A recent study on local search brings up some interesting points, as well as some things we in the internet marketing industry thought, but?didn?t?have the data to prove.
For example, local search seems to be driven more by portable devices such as smart phones and tablets.? But that?s not to say you should shift your online marketing budget from people using PCs and focus all your efforts on developing the next killer app for your business.
Far from it.? In fact, the research shows that while local searches conducted by those with PCs only account for an average of 5 local searches per week, those with PCs, Smartphones and Tablets did almost 3 local searches PER DAY!? Not only that, but their PC searches for local products and services were higher than those that did local searches with PCs only.
This tells me that the opportunities for local search will continue to grow, and the companies that balance their online marketing campaigns to target both Desktop searchers and Mobile searchers will be the most successful online marketers moving forward.
So what does a combined Desktop/Mobile Marketing campaign look like?
Well that depends on your industry.? The research goes on to say that businesses in the retail, dining and entertainment industries are the ones that tend to have the most mobile searches.? This makes sense to me because if you are looking for a place to dine chances are you want it to be close.? Therefore you may likely search for a restaurant in your area.? Once you find it, you of course want to see how close it is by getting the address and you probably also want to be sure it?s open, so you will check to see if it has its hours posted on the website.
Similarly, if you are looking for a specific item you may search for it in a local fashion to see who lists the product or service on their website.? You may even compare a few businesses to see which options are available locally, as well as the price at different businesses.
Therefore the successful internet marketer in these industries (Dining, Entertainment and Retail) will need to develop a balanced approach to online marketing accounting for both desktop devices and mobile devices.
In other words, if you own or operate a restaurant you will want to make sure it is not only visible on a PC but also offers such things as:? Maps/driving directions, business hours, phone number, a current menu and perhaps even reviews.
The following graphic illustrates which industries are more affected by local search:
What are Local Searchers Searching For?
Local searchers are becoming more demanding when it comes to what information they want to see online.? While the ?usual? items, such as business name, address and phone number are the most searched for, consumers also want to see the company website.? They want to know if it?s open (business hours), what specials, if any they are offering (coupons, product lists, menus) and even consumer reviews and ratings if available (click the image below to see a larger one).
The research also shows that search engines still account for most of the local search.? While people do use other sites such as portals or locally targeted sites (such as the Yellow Pages) search engines account for much of the activity, depending on the industry you are in.
What I found interesting is that sites like Facebook, Twitter and other social sites are not considered by searchers.? In fact these ?other? sources only accounted for between 1% and 7% of the local search traffic generated.? In other words, people don?t ask their Facebook friends who the best hair stylist in town is, they use a search engine primarily and supplement the information with local sites, portals and review sites.
So Who is the Typical ?Avid? Local Searcher?
As time goes on I would expect this demographic to change, but right now your typical ?Avid? local searcher is a 21-35 year old employed male who owns a PC, tablet and smart phone and uses all 3 to search daily.
These ?digital nomads? are very comfortable with their smart phones and tablets and are willing to use them more often to search, especially when they are away from their PC.
Because the devices are ?always on? this avid searcher whips out his phone whenever a question is asked that isn?t answered, or to verify information as needed.
So when he wants a coffee, or someone in his group asks ?where is the best coffee? around here, he performs the search and relies on the search engine to return the best result.
But as I said, I fully expect this demographic to shift.? Young men have always been the ?early adopters? with technology.? So ?while it may be worthwhile to shift some of your local internet marketing budget to target them, one must remember that women are catching up.? And it is the women who make most of the buying decisions in a household.
Therefore over the next 3-5 years? I predict we will see this ?average? demographic shift and get older.? From a 21-35 year old male to a 35-49 year old female.
I also expect the searching habits to change.? While restaurants and entertainment will continue to be highly searched for I expect other industries (such as healthcare, physical fitness and professional services) to gain in local searches as the demographics changes.
Other Important Take-Aways From This Research
While a lot of effort was devoted to how people search locally, particularly with their mobile devices there were a few other things I found interesting:
- Of those that own a smartphone, 90% have installed and used a mobile shopping app in the past 30 days.
- 4 of 10 Avid mobile users have used their phones to ?window shop? on the merchant?s business and then gone online to buy an item.
- 75% of respondents have posted a review of a business or product on an online review site.
- Over half of all users have ?checked in? to a business using a check in app.
- ? of all ?Avid? local searchers have scanned a QR Code.
- ? of all ?Avid? local searchers have also used a mobile coupon at a business.
- Interestingly, Avid local searchers seem to prefer their local market.? ? read local newspapers online while 2/3 have shopped at a local merchant as opposed to a chain store.
Summary
Based on this research it is clear to me that Local Search is still in its infancy.? While some people have embraced the concept, using their desktop and mobile devices to enhance their local shopping experience, the bulk of internet users have not.? Whether that?s because they are uncomfortable with the idea of local searching, or don?t realize its potential yet, it is clear to me that local search has a great future growth potential online.
The challenges for businesses will be what happens when their competition realize this huge potential?? How does a local mom & pop pizza joint, that?s well positioned locally by taking advantage of things like a mobile enabled website, online menu, customer reviews, driving directions etc. compete when a larger chain (such as Dominos) moves into the local market?
Another huge opportunity I see will be in the form of ?hyper local? search.? These are searches performed by people looking for products or services in their immediate area (as opposed to their city).? These searches will be for places within a few minutes? drive or walk from their current location, as opposed to driving up to 45 minutes away for a similar product or service.
If you own a business and you are looking to attract more local searches?? be sure to contact us so we can show you how we can help.
For more information and to download the research please click here.
Related posts:
- Google+ Invades Local
- Yahoo Local Gets an Upgrade
- Think Ranking is Not Important? Think again!
- Universal Search ? Is Google The Best At It?
- Google Places ? Should I Claim my Place?
Source: http://www.purposedrivenpromotion.com/study-local-search-dont-neglect-mobileportable-devices.html
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