I am hearing a lot about how local online advertising online has been ignored and is an incredibly valuable market that is repeatedly overlooked. Most small businesses would probably agree with this, as the first thing most of them do when they open the doors is to take out an ad in the yellow pages, join the chamber of commerce and print up some fliers. They have to get the word out, and they just don’t see the internet as being a place where they see value or feel at home. It is a fact that the vast majority of purchases are made within ten miles of home. Geographically specific pay per click and geo-targeting is somewhat tailored to the small business, but paid search is only a part of online traffic, so what about the rest of natural search? How does the small business compete with the directory sites out there?

Simple. They shoot video. Lots of video. They then optimize it for geographically specific terms, and then sit back and let the phone ring. Viral marketing on a local level is incredibly popular with print, tv, radio and other forms of promotion. The same should and will apply for online.