'LOCAL SEARCH' IS WHERE YOU SHOULD BE

Did you know that the city of Albany, New York recently outlawed the yellow pages?

This is the first of many cities and municipalities that will not be allowing the big yellow books in their neighborhoods. Mostly, this is being done for "green or ecological" reasons. But even if that wasn't true (which it is), the fact is…people are not using the yellow books-pages like they used to. These 'kill-tree' books are no longer welcome. Your customers – existing…especially prospective – are looking up your restaurant on the Internet.

It's called "local search" and it's going to be the next big thing in online restaurant marketing. If the potential customer doesn't find you, s/he'll vote with her feet… to buy…within seconds.

If you operate any restaurant – particularly independent ones – you need to see where 'local search' is headed. The market, the existing and potential customers, the methods of communication; they are all changing…rapidly. The entire marketing paradigm is shifting…and when it does, all the rules change.

'Skeptical? Did you study history when you were at school? Do you remember what happened to the prevailing society/culture (and economy) when the printing press, sextant, steam engine, Morse code, railways, electric lights, penicillin, radio, television, video tapes, then DVDs  came on stream?

If you follow my blog here, you know that recently I wrote a book on this subject, Restaurant Marketing for Free (an e-book about How to Survive and Thrive in this 'beleaguered economy' – without it costing you your shirt…or pants!) Restaurant people tell me that the book is great. Sure, it gives people a basic grounding in the best ways to market their business.

But…..it can't keep up with the constantly changing hyper-competitive arena or the fast pace of the Internet. How could it? There are at least three new ways to market that originate 'every week' online.  A book, even an e-book, just can't keep up.  But it's a good start, if that's all you've got right now. I'll be announcing some exciting ways you can keep up…soon.

(BTW, if you want to learn how to optimize your restaurant's web site for local search there are 3 excellent ways mentioned in the book, starting on page 51).

You may not want to read or hear this, but the Internet is integral to any restaurant's future. You see, the general public has changed…in the way they look up their information, what they rely on in terms of where to eat out, how to check out a restaurant before they spend their hard-earned money, venture out in nasty weather, or a scary neighborhood, spend that extra money on gas, find a parking place; you know the drill.

The customers have changed and the business owner has to change too if s/he wants to keep up with the market and what the public want. They use the Internet…and you should be using it too.

'Local search' is growing in demand. There are 23 million small businesses that advertise in the yellow page-books that will be looking for other venues to communicate with their current and existing customers. Something is going to break loose soon, if not this month.

Remember you heard it here… first.

For a free copy of my e-book, just go to:

www.RestaurantMarketingforFree.com  and immediately download your own copy.