Local Internet Presence
How Local Businesses Get Found, Remembered, and Called
The Mike Stewart playbook — 35 years of broadcast audio, direct-response video, and local customer psychology, retold in plain English. No agency jargon. Just phone calls.
Table of Contents
Summary of Chapters & Appendices
Click any entry below to turn directly to that chapter.
Start here · 60 seconds
If they can't find you, remember you, and call you in seconds — you don't have a presence.
Mike Stewart simplifies the whole internet to two jobs:
- Traffic: get qualified locals to find you on the device they actually use — over 90% are on mobile phones for home services.
- Conversion: within 3 seconds of landing, convince them you're the trustworthy local fix for their urgent problem. If not, they bounce.
Traffic comes from only three places: paid (Google / YouTube — fastest), organic (reviews, map, content — compounds), and borrowed (partners, networking — highest trust).
Introduction · Who this is and what this is
Who is Mike Stewart — and what is LocalInternetPresence.com?
Who is Mike Stewart
Mike Stewart is a 35-year veteran of radio, television, music production, audio engineering, and direct marketing, based in Nashville, Tennessee. Former member of The Box Tops, co-producer of Pac-Man Fever, producer of every Waffle House jukebox record (Golden Waffle for “Raisin Toast”) — and one of the original pioneers of internet multimedia.
Over 20 years ago, with copywriter Jim Edwards and direct-response legend Dan Kennedy, Mike co-invented the Video Sales Letter (VSL) when Flash video arrived — proving plain human video with direct-response psychology beats million-dollar agency websites.
What is LocalInternetPresence.com
His company, LocalInternetPresence.com, is not a “brand awareness” agency. It is a done-for-you local presence system for service businesses — plumbers, HVAC, roofers, pest control, boat rentals, shops — built on high-intent lead capture, earworms you can't forget, and zero-friction funnels.
“Rather than posting a lot of jargon on this website that means nothing to most business owners… To GROW your business today, you must have a local internet presence. What I do for businesses, no one else is doing.”
Chapter 1 · The creed
The philosophy: leads, not laurels
Conventional agencies sell vanity: pretty sliders, vague slogans, random social posts. Mike sells high-intent lead capture, earworms people can't forget, and funnels with zero friction — built for plumbers, HVAC, roofers, pest control, rentals, and shops.
“Rather than posting a lot of jargon on this website that means nothing to most business owners… To GROW your business today, you must have a local internet presence. What I do for businesses, no one else is doing.”
Chapter 2 · The map
The 5 pillars of local dominance
Think of these as five legs on one stool. Miss one and you wobble.
Map & reviews
Your website + word-spreading
Page + ads that match
Jingle + YouTube
Handshakes
| Pillar | What you do | Why it pays |
|---|---|---|
| 1 · Map & reviews | Claim Google Business Profile, fix name/address/phone, ask every happy customer for 5 stars, reply to all, post real job photos | Most valuable asset you own; activity signals push you into the Map Pack |
| 2 · Your website + word-spreading | Publish answers on your domain, with transcripts; share audio to Apple/Spotify/YouTube | Ranks on Google and gets quoted by AI answers; social-only posts don't |
| 3 · Page + ads that match | One problem = one page with video + reviews + tap-to-call; ads say the pain + “Watch my video” | Paid clicks stop leaking; calls quadruple |
| 4 · Jingle + YouTube | 15-second search-term song, front-loaded into skippable pre-rolls | Millions hear you; Google often charges $0 |
| 5 · Handshakes | Show up (BNI, chamber), run a 20-minute audit 1-on-1 | Owners buy from people who show the flaw, not pitch decks |
Chapter 3 · Weapon A
The jingle that sticks in their head
Every business has a 2–4 word phrase that puts them #1 — e.g. “Nashville Party Boat Rental,” “Pink Plumber,” “Mount Lawley Pest Control.” Problem: locals don't know to type it. Solution: plant it with melody.
The 21-time rule
“When you hear marketing information set to melody 20 times, on the 21st time you will never get it out of your subconscious for the rest of your life.”
Proof: 30 years ago in Smyrna, Georgia, The Pink Plumber ran: “Google Pink, click the link, or call 404-222-PINK.” Listeners still recite it decades later. Same mechanism as 800-588-2300 Empire Today.
