ReachLocal – My thoughts as a business owner

I really felt it was time to speak out by creating this ReachLocal review from an Australian business owners perspective. There’s many others online who have written reviews on competing websites, but none are from independent bloggers like me.

It seems there’s two extremities, either you love ReachLocal and praise it or you wish to do further research before taking the next step forward. Most people do find the service to be excellent, yet for those unsure I hope to clear some confusion up for you.

Background on me

This blog of mine is simply a hobby that reviews products, services and courses that I have used or seen as beneficial throughout my journey, offline and online. I write from a critical standpoint, and many people enjoy my openness, honesty and I hold my integrity in high regard.

In some cases I’ve saved people thousands of dollars of money, one company even closed their doors due to the power of my blog as their $1,000+ product was simply rubbish. Thousands of people like you read my blog every month, and I really do appreciate that.

I own and run a range of businesses, generally in the online space. I live the laptop lifestyle, and my office is where I park the laptop for the day. I sell predominantly on Amazon USA from my home on the Gold Coast, and enjoy an excellent income.

The best part is that I also help traditional business owners begin the transition. To get off the tools, and into a real online business that’s much less labour intensive. There’s an excellent FREE course for beginners right here, and thousands of Australian and international business owners have gone through it, from start to finish.

I hope you have the courage and determination to start, and discover how you too can sell products online 24 hours per day. This has been created by a fellow Australian, and it’s how I got started on the journey too.

Why I’d chose a digital marketing agency

The truth about owning a business today is that you fundamentally need 1 thing – leads. But most importantly, qualified leads. Those leads ready to do business TODAY. Most business owners simply do not know how to be found in Google, and most website owners lack these basic skills too.

Disappointing really, as we all use Google to find exactly what we need everyday ourselves. The businesses that you are finding in Google first are those who are right now using the services of an experienced website, SEO and design business. The best companies have a strong lead generation strategy built by an agency.

I feel there’s a lot of ‘backyard operations’ in the Australian market attempting to sell you on such services at a high markup. I’m sure you’re getting multiple phone calls just like me trying to win you over. Constant chatter that translates to “We’re the best in the business” when really, they’re just not that convincing.

It’s hard to know who’s who, the rookies from the veterans. That’s why I really would choose a larger company with a track record of success stories. Success breeds success, and I feel that most business owners will be safer with a larger business.

Advantages of ReachLocal

ReachLocal was founded in 2004. Not last month. That in itself has provided them many years to get it right, to provide the most reliable service to their clients. That was really the first thing I looked at – time in the market, plus their adaptability to constant technology changes.

The next thing I looked at was client volume – they have 19,000. Not a little startup with 3 clients. You’ll even get a dedicated business partner that oversees your progress throughout the journey. They’ve obviously generated a lot of leads to generate that many clients. Funny that – you’re looking to generate more leads, by using a company that has mastered it within their own business. That’s a super win right there.

It seems that they have an average review score of 4.7 out of 5. I like this, as I don’t completely trust 5 star reviews as they would feel fabricated. That had really warmed me up to the idea of using their services, that the majority had received excellent service and found it beneficial to their business.

Downsides to ReachLocal

The downside is the price. Building websites and search engine optimization isn’t cheap, especially in Australia. It’s a real skill and expertise that takes some people years to master properly. A company that has been in the trenches since 2004 is probably best to approach for such services. That’s 15+ years to get it right.

What’s also expensive is the price of NOT using a lead generation company, having your competition land those leads instead of you. The failure of most businesses today is due to not adapting to changing times, it’s simply not enough just to have a website built several years ago. So consider ReachLocal is just a cost of scaling a successful business.

Who uses ReachLocal?

Using a service like this isn’t for everyone, in fact only for a small group of people reading my words here. If you feel that you’ll rather continue on doing what you’re doing, then please don’t use ReachLocal. If you feel that getting leads online is a wasteful scam, then please don’t use ReachLocal.

Read this especially: if you think that the internet is still a fad, then please don’t use ReachLocal. There’s a dose of my realism right there, and no apologies given. With businesses today, it’s a real case of adapt to changing times, or become extinct. Like many brick and mortar businesses which are struggling, yours is probably on the endangered list. It’s really up to you as to which way you want to go.

Their clients include:

• Retail shopfronts and local food service providers
• Those in the accounting, law and consulting space
• Tradesmen such as carpenters, electricians and plumbers
• National companies with a strong and driven franchise network
• Most importantly – those who are committed to win more online leads starting today

There’s plenty more who utilize the services of ReachLocal too. Their local representatives will be more than happy to share with you the types of businesses that they have onboard.

The power of big players like ReachLocal

I really do choose to place my trust in these larger Australian companies. I’d get my car serviced at a national brand, my internet service is from a national brand and my IT equipment comes from a national brand. There’s a team behind ReachLocal to fall back on to should I hit any roadblocks, as opposed to using a one-man-band operation that started last month.

These pretend digital marketing agencies have probably built 2 websites (including 1 of their own) and does a basic amount of search engine optimization, for that a 12 year old can do. I really do feel there’s value for money when using ReachLocal. Again, it’s not the cheapest but you get what you pay for, and in business there are times that you can’t afford to be cheap.

Advice for choosing a digital marketing agency

Let’s put ReachLocal aside for a moment. I really do feel that when choosing a website design / SEO company who specializes in online lead generation, that you look at longevity. Yes, I’m mentioning this again. Look for someone who’s going to be around for a long time. A company that’s been here 15+ years is probably one that’s going to be around for decades more. Plus their reputation and reviews, which often can be discovered through their social media pages.

Find the right company that you can continue to work with for the long term. In addition, check their reviews. Check their client volume. Check if there’s value for money, and certainly don’t go for the cheapest. Again, you can’t afford to be cheap when competing with other local businesses in this space. Feed the stallions, starve the ponies.

Summary of ReachLocal

I hope that this review of ReachLocal Australia has provided you with some clarity over whether you should use this service. This review of course translates in many ways to other ReachLocal markets – the USA, Europe, Asia and NZ. I wouldn’t hesitate personally to book in a friendly call with one of their assistants, since as a fellow business owner I know it’s leads that are the lifeblood of any offline business.

One simple phone call to them might be a good opportunity to simply discuss direction. You might already be generating some clients online, but they might be able to help you increase that number within a short period of time. There’s really no pressure to proceed past that first friendly phone call.

If you feel there’s value here in what I’ve written, then feel free to get in touch with their Australian team, particularly Max Wheatley. If you choose to, I get a very small (almost non-existent) commission if you decide to use their services if you mention my name. You can say that ‘Joshua – the guy with the blog’ sent you, or just say you found them through Google. Either is good.

If you have any questions regarding ReachLocal or this review, then please drop them into the comments below. I’ll do my best to help you out as a fellow business owner. P.s. don’t forget to get FREE access to the beginner’s Amazon course, where you can learn how to build your own online business from home.

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