Psssst! Find out what your estimated revenue potential would be with Yodle, for FREE. Click here 

'Must Read' Articles 

• A Business Owner’s Guide to Local Advertising Forbes - 12/08
  Yodle client About Grout beams, “I used to sit around and wait for the phone to ring; now I’m busy all the time.”
  Read the full story
• $10 Million to Yodle about CNET – 1/09
  Yodle is growing fast and plans to expand further, recently raising a $10 million round of Series C funding.
  Read the full story

Earn $200 every time you refer a new customer to Yodle.

Get the details or sign up now!

Search Engines Are Now the #1 Source Customers Use to Find Local Businesses

Consumers were asked: When looking for a local business today, do you use the following sources more, less or the same as you did 2 years ago?

When potential customers are searching for a business like yours, where do they look first?

According to a Nielsen study released in February 2009*, the Internet is now the #1 source that 82% of consumers use to look for a business in their area. Search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN have overtaken all other methods traditionally used to find local businesses, such as yellow pages and phone books, newspapers, radio and television.

The reason for search engines’ popularity is clear: Consumers appreciate the convenience of being able to search by zip code or neighborhood using keywords that describe precisely what kind of services they’re looking for. This saves time and makes it easier for them to contact the business as needed.

What does this mean to you as a business owner? When your potential customers are looking for you online, make sure you get found! You can’t sell if you’re not seen – so make sure you’re advertising prominently on internet search engines, if getting new customers is important to you.

Source: Nielsen

9 New Business Resolutions for 2009

We all know the economic climate is rough out there. Savvy business people know that getting the biggest bang for your buck is now more important than ever to achieve financial success. Here’s what you can do to succeed in 2009:

1. Invest in advertising. Don’t wait passively for the phone to ring! New customers don’t just appear like magic, you have to attract them. Use the most effective methods to market your business – see below!
2. Get found online, where customers are actually looking for you. 82% of your potential customers use search engines like Google, Yahoo and MSN to find business and health services in their local area. If you’re not there, they’ll find your competitors first. Get started
3. Get yourself a professional web site. Your web site should persuade visitors to call you with new business inquiries. Don’t have a web site? We can build one for you.
4. Use your website to tout your strengths. Have new testimonials? Win an award? Join a new association? Add them to your site to lend more credibility to your business!
5. Make sure you have a logo. Websites with logos convert clicks into contacts FOUR TIMES better than those without.
6. Track ALL of your advertising. Add unique phone call tracking numbers to all your advertising avenues - internet, newspaper, radio, ValPak, etc. This way you can know exactly what’s working!
7. Know your options. Take time to explore your advertising channels with a marketing expert. Are you running a campaign that provides a low return? Change it! Ask Yodle what can be done to get your message out there.
8. Keep your business profile updated. Make sure your business profile shows up prominently in the local business listings on search engines like Google Maps, Yahoo Local and MSN Local. This is a service Yodle provides its clients as a value added service, and these clicks cost you nothing.
   Learn more
9. Network! Introduce yourself at Chamber events and the like for “free” word-of-mouth advertising. Exchange ideas with people in the same industry at industry-based association events. These get-togethers are usually included in your association dues or are inexpensive to attend, and they can be invaluable in getting your name out there or getting to know your industry’s leaders.
10. BONUS Resolution: Always ask for the referral! One fast and easy way of getting new customers is through referrals from your existing ones. Create a referral program offering service credits as an incentive to your clients who send you new business. Mail every satisfied customer a description of your referral program: “Send your friends and colleagues this certificate for 10% off. For each person who redeems it, we'll give you a $100 credit toward your account! Mail this to past clients, too, to see if you can rekindle those relationships. Lastly, reach out with a referral program mailing every 90 days or so.

Need more marketing advice? Ask Yodle! We’ll give you a FREE Consultation and a $100 Credit toward your online advertising!