Two meanings
- Finding local businesses as clients — agencies, freelancers and B2B companies prospecting dentists, plumbers, restaurants and so on.
- Generating customers for local businesses — marketing that brings calls and bookings to a local business.
This page is mostly about the first.
Why local businesses are a big market
There are enormous numbers of small local businesses, and almost all need websites, marketing, software, staff and suppliers. Most are owner-run, so one person decides quickly.
Where the data comes from
The most complete public source is Google Maps: business name, category, address, phone, website, rating and reviews for almost every local business. Websites and social profiles add emails, owner names and more.
The process
- Pick a niche and area.
- Search Google Maps with several keywords and locations.
- Enrich with emails, owner names, phones and socials.
- Filter by signals: no website, few reviews, low rating, active ads.
- Reach out by email, phone or in person.
Signals that matter locally
- review count and rating vs competitors
- Maps rank for their main keyword
- website quality and booking options
- social activity and ads
Tools
Prospect Cheap searches Google Maps live with bulk keywords and locations and enriches every lead. See the Google Maps lead generation guide.
Example
A review-management agency in Ohio searches "dentist" and "orthodontist" across ten Ohio cities, filters to practices with fewer than 60 reviews, and sends each owner a short note comparing their reviews with the top three practices nearby.
Key takeaways
- Google Maps is the most complete public directory of local businesses.
- Signals like reviews, rank and website status show who needs help.
- Search city by city to cover larger areas.