Promoting Local Businesses

We launched RelyLocal Hendersonville in Henderson & Polk Counties, and Hickory Nut Gorge (Chimney Rock & Lake Lure) to help the "little guys" compete! With national chains & web-based stores spending as much as $2 million in marketing every day, it's no wonder many of our local companies are having trouble cutting through that to connect with new customers.

In any economy, we see more and more established businesses slowly disappearing, and many new local businesses don't know how to get started and get their name in front of new customers. Budgets are tight and many businesses think that the first cut should always be in advertising. They are wrong! But, don't just take our word for it...

"Stopping advertising to save money is like stopping a clock to save time." - Henry Ford

Advertising Incubator and Community Campaigns

RelyLocal Hendersonville isn't meant to replace all your other marketing efforts or memberships in business associations and chambers of commerce. (Heck, be reasonable - have you seen our minimal fees?) We like to think of ourselves as the one thing that every local business needs to be a part of to help drive their other marketing & advertising efforts - online and offline. Use RelyLocal Hendersonville as a starter, & work your way into other (more expensive) online marketing options. Here are a few of the details on what we offer our members...

RelyLocalHendersonville.com
Our web site is a small but integral piece of our local marketing solution. You choose the best categories in which to feature your business listing, and we'll take care of entering all of your information:

~ company description
~ logo
~ location
~ hours of operation
~ web address(link)
~ email
~ photos
~ banner ads
~ links to your Blog
~ High Definition video(s)
~ Local Leader biographical feature
~ Google map and direction
~ Downloadable files, such as menus, flyers, events, PR
~ link to your Facebook Page or Profile
~ link to your Twitter
~ link to your Youtube channel
~ link to your Yelp profile
~ link to your Pinterest account
~ link to your Flickr

Our first goal is to drive exposure, awareness, and traffic to your business - online AND offline. Some customers will find what they need about your local business directly on our site, some might give you a ring, some may come by, while other customers will click through to your site for more info.

Search Engine Results (Organic)
While our #1 goal isn't necessarily to get your business on "page one" on Google (please consider our minimal costs) - it DOES happen all the time! In addition to the new customers you will gain directly from RelyLocalHendersonville.com, you will also begin to see increased traffic and exposure on many other search engines and directories.

With things like meta keywords and even the content on your page becoming less relevant to search engines, your site being featured on trusted, third party sites like RelyLocalHendersonville.com will help increase your search engine rankings for YOUR website, if you have one.

We'll also consult with you to make sure you're getting the most out of your listings on sites like Google Maps, Google Places, Yahoo! Local, MSN Local & Bing.

Social Media Ambassadors
Let us be your online ambassador - connecting you with our ever-growing network of "Loyal Locals" in person at networking events, and on Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest, Youtube, Flickr, and our other social networks. Imagine - the next time you are holding a special event or offering a special promotion, you can reach hundreds (if not thousands) of qualified local customers with your message every time we make a post on your behalf... Instantly!

Plus, we keep things fun - with quizzes, contests, and giveaways designed to increase our fan base, while generating new exposure for your business in new markets!

Local Coupon Marketing
Coupon mailings can be very effective, but are also very expensive considering the ROI. While they do hit a lot of households, not everyone needs a muffler or likes Chinese food. As part of your standard membership, you can feature up to three coupons or promotional codes each month (you choose the expiration dates) for customers to use at your location.

As we continue to grow, we will also insert "highlight coupons" in the major mailings in the area to showcase all of the coupons available at RelyLocal.com. This is a great incentive to entice new customers. Best of all, it's all included as part of your standard membership!

Henderson County Community Campaign
While we provide businesses and loyal locals with window decals, pens, t-shirts, and POS signs, it's about much more than just that "warm-and-fuzzy" feeling. These tools are a small but very deliberate part of building an effective grass-roots campaign to support local business.

It is our way of making RelyLocal the new "Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval" for local businesses in the Hendersonville and the Henderson, Polk, & Rutherford County areas.

Your Role - Our Partner!
RelyLocal Hendersonville isn't just about what we can do for you. It's about what you can do for our community. At least 90% of your membership dues stays in Henderson County to help grow our community campaign and reunite local customers with their local businesses.

We don't view our business members and web users as clients and customers, we view them as partners! Get involved, make a minimal investment in Henderson County, and you'll receive a lot more in return than just more clicks to your web site. We are here to help!

The Most Cost-Effective Marketing in Henderson County

Your Challenges, RelyLocal Hendersonville's Solutions

Problem #1: Most small local businesses can’t afford the thousands of dollars needed each month to advertise with newspapers, coupon packs, billboards, tv, and radio - let alone hiring an internet marketing firm or find time to spend on social networking! How can they possibly compete with national chains, the big-box stores, or established competitors?

Solution: RelyLocal Hendersonville is much more than another online business directory and community campaign! Think of us as your co-op advertising agency, internet marketing firm, and part time sales staff - representing you in the community all day, every day.

Problem #2: Many businesses already have a good web site, but nobody really uses it. They spend precious time and money for ongoing design, SEO, and expensive advertising that appears to produce no tangible results. Other businesses don't have a web presence at all, but know that they are losing customers as a result.

Solution: If potential customers can’t find your web site or listings, they aren't likely to find your physical location, either. We not only bring you new, highly qualified traffic directly from your listing on RelyLocalHendersonville.com, but we also feed the search engines and other directories, increasing your overall online exposure and organic (free) rankings.

If you are a local business owner who would like to partner with RelyLocalHendersonville, just get in touch or apply today! We'd love to meet with you and figure out even more ways that we can help your business!