Now Every Business Owner Benefits: Harness the Power of 'Local Search' Marketing on the Web, and Via All Those Cell Phones

Fort Walton Beach, FL (PRWEB) June 28, 2007 -- Internet consultant, ECE-WEB.com today launched its new Local Buzz Service, which in one convenient, affordable package enables businesses to take advantage of the relatively-new advances in local search on the Internet - in order to drive more local customers to their place of business. Local Buzz also allows businesses to benefit from Google's new Local Voice Search, making any business' local contact information instantly accessible not just to prospects searching the Internet, but also to those wishing to find a particular product or service via their mobile phone, in any specified geographic area of the country. Local Buzz works to attract local area residents and visitors alike. To learn more, interested business owners can visit: http://www.ece-localbuzz.info

Gone are the days when a local business must compete with all of the businesses on the whole Internet for business leads and sales in their given industry, or area of expertise. Gone too is the need for a business owner to fork out money for advertising all over the web when their primary aim is to gain local-area business in their own backyard. Today, "Local Search" Marketing is where it's at.

All Business Is Local

Internet consultant ECE-WEB.com today launched its new Local Buzz Service, which in one convenient, affordable package enables businesses to take advantage of the relatively-new advances in local search on the Internet - in order to drive more local customers to their place of business. Local Buzz also allows businesses to benefit from Google's new Local Voice Search, making any business' local contact information instantly accessible not just to prospects searching the Internet, but also to those wishing to find a particular product or service via their mobile phone, in any specified geographic area of the country. Local Buzz works to attract local area residents and visitors alike.

What Is Local Search?

Wikipedia.com defines "local search" as "a query that uses a special type of search engine that includes not only information about "what" the site visitor is searching for (such as keywords, a business category, or the name of a consumer product) but also "where" information, such as a street address, city name, postal code, or geographical coordinates like latitude and longitude. Google Maps (formerly Google Local) looks for physical addresses mentioned in regular web pages. It provides these results to visitors, along with business listings and maps. Other prominent local search engines connected to major web search portals include Windows Live Local, Yahoo!Local, and ask.com's AskCity, as well as TrueLocal and Local.com."

Just two years ago, Internet experts estimated that local search advertising would mushroom to over $1.8 billion in ad dollars spent per year. Their estimates were way too low. Because of the effectiveness of local search, the low cost, and the ability to specifically target a given area, local search advertising is now projected at $7.7 billion by the end of this year (Borrell Associates). Local Search Marketing is clearly an area that any business, especially small local businesses, need to investigate.

How Text Messaging Fits In

In addition, as virtually anyone can witness, the use of SMS (Short Message Service) technology, commonly referred to as text messaging, to retrieve business information continues to grow. According to the latest statistics, there are currently 236,000,000 cell phone users in the U.S. (76% penetration). And, for example, during the first six months of 2006, the number of subscribers to two-way SMS (text messaging) grew by 88%.

For two years, ECE-WEB has been researching, assessing, and compiling emerging local search options and SMS opportunities, and now has brought together the best offerings into one convenient package for businesses. Many business owners and entrepreneurs are not sure where to start, how to evaluate all of the options, and don't have the time to sign up for, organize, and benefit from these new local search capabilities. Local Buzz saves business people the time and money associated with going out on the web on their own, and arranging and paying for each of the web-based local advertising vehicles included in the Package.

An Example: How Local Buzz Works

Here is how Local Buzz customers benefit: "Say that you own a coffee shop in Charleston, South Carolina, and there's a prospect who wants to find a specialty coffee shop in your area," explains James Doc Lewis, Partner at ECE-WEB.com. "Now, because of newer local search capabilities, when he/she types "coffee shop" into a search engine on the web, even if "Charleston" is not mentioned in the search, he/she will see your local Charleston business name, address and phone number - on their computer screen. Or, if a prospect calls Google's Local Voice Search number and says "coffee shop," they will get your Charleston coffee shop contact information immediately by voice or text on their mobile phone. This holds true whether you have previously advertised your business or your website on the Internet, or not.

Lewis continues, "Even six months ago, this was not possible on a widespread basis. Part of our job in helping small businesses market themselves locally is to keep them up-to-date on what's new on the web that can directly benefit their local business. Through the combination of customized search engine optimization (SEO) suggestions based on a business' local sales goals, specific industry, and target market area - and by inclusion in the most effective local area listings and directories - businesses can now get local leads and customers, even without a website. New local search technologies make it possible and affordable for any type of business, large or small, to increase their share of local customers, without spending an arm and a leg, shot-gunning advertising over the web."

Convenient and Affordable: Based on Solid SEO Principles

The basic Local Buzz Package, which puts over 50 local web-based advertising vehicles to work on behalf of a local business, is less expensive than older, less-flexible forms of local print advertising, like local newspaper ads or local yellow pages. Local Search listings on the web also have the advantage of being able to be changed throughout the year, as business information or services are periodically altered and improved to better meet customer needs. ECE-WEB's Local Buzz Service, customized to a specific local business and business marketplace, costs a total of $599. This is equivalent to what just two print newspaper ads, or to what a mere month of local yellow pages advertising, is likely to cost in an averaged-sized U.S. city. And, web-based local search listings stay up 24/7/365, for good; there is no additional, required, annual investment.

Learn More Online or Attend July 18th Info-Seminar

Any business in any geographic area can benefit from ECE-WEB's new Local Buzz Service. To find out more about local search, and/or to sign up for the Local Buzz Package using a credit card, visit http://www.ece-localbuzz.info ECE-WEB is also offering an Informal Info-Seminar, "How To Generate Local Business Using Local Search Marketing" on Wednesday, July 18, 2007 at 5:30 p.m. on the back patio of Maas Coffee Roasters, located at 150 Miracle Strip Parkway SE in Fort Walton Beach, Florida, 32548. Other seminars will be forthcoming.

About ECE-WEB.com: Launched in 2005, ECE-WEB is one of the leading, hands-on Integrated Marketing Consulting firms on the web. In addition to their new Local Buzz Service, they provide customized e-commerce planning; web and SEO marketing, web copywriting, blog content, and online public relations services. The company's blog, ECE Web Marketing Incites (http://www.ece-blog.com), offers daily insights and commentary into the latest marketing trends that are inciting people all across the web. For more information call 850-368-4636, or visit: http://www.ece-web.com

###