Yahoo recently announced their new online ad builder for SMBs.
They’re trying to make it easy for more SMBs to spend money online in their local market with Yahoo. Based on what we’re seeing in newspaper readership and profit it’s a good bet that small businesses are looking for someplace else to put their local ad dollars.
I still think there is much more to SMBs advertising online than building the ad. In fact, building the ad is the easy part, what is important to the success of a local campaign is the landing page and Yahoo doesn’t help with that challenge.
Recent studies indicate that 42% of small businesses don’t have a website. And, I’ve seen studies that say over 50% of those who have web sites haven’t touched them in a year.
So what is a brand marketer to do?
That’s easy, fill the void with your own online microsite builder for your dealers.
Retailers would be happy to use a microsite loaded with up-to-date content about a product or service they sell. Make it so they can customize it with their logo, pictures, About Us page and the ability to display their current local promotion and you’ll be doing a lot to promote your brand, too.
Once it’s built and easily updated you have a lot of places you can use the microsite besides a great landing page for online ads (makes it easy to co-op it too if you control the content).
It will work great from your dealer locator where today many great brands only have a directory listing to a local dealer or link to a dealer’s web site that is outdated and/or loaded with competitive information.
Retailers who do have a decent web site up would still appreciate linking to a brand microsite from their site if you have some good product search and comparision tools (even if just limited to your brand).
There is a huge void out there that you can fill for the good of your brand, your retailers and your consumers. The longer you wait the more difficult it will be to control your brand message all the way to the consumer.