Here’s more ‘mixed evidence’ over the benefits of daily deal sites for local businesses. July 2011 research reveals that while nearly two-thirds of U.S. businesses had run a profitable promotion on daily deal site, Groupon, 82 percent were unhappy with the level of repeat business generated by the promotion.

The research, conducted by Cooper Murphy Copywriters, also found that while only 35 percent did not make money from their Groupon promotion, most noted that Groupon users were more price-sensitive than the average customer. All in all, out of the survey of 300 businesses:

Daily deal sites promise consumers great deals from local businesses. And they promise local businesses the chance to reach new customers and attract repeat business. It’s a win-win, right?

Well, it’s only a ‘win’ for local businesses if daily deal sites do, in fact, generate repeat business. Yet, the research seems to be mixed when it comes to how effective they are in attracting repeat customers.

For example, a June 2011 MerchantCircle survey found that while 58 percent of small businesses offered daily deals to acquire customers, 42.4 percent wouldn’t do so again because their efforts did not result in customer acquisition.

The most popular shopping category among daily deal shoppers is food and dining. A recent survey by PriceGrabber finds that U.S. online consumers most frequently search for food and dining daily deals, followed by shopping deals and then entertainment and events deals.

According to PriceGrabber’s May 2011 survey of 2,088 U.S. Internet users, the top local daily deal search categories are:

Local search advertising spending is set to rise from $5.1 billion in 2010 to $8.2 billion by 2015, reflecting a compound annual growth rate (CAGR) of 10 percent, according to BIA/Kelsey research.

BIA/Kelsey expects more local advertisers to invest in paid search advertising such that, by 2015, 30 percent of all paid search volume will be local in nature.

Ed Dale’s Melbourne Challenge Conference will take place on February 25, 26 and 27, 2011 at the Melbourne Convention and Exhibition Centre, in Melbourne, Australia. Aimed at beginning-to-advanced Internet marketers, conference organiser Ed Dale says the event will include presentations from top-notch speakers including SEO expert, Leslie Rohde, super-affiliate Lynn Terry, and copywriting expert and NLP master, Harlan Kilstein. The event is a must-attend for Australian based Internet marketers (normally starved of quality Internet marketing events) and highly recommended for overseas visitors. Just be sure to bring swimwear and sunscreen to get the most out of gorgeous Melbourne in summer! Go here for all the details including how to get tickets.

Internet Marketing Events Calendar »

Recent research indicates that only 6 out of 10 (67 percent) of U.S. small businesses have or likely to have a website in the next two years.

According to the Small Business Success Index(TM) – which is sponsored by Network Solutions® and the Center for Excellence in Service at the University of Maryland’s Robert H. Smith School of Business – those small businesses having or wanting a website view this as their main online solution for growing their businesses.

BIA/Kelsey’s Annual U.S. Local Media Forecast (2009-2014) indicates that local advertising will reach $133.3 billion by the end of 2010, 2.1 percent higher than in 2009 and bucking the firm’s original prediction of a slight (0.95 percent) decline.

According to BIA/Kelsey, the two media categories prompting the growth in 2010 are television, up 13 percent over 2009, and online advertising, up 30.2 percent over 2009.

Not all local small and medium sized businesses are created equal. If you provide marketing consulting services to – or are planning to consult with – SMBs, you’ll definitely want to work with small and medium sized businesses with money to spend, and a willingness to spend that money on marketing.

According to a recent study by BIA/Kelsey, higher-spending SMBs spend at least $25,000 annually on media advertising and promotion, compared with average SMBs, which spend $2,000 to $3,000 annually on advertising.

In this guest article, offline consulting expert Caro McCourtie explains how you can build a successful business by providing Internet marketing consulting and other services to local businesses.

As an Internet marketer, it’s ironic that I (and so many of us) deal in a profession where we use superlatives in a bid to get a sale, yet can’t stand the hype and falseness of this kind of marketing ourselves.

Worse too – we still get sold on offerings that are closing at midnight, are only available to 5 more people, and are the ‘secrets no one has ever told you, until now!’

You get the drift?

The Minnesota State Government has passed a law outlawing out-of-state Internet marketers from posing as local small businesses by, for example, running search engine ads indicating that their business is based in Minnesota.

Businesses advertising online or in phone directories will violate the law if:

• Their advertised name indicates that the company is based somewhere other than its actual location (e.g. the name includes a local town when the company is really located elsewhere);
• The listing doesn’t identify the actual business location; or
• The listed ‘local’ phone number forwards a caller to a location outside that calling area.