The original popularity of the Internet was due to the fact that it was built on a World Wide Web. The concept of having immediate access to sites from around the world was instantly appealing, but this is not the case today. Instead, many people are ecstatic about the Web thanks to what it can give them on a local basis.

There are all kinds of studies and statistics about the use of online searching for consumer goods and services, but the basic fact of them all is that most people (at least 70 percent or more) will automatically head to their computers when looking for a local service or product.

Whether you need a plumber, a bookstore, a specialty food, or a masseuse, it is likely that you will head to your preferred search engine instead of the yellow pages. This is also why social media is “going local” too.

Local Social Media

We understand that most of the social media sites are jam-packed with user generated content. The sites don’t have a lot of information written by a person who is paid to contribute descriptive stories and information about the subjects, and instead it is the members who fill pages full of blogs, status updates, stories and more.

We can now see that social media is focusing in on local issues too. For example, most business owners are encouraged to create a business page or a fan page on the Facebook site in order to begin developing a following and doing free marketing through the network. The same things can be said of many other sites, with the Google Places page being the sort of “queen” of them all.

Google Places

Let’s say that you have a shoe repair shop in a relatively busy part of the world. If you used the Google search engine to search for your services in your area, however, you might find that you are not the only shoe repair service that appears on the results page. In fact, you might not appear on those pages at all if you don’t have a website. If you don’t want to put the effort into making a website and ensuring that it has top-notch SEO in order to appear first among the listings, you may find yourself in a dilemma.

This is why it is important to “claim” the place page associated with your business’ name and address. This is one of the best forms of free advertising that is highly under-used by the world’s business community. It will often popup on the first page of listings and even give a small map and further details.

The Full Local Picture

This, however, is not where the local social media benefits come to an end. You will also want to checkout all of the local directory sites to ensure that you appear there as well. For instance, a lot of people have sites that give local recommendations and suggestions, and all of them are packed with user generated reviews and feedback.

Taking the time to check out all of the competition and to find ways of getting yourself listed at the most appropriate sites will pay off tremendously. We have already pointed out that the largest number of searches will be web based, and most of these are also for local goods and services.

When you accept that the old-fashioned yellow pages listings are no longer effective or necessary, and that the modern world of social media marketing is the preferred approach, you can then take the steps necessary to begin using those channels to get in touch with as many potential clients or contacts as possible.