The 15-second recipe
- 0–5s · The anchor: sing the exact search term + who you are. Must land before “Skip” appears.
- 5–12s · The benefit: plain-spoken promise in owner voice.
- 12–15s · The nudge: “Search [term] today!” or phone.
Chapter 4 · Weapon B
The YouTube loophole (legal, built into Google's billing)
Over half of local YouTube now plays on living-room Smart TVs. Skippable ads force 5 seconds of watching — and Google charges $0 if they skip before 30 seconds.
Guaranteed Earworm Airtime
Jingle starts instantly. Brand + search term sung loud and clear. 100% of viewers hear it before the “Skip” button activates.
High-Intent Engagement
Problem, proof, call to action. You only pay Google if they watch past 30 seconds or click through to book.
The living-room effect: kids watching Bluey, remote on the coffee table — nobody dives to skip. Even at 70–80% skip rates, everyone heard you.
Targeting: geography beats guesswork
Don't micro-filter age, interests, parental status. Draw a tight 15–20 mile radius / zip cluster and let Google's machine find buyers.
Chapter 5 · Weapon C
The page that rings: one problem, one video, one button
Mike's founding discovery: “People will watch before they read.” Replace bloated 20-page sites with one focused Video Sales Letter per urgent problem.
The 5-part page
- Headline with risk reversal — see formula below
- 45–60 sec video + jingle — solve the exact search, human face
- Proof strip — Google 5-stars / badges right under video
- Plain-spoken copy — agitate the pain, answer FAQs
- Sticky tap-to-call — always in the mobile thumb zone
The headline that has worked 15 years
“We will give you the most thorough, amazing, unbelievable [service] guaranteed or it's free.”
HVAC: “We will make your house ice cold or it's free.” Plumbing: “We will fix your leaky toilet today guaranteed or it's free.” Roofing: “Your roof will not leak, guaranteed or it's free.” Anxious homeowners just want safety. Almost nobody claims — they just call.
Ads that feed it: Problem → Agitate → “Watch my video”
Dan Kennedy style: “Tired of termites? Scared they're eating your home? Want them gone today? Watch my video.” Adding “Watch my video” quadrupled click-through — it promises clarity, not homework.
Chapter 6 · Save your money
Two traps that eat local budgets
Chapter 7 · It works in real towns
Proof, not promises
Chapter 8 · What to do Monday
Your next step: a 20-minute audit
Small owners “don't know what they don't know” — and get spammed by faceless agencies. The fix is a short, in-person diagnostic:
- Google your money term — are you in the Map Pack?
- Open your site on your phone — can you call in one tap without scrolling or menus?
- Count reviews — under 20, unanswered 1-stars, no owner replies?
- Search your blog — zero indexed answers on your own domain?
If you failed 2 or more: get the audit. Bring one problem (“termites,” “leaky roof,” “slow season”). Leave with one page, one video outline, and one jingle lyric to test.
Run the 5-minute self-audit ↓Chapter 9 · Weapon D
How content gets made (without you writing)
“It's a shorter distance from your brain to your tongue than to your hands.” Owners freeze at keyboards but can't stop talking when asked the right technical question. So never start with “write a blog.” Start with talk, then transcribe.
The 5-step extraction
- Name 50 problems you solve. Not “we kill bugs” — list them: subterranean termites, drywood termites, bedbugs, German roaches, brown recluse, roof rats…
- Pick one diagnostic question: “What are subterranean termites, and why are they dangerous to a foundation?”
- Record 3 minutes. Phone voice memo is fine — explain it like to a neighbor.
- Transcribe to your domain. Full text = blog post + FAQ schema. Audio stays embedded.
- Syndicate the audio. One RSS feed → Apple, Spotify, Amazon, YouTube = free authoritative backlinks.
Chapter 10 · Owner terms
The AI factory: you approve, we produce
What used to cost $2,000+ in studio time now runs monthly: scripts drafted for your town, voiced in your cloned voice incl. Spanish, 15-sec jingle, published + syndicated with full transcripts. Core ~$300/mo, full growth with ads management ~$500/mo + ad spend. Your heavy lifting: reply YES.
SMS approval flow
- 1st of month: you get text with 4 topics (“Reply YES to approve”).
