15 Sites for Promoting Your Local Business

This article was written by Kristin Edelhauser of Entrepreneur.com

The advertising of the future is going online -- and going local. This hot trend is growing rapidly and shows no signs of letting up.

In fact, according to a report by Borrell Associates, local online advertising is expected to grow by 31% this year, hitting $7.7 billion. The report also predicts local paid search will skyrocket by 86 percent this year, up to $1.8 billion. Local email marketing will grow by about 54 percent, reaching $233 million.

There's no question that consumers are using the Internet to navigate their way to local bricks-and-mortar retailers. A recent study by ROI Research and Performics shows that online searches influence 20% to 30% of purchases made at retail locations -- and that number is only increasing. ...