Tips for a local marketing campaign

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(FORTUNE Small Business) -- Dear FSB: I am co-owner of a fairly new company that helps companies get better pricing for the products and services they currently use. In effect, we enable you to outsource your purchasing department. Since we do a personal assessment of our customer companies, our business to date, is in the local market. What is the best way to market our services locally? Is online marketing still a viable option?

- Alecia Chrin, Macungie, Pa.

Dear Alecia: Online marketing could definitely be a powerful tool, but it should be only one part of a multi-faceted marketing campaign, according to Angela Morsa, president of the Philadelphia chapter of the American Marketing Association and president of Active Integrated Marketing, an agency that focuses on lead generation for clients in Glenside, Pa.

Morsa suggests investigating search engine marketing. "Google (GOOG, Fortune 500) and Yahoo (YHOO, Fortune 500) and business.com can all set up their programs for local searches," she says. "In conjunction, I'd absolutely set up a Web site capable of capturing leads, so your sales people can turn them into new business. I'd also recommend some heavy direct mail to prospects.

"Partner with a good marketing agency to identify the best route for your specific business," she says. "Find one that understands your target market and how to reach them."

When shopping for agencies, "the biggest thing is chemistry," Morsa says. "It's like any other kind of relationship. Think about whether you'd enjoy working with these people."

Once you find your marketing partners, work together to create a strategic marketing plan. "It's the most important thing you'll do," Morsa says. "That way you'll have a road map with clear budgets and ways to measure future success."