When it comes to blog widgets (those handy little pieces of code that connect websites together), there are two every blog should have.

One important widget to have is a Digg.com button, or a similar social news site. These buttons are spreading out across the internet. More and more often when surfing websites one is likely to come across a digg, or similar button when reading a news article or blog post.

The second widget everyone should try is called BlogRush

Blog Rush is a smart little widget that displays headlines from other blogs in a compact box on your blog. You can see on the right hand side of this page.

Widgets like these and others like them are an important part of blogging because they add “neat” little features to your blog and help you enrich your content and the interconnectedness of the blogosphere.

So if you don’t have any widgets yet, jump on board and try adding one to your blog. You just might get widget addicted like the rest of us.

In the world of local business the direct local market (1/4 mile radius from the brick and mortar location) can be very important. Back in the days of managing pizza places in my youth I was introduced to a gentleman who would soon become my business partner. At the time we were both working for a local pizza chain (he was one of my delivery drivers while he finished his degree). Now before you think “what kind of anecdotal garbage is he about to write” Nathan my delivery driver was no ordinary driver. In fact he had worked hand in hand with the CEO of the company for several years opening new pizza places all over the state. In that time he had learned a great deal about local area marketing. In the world of food the local area market will make or break the business. This is true of many local businesses that have nothing to do with food consumption. Any business that needs highway or foot traffic can benefit greatly from a multi pronged local advertising assault. Nathan and I started a local website geared for the residents of our city offering a wealth (over 1,000 pages) of material ranging from local day care centers to the county fair. Our business quickly built up steam as we began marketing local businesses in our own home grown way.

Our home grown way

So how does one directly impact the local area surrounding a business to produce stunning results. Name recognition is the first and most important principle of canvasing a local area for customers and clients. If they have never heard your name, they have no idea who or what you are. By the time a person has heard a business name roughly ten times they are statistically likely to know what you do, and they may even have an opinion about you. So how do you introduce yourself ten times without the aid of a television (lets face it constant television adds in your local community will almost always do the trick). We start by pounding the pavement. Fliers and door hangers (fliers you plce on a door knob) are an amazing tool for drumming up business. Once you are on every door within a 1/4 mile of your business you will start to see some results. The best door hangers also offer a coupon or discount. People use and love coupons and discounts. The next step toward local canvasing is looking for other locations in your area to place your fliers. Think bulletin boards. These can often be found in parks, hair salons, pizza places, and a host of other businesses. You can also consider local events. What is taking place in your local area. Are they holding cross country runs at the park down the way? Is there a local band playing in the bar down the street. You can often find some type of event to attend, and hand out fliers.

Canvasing is great, but not alone

Canvasing an area is a great method to advertise on the cheap. However it is not going to be as effective alone. At least one or two other forms of media should be used at the same time in the same area. Local newspapers or community magazines and want adds all can add some extra exposure to get your business closer to the magic ten times. Another approach to get the most of your canvasing is the use of radio dj’s or other local celebrities to have some sort of event at your location. If you canvas for some kind of event rather than just a coupon (use both together) you might receive free branding from people asking each other (are you going to that event at…).

This brings me to my last point. Radio is vapor. I know because I have advertised on the radio in multiple states, and frankly the adds disappear into oblivion. However if you use the radio advertising as an extra tine on your local advertising fork you should use it for an event. Even if you are not holding an event, think holidays. If you sell food any holiday is a good holiday to go out to eat with family and friends. If your a real estate agent you can wish the public a “happy holiday”, if you are in the business of selling tires you can offer people a black friday tire special on the radio. In my experience radio can work, but it has to be used well, and in conjunction with other medias.

Of course this is only the tip of the ice burg for our “home grown local area” approach. But I hope it gives you some ideas.

Aaron Mills (Lynchburg Expressions Developer, Enterpreuneur)