This post has been cross-posted from our older blog found here.  The original author is Pete Gombert. 

We are in the business of local marketing and local marketing software. This is a constantly shifting, often subjective market which is difficult to understand and overly complicated. There are a myriad of players involved in local marketing:

1. The Local Marketer (Retailer, Service Provider, Franchisee, Distributor etc.)
2. The Publisher / Media Company (Local TV / Radio / Newspaper etc.)
3. The National Brand (unless the Local Marketer is completely independent)
4. The Local Agency (if used)
5. The Media Sales Representative (this rep can be affiliated with the Media Company or a reseller)
7. Lead Aggregators
6. The Printer
7. The Customer

Now multiply those players by the number of media options available in any given market:

1. TV
2. Radio
3. Newspaper
4. Billboards
5. Online Display (Banner Ads / Video)
6. SEO / SEM
7. Direct Mail
8. E-mail
9. Coupons
10. Alternative Tactics (Street Teams)
11. Social Media (Facebook / Twitter)

Then consider the fact that each of the mediums listed above has multiple vendors providing a similar service in every market. For example in just about every market there are 4 or 5 broadcast television stations along with a cable company or two.

Layer in the ever shifting technology landscape:

1. SEO
2. SEM
3. Mobile
4. Social Media
5. Geo-Targeting

Finally just for fun lets get the government involved and place a few consumer protection laws in place:

1. Truth in Advertising
2. CANSPAM
3. DO NOT CALL

Now that I have listed some (these lists were not meant to be exhaustive) of the complicating factors involved in local marketing and media, consider this, most people who execute local marketing campaigns are the small business owner or store manager themselves, very few have dedicated marketing staff. They have a full time job running the business and only think about marketing on a part time basis. They tend to be highly reactive and tactical in their marketing efforts and are generally sold their marketing strategy by the sales reps that come in with packaged deals and a pair of tickets to the game.

Most local marketers do not place the emphasis that they should on the local marketing strategy and research that is necessary to run successful local marketing and media campaigns month after month. This is hard work that should be completed by marketing experts, not someone with another full time job or by a sales representative of a media company. A well executed marketing campaign can make all the difference, especially in times like these. Local marketers should stop being penny wise and pound foolish and invest in getting the professional help they need to execute well in the hyper complicated local marketing arena.