Ask any of Balihoo's enterprise clients: A marketing strategy is only as successful as their affiliates’ presence in local markets. National brand marketers know that localized marketing is not just a passing trend. In fact, according to BIA/Kelsey, 49 percent of marketers believe localized marketing is essential to business growth.

Local websites, smaller variations of a corporate website, are a crucial element in the local marketing mix as they serve as the centerpiece for all tactics, including directing search engines to the right place at the right time. But once implemented, local websites need to continue working for you. In today’s blog post, we highlight the importance of metrics, launching and communication. For more in-depth information, download the whitepaper 5 Tips for Making the Most of Local Websites.

Tip #1: Plan Ahead to Reap Metrics Magic

Local websites enable you to track campaign and media effectiveness in  specific local markets—or across all of your markets (which as we all know, is hard to do from the national brand level). But early on, you’ll want to set clearly defined goals and decide which parameters to measure. By monitoring impressions, phone leads and conversions, you’ll be able to make better decisions about which programs to keep—and which to eliminate.

Tip #2: Launch Like You Mean It

A good rule of thumb when launching local websites to your affiliates: The more interaction the better. 

This means educating them as to how this effort will improve their bottom line. Affiliates will also need to understand their role in the process and any action they’ll need to take. Conducting hands-on training (by means of webinars, recorded presentations and marketing portals) is also a good idea.

Tip #3: Keep up the Communication (A.K.A. “The Best Surprise is No Surprise”)

Even after local websites are rolled out, affiliates should always be prepared for upcoming promotions.  Keep them in the loop by publishing a calendar of content updates and key dates. Send reminder emails about how they will be impacted by such information and if they must take further action.

When national brands take the above steps, the early rollout of local websites is sure to be successful. For steps 4-5 (implementation and automation), stay tuned for Part II – Five Tips for Making the Most of Local Websites.