Where Can You Get a List of Businesses in Your Area?

Are overbroad, inaccurate prospecting lists hurting your local lead generation strategy? 

Don’t worry, it’s a common problem among sales reps. Fortunately, it’s easy to fix. 

The key to high-quality local lead lists is a tested strategy combined with the right tools, online business directories, and social media tactics. 

Where Can You Get a List of Businesses in Your Area?

There are eight proven places where you can find local businesses and owner email addresses:

1. 

   Specialized lead database software

   
   
2. 

   Online business directories

   
   
3. 

   Public records and government databases

   
   
4. 

   Local business associations

   
   
5. 

   Social media platforms

   
   
6. 

   Local business events and trade shows

   
   
7. 

   Classifieds and online marketplaces

   
   
8. 

   Local media outlet partnership

   
   

Let’s look at how to find and make the most of the ones that are right for your business. 

1. Use Specialized Software or Tools

The fastest and easiest way to build lists of local businesses is to use a specialized lead database solution. 

It will provide accurate ownership information quickly and efficiently. Simply use the database’s filters to specify the types of businesses you’re looking for in a certain area and hit search. 

In recent years, AI has made these tools even more powerful. Take Artisan, for example. As an AI-first sales platform, it combines with a local lead database of tens of millions of businesses with powerful automation features. 

Sales reps use Artisan to generate local lead lists in seconds based on attributes like headcount, accomplishments, and number and quality of online reviews (among others).

Best of all, built-in AI BDR Ava reaches out to these business owners on your behalf, converting them into leads through personalized outreach sequences—letting you focus on higher ROI work. 

2. Use Online Business Directories

Online directories contain the location, contact info, and hours of operation of local businesses.  Most allow you to filter by industry or location, enabling you to find businesses that match your ideal customer profile. Keep in mind, however, that the filtering isn’t as targeted as specialized tools.

Here are the best online business directories:

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  Google My Business

  
  
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  Yelp

  
  
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  Yellow Pages

  
  
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  TripAdvisor

  
  

Good ol’ Google Search is also one of the easiest tools for finding new businesses. 

Conduct a general search for the types of businesses you want to target, e.g., “hairdressers” or “financial advisors.” Then use the Google Maps feature to see where they’re located. 

In the left-hand sidebar, you’ll see businesses that have a Google Business Profile—which often contains contact information. Apple Maps works for this too.

For example, we searched for “plumbers in Montclair” and found these local businesses:

Yellow Pages and other directories work in a similar fashion. For example, here’s what happens when we search for dentists in Salt Lake City on Yellow Pages:

We can then refine the search by using filters. For example, let’s say we only wanted dentists within a few key neighborhoods: 

IMAGE (IN FOLDER): "Yellow Pages Lead Filtering Example"

Some local business directories allow you to filter based on when a business record was added, letting you target new businesses actively searching for solutions like yours. 

3. Access Public Records and Government Databases

A third option is to tap into the public records. A local chamber of commerce or trade registry may have directories containing info about businesses in your area. 

These sources contain the following details: 

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  Business name

  
  
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  Business type

  
  
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  Phone number

  
  
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  Location and address

  
  

To illustrate, here’s the North Essex Chamber of Commerce business directory. It gives users the option to filter by business type, like advertising, automotive, telecommunications, etc.

The main limitations of this method are the possibility of outdated contact information and restricted access. Additionally, most government databases don’t give you the email addresses of decision-makers. So if you’re doing cold email outreach, it’s not a great option. 

4. Explore Local Business Associations and Networking Groups

Local networking groups organize events where you can connect in person with local business owners. These are valuable opportunities to connect with potential customers and promote your business through word of mouth. Consider joining these groups (or their local chapters) to network and to gain access to their member lists. 

Here are the best types of associations to join:

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  Rotary Clubs: As a volunteer club focused on humanitarian service, Rotary Club members are often business owners, executives, and community leaders. Member lists usually contain information about professional backgrounds and contact info. 

  
  

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  Industry trade organizations: There are trade organizations for almost every industry—local realtors, dentists, hotels, pet groomers. Often, these associations have chapters for major cities and local member directories. 

  
  
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  Business Networking International: BNI is a referral networking organization, meaning it's designed to facilitate local meetups between businesses that might be able to help one another. Members gain access to detailed member profiles and business descriptions. 

