As the population continues to turn to the internet for information, there is simply no better way to target local markets than through the world wide web. The market for local advertising is thriving and it doesn’t look set to slow down anytime soon. In fact, recent research from Wishpond revealed that online advertising has surged by a huge 36% since 2011.

If you want to get your business out there and vastly increase your target audience, read on for a list of the top seven local advertising platforms that every business should be utilizing.




Yahoo! Local Listings
Recent studies from ROI Research Inc and Performics indicated that around 20-30% of purchases made at retail stores were influenced by online search results. Let your presence be known with services such as Yahoo! Local Listings where you can promote your business to customers on the search for specific goods or services.

Facebook and Twitter
With over 1.23 billion active monthly users, Facebook is by far one of the most effective ways to advertise. Offering the option of refining your target demographic to include locality, Facebook advertising is a fantastic way to reach local customers. Twitter is also fast emerging as a social media giant and represents huge potential for local advertising. As well as building a following of local clients, you can also retweet the posts of other local businesses (and encourage them to do the same) in order to win more followers.

Froogle Local
As Google’s exclusive shopping search engine, Froogle is a great way to target local consumers as they search for location specific retail stores and products. It’s a great way to generate customers, regardless of whether or not your business offers online commerce.

Local online directories
Well known online directories such as the YellowPages and TrueLocal are great ways to up the ante on your local advertising strategy. The public use these websites to actively search for services which means that if your advertisement is eye catching and effective, you could win yourself a significant amount of easy business.

Google AdWords
Perhaps the most popular of local advertising platforms, Google AdWords allows you to target local online customers by purchasing pay-per-click ads that pop up when users search a specific area, city or region.

Dotster
As a web domain registration and hosting company, Dotster offers businesses a comprehensive local web advertising package. Upon signing up you allocate a monthly budget which is then used to promote your ad on all the major search engines. It’s quick, easy and efficient!