Yahoo talks Local Search

AdAge has a brief interview today with Frazier Miller of Yahoo! Local, who talks about what makes their service different for the small business owner.

“…small to medium businesses are very clear what they’re trying to get: additional leads or business. There’s a lot of opportunity in what the internet and user-generated content can bring in terms of targeting audiences and getting more in touch with customer base. To the merchants’ chagrin, their reputation is being formed online without them being in touch with it. The real opportunity is for them to see their ratings and reviews, see how are they doing in the minds of their users and figure out how can they channel and form the reputation that’s formed online.”

(italics are mine)

Miller covers it perfectly, if you ask me:

1. user-generated content
2. get in touch with your customer base
3. be active with user reviews

(via Greg)

[tags]yahoo, local search[/tags]