides Internet marketing solutions and services for businesses. We use our 15 year experience and expertise to develop a program with a return on investment that will generate revenues and grow your business.