Around the World or Around the Block

What does “local” even mean anymore? There was a time when we were limited to local businesses to supply the products and services we relied on everyday, with only the occasional foray into the “non local” realm. But the balance is rapidly shifting.

Online advertising is making the global economy far more local every day. Products and services from around the world are readily available to an ever expanding and diversifying consumer base. Search marketing and website optimization are playing a more crucial role in generating sales leads, and it no longer matters if the provider is across the street or across the ocean.

Take advertising itself as an example. Say you are a business in Lewiston, Maine, looking for an advertising firm. In the past you would naturally look for agencies in or near your town, such as Rinck Advertising in nearby Auburn. But as the Internet has dissolved many commercial borders in its relatively new life, your options are no longer limited to “local” services. You could just as easily utilize the services of DMC Advertising in New South Wales, Australia.

Both Rinck and DMC Advertising can more than likely provide you with high quality, effective penetration in a wide variety of markets. Both Rinck and DMC Advertising are presumably interested in attracting your business, and thus both Rinck and DMC Advertising will probably offer competitive pricing plans to work within your budget constraints. So obviously your choice boils down to who you think might better market your product or service. But that has always been the issue. The main difference is that now you have an entire planet full of Rincks and DMC Advertising Groups to choose from.

In reality, the situation is both better and worse. It is better that we as consumers have so many more options to choose from, and more options will always provide healthy competition and ever improving service. However, the situation is a little worse these days, since there are literally tens of thousands moe options for nearly every category of service or product you can name, and whittling the options down to even a manageable list can be daunting. But such is the curse of the local global economy.