Now more than ever, people are turning to the Internet for the things they want to buy locally. In fact, 31% of consumers turn to a search engine first when they’re on the hunt for local products and services. And 43% of Internet searches today include a local identifier, indicating that people would rather type a few keywords into a search engine than go shuffling through the phone book.
Recent studies have shown that 86% of consumers who use Internet search engines to find a local product or service follow up with a phone call or in-store visit. And 61% of those end up making their purchase offline. As a Small Business Owner that means you can no longer afford to take your chances with mailers or phone book ads that may or may not be working.