Local Search: A Woman's New Best Friend
May 03, 2008
Seems like I get at least one newsletter a week touting a Google killer article. The article, of course, is about a "new" or "innovative" search engine which is doing local search better than Google, or has better secret algorithyms, or has better real people behind it. Whatever. (then there's Powerset - "don't call us a search engine" - read about it here)
In the search for better search - and make no bones about the fact that search is a vital tool in your toolbox if you're in the marketing to women online mindset (you are, aren't you?) - local is an important element to success. From my perspective, as a woman who shops online, and who asks a lot of other women about their online shopping experiences, local search success is key to getting me to use your site. Even if your company is totally Internet-based, with no local presence (so you think), you should be seriously looking at local search and how it influences the way women shop online.
Okay, here's the scoop - we really do like to buy local. Women are into cause marketing, just ask Diane or Mary or Michele. We want to buy from companies that are "green" or that support our causes, be it Diabetes research, brain cancer research, the Humane Society, breast cancer, the environment, etc. Using local search allows us to feel good about supporting the local chapter of whatever major cause we're passionate about. Because local search connects us locally.
We likely KNOW someone with that disease, affliction, medical condition, etc. and we'd like our efforts to support the local chapter that will actually do something to help our friend or acquaintance.
How do you do local search and get the eyeballs of the women you're hoping to connect with?
Here's a site in beta that is showing promise. The founder is a client of ours, so I'm purposely promoting him and his site - but, I wouldn't do that on Lip-sticking if it didn't fit this post and the topic. WebhomeUSA, Everybody's Homepage, offers real value in local search. It's a real estate site...and you can't get more local than that, folks. Real estate is local - when I go to WebHomeUSA, I hope to find the local dry cleaner, the local pizza shop, dog groomer, florist, lawyer, Taco Bell, corner diner, dentist, whatever. As this site grows, I expect it to get more local. (it's not my project...Tom is in charge of it...but he updates me and I'm very impressed with it).
Another site that fits is Guy Kawasaki's Alltop. I consider his collection of the best blogs (with a list of most recent posts by each) part of local search because there is an aspect of local search that becomes "local to my interests" not merely local to where I live.
When I go to Alltop, I can find whatever I need in a blink... because it's all arranged in a nice, alphabetical list, with post titles displayed, and links to the content I want. This helps me discover the best places to get what I need, be that information, products, services, or connections. It's local to my interests...gathered in one place, easily accessible, better than Google.
Is local search a woman's new best friend? Online it is. With local search, I'm able to find specialty stores right around the corner. With local search I'm able to find experts I can actually meet for coffee. With local search I can create relationships - that will grow over time and connect me to your city or town, and introduce me to new locales - places that will become part of my overall local focus; and enhance my shopping experience.
Comments