- You reply YES. We draft, voice, mix jingle intro/outro.
- Weekly: 1 post + episode goes live on your site, then Apple/Spotify/YouTube.
- End of month: 5-min Zoom: calls, rankings, next 4 topics.
Appendix A · Tear-out worksheet
5-minute self-audit worksheet
- Does your Google Ad (or search result) go to your homepage instead of one problem page?
- On mobile, is there a sticky tap-to-call button with no menu hunting?
- Does your hero waste the screen on sliders while hiding reviews + phone?
- GBP: <20 reviews, unanswered 1-stars, zero owner replies, no fresh photos?
- All content trapped on Facebook/Instagram, zero articles/podcasts on your domain?
Score: 0 fails = defend the lead · 1–2 = fix this month · 3+ = you need the full playbook.
Appendix B · No jargon
Plain-English glossary
Every technical term in this book, in one place — each with the chapter where it pays off.
- 1-on-1 audit Ch. 8
- A 20-minute in-person diagnostic of a business's map listing, mobile site, reviews, and content. Owners buy from people who show the flaw, not pitch decks.
- Earworm (SERP-term jingle) Ch. 3
- A 15-second song built on your exact search term. Heard ~20 times, it lodges in memory permanently — e.g. “Google Pink, click the link, or call 404-222-PINK.”
- Pre-roll arbitrage Ch. 4
- Google charges $0 when viewers skip before 30 seconds — so millions hear your 5-second jingle free. Legal, built into Google's billing.
- VSL (Video Sales Letter) Ch. 5
- One page, one urgent problem, one 45–60 second video, one call button. People watch before they read — replace the 20-page brochure site.
- Sticky tap-to-call Ch. 5
- A call button pinned in the mobile thumb zone on every page. One tap, no menu hunting — over 90% of your callers are on phones.
Appendix C · Subject Index
26 of 26 AxiomsThe Stewart Index: Direct-Response Axioms
Alphabetical & topical index of core principles from Mike Stewart's 35 years in broadcast audio, direct marketing, and local internet strategy.
“Traffic is people who find you. Conversion is: within 3 seconds, are they convinced you're the person to do business with?”
“Most people build award-winning websites. What they don't build is high-converting websites.”
“The bounce rate for most local business websites is 90%.”
“There are only three ways to get people to your website: paid traffic, organic free traffic, or borrowed traffic.”
“A beautiful website that wins awards for the web designer is usually a negative indicator of how good it is at converting.”
“I've never met a millionaire that says, 'I want to make less money.'”
“Show definitively that this is a problem, and if we solve it you'll make more money. That's the business I've created.”
“You can't get rid of bad reviews. Just drown them out with good reviews.”
“They can change the rules tomorrow. But when you own your own web address, then it's not going to change because you own it.”
“Social media is a walled garden. It doesn't live forever. But blog, podcast, and video content lives forever and gets indexed in Google.”
“It's easier to record and transcribe than it is to write. It's a shorter distance from your brain to your tongue than from your brain to your hands.”
“Name 50 problems your company solves. People are searching for those problems — create content about that.”
“We will give you the most thorough, amazing, unbelievable pest control service, guaranteed — or it's free.”
“My headline trick: problem, agitate, next step.”
“People will watch before they read. It's just human nature.”
“When you hear marketing information set to melody 20 times, on the 21st time you'll never get it out of your subconscious.”
“Keep your jingle to 15 seconds. Say your SER terms in the first 5 seconds — they can't reach the skip button fast enough.”
“It's all about doing whatever you can to help people remember how to find you.”
“It amazes me how many small business websites don't have tap-to-call.”
“Direct response marketing always beats image marketing.”
“If you're not in it to make money, then enjoy your hobby.”
“If you want to grow your business, grow your local internet presence.”
“Everything that took my skill set can now be done by AI — and it's scalable. It's never been scalable before.”
“Sell it once, and as long as they stay, you get paid.”
“We created a simple website with one call to action — and went from zero to 80 grand in a summer.”
“300 customers is a million-dollar business. And every bit of it can be outsourced.”
Colophon
Retold from Lessons of Local Internet Presence · Mike Stewart / LocalInternetPresence.com · Published by Derivative Genius.