Local search marketing is about getting a business good exposure in local search
results and local directories and there's a lot to gain by being prominent in these. Most consumers like buying from businesses close to home : I've seen statistics that about 80% of customers live with 8km of the stores they go to. Search engines are now detecting searches that have a local intention and displaying the local results along with a map. This makes it far easier for consumers to find what they're looking for and how to travel to the business as well. Local directories can also bring businesses good exposure.
You can create an account pretty easily with most online directories. In Australia the best known ones are True Local, Smart Local and Hotfrog. Google, Yahoo and Bing also allow you to claim a "Places" page where you can upload your business details, and these are used as the basis for ranking you in the local search results. You don't need to have a website to be listed in any of these. The Places pages are free and an entry-level listing in the local directories is also free.
How are the Yellow pages going ?
Not too well from reports I see. The physical yellow pages have been pretty-much replaced by smart-phone and desktop searches. And Yellow pages listings don't provide nearly as much info. Even online, directories like Hotfrog will tell you far more about the businesses you find.
Search engines have fast become the new Yellow pages, saving people a lot of time and energy looking for the location of businesses and the products and services they provide.
What should you do ?
We know that masses of consumers are searching online for solutions to their problems, so marketing online is a different technique to marketing offline. Rather than sending out a message indiscriminately using fliers, billboards or radio and TV commercials, the game has become getting found by people who are specifically searching for what you provide. So you need to make sure you can be found in the places they're looking . . .
1) Local search engine results. you need to claim a places page with each search engine.
2) Local business directories
3) Review websites
4) Online Press release website
5) Online trade magazines that your type of customer may read