  
  

Keep in mind that there might be a fee for joining some of these groups. However, the access to lead lists and networking opportunities is usually more than worth it. 

5. Leverage Social Media Platforms

Social media platforms like LinkedIn, Facebook, and Instagram have search filters—location, industry, size, etc.—for finding businesses. 

For example, let’s say we wanted to find landscapers in Massachusetts as part of our local marketing strategy. 

Here are some examples from different social media platforms:

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  Use LinkedIn’s company search feature to filter businesses by location, industry, and other factors. 

  
  

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  Join the Norwell MA Social Facebook group, where local businesses often promote themselves (as shown below) and people recommend businesses.

  
  

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  Use relevant hashtags to find local businesses with Instagram's Explore feature. For example, restaurants in London often post content with the hashtag #londonfood (there will be user posts that use this hashtag, but you can filter these out). 

  
  

Keep in mind that social media isn’t just for finding businesses—thanks to direct messaging features, it’s also a great place to connect with decision-makers and conduct outbound lead generation. 

Follow these tips when reaching out to leads on social platforms:

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  Show them you know them by sharing something you recently learned about them or their business (a relevant news story or event or a recent expansion, for example).

  
  
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  Lead with relevant pain points to grab their attention and demonstrate that you’re a problem-solver looking to help their business. 

  
  
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  Provide value early in the form of a unique industry insight or a free resource to solve a problem. 

  
  
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  Write conversationally, like you’re talking to a friend at a cafe. Use short sentences and keep your tone friendly, casual, and helpful.

  
  
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  Engage with them in other ways, such as by leaving thoughtful comments on their posts or publishing your own thought leadership on the platform (which they may see).  

  
  

If you follow these best practices and reach out consistently, there’s no reason why you can’t start generating local leads from your social media outreach in as little as a few days. 

Automate your outbound with an AI BDR

Meet Ava—your AI BDR who handles prospecting, outreach, and follow-ups, so your team can focus on closing.

Book a Demo

6. Sponsor Local Business Events and Trade Shows

Most of the techniques we’ve covered are online. But one of the best ways to find new local businesses is to attend local business events and trade shows. 

For example, an elevator vendor in NYC might have a booth at RealFocus, an event for property management industry professionals, to meet potential customers and collect their contact info. 

When you attend an event as a sponsor, speaker, or exhibitor, most organizers provide you with a list of attendees. Outbound sales teams can use this list to prepare for the event, identifying target accounts and doing some preliminary research on them. 

When it comes to the actual event, here are some tips to stay organized and capture lead information you’ll use later in your follow-up:

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  Create an event-specific folder or list in your CRM where you save each contact record.  

  
  
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  Use a mobile CRM app to input the name, company name, and contact info of promising leads. 

  
  
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  Take notes on your conversations with leads, highlighting any pain points or challenges they mention, as well as any specific products or services they are interested in. 

  
  
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  Take photos of business cards so you can transfer the info into your CRM after the event, allowing you to use this time to meet potential buyers.

  
  

A day after the event, follow up with the leads over email using this structure:

1. 

   Say how great it was to meet them. 

   
   
2. 

   Mention a detail from your conversation.

   
   
3. 

   Describe and attach a free resource related to a pain point or interest they spoke about. 

   
   
4. 

   Suggest a next step, such as a free demo or a call to explore how you can help them achieve their goals. 

   
   

Here’s an example of an email that uses this structure:

7. Use Local Classifieds and Online Marketplaces

Platforms like Craigslist, Facebook Marketplace, and local community boards often contain insights into local businesses, especially small or independent ones that fly under the radar. They also come with search filters that make it easy to geo-target your search. 

Here’s how to use local classifieds and marketplaces to find local businesses:

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  Look for sellers that post regularly on the platform. This, along with professional branding, suggests they’re a small business rather than a one-off seller trying to get rid of his car with water damage. 

  
  
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  Search the service categories to find providers. This is a good way to find local consultants, contractors, and gig workers in your area who might need your solution. For example, here are some of the services you can find on Craigslist for the New York area.

  
  

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  Watch out for business equipment sales of machinery, inventory, or hardware, as this could indicate a business is going through a transition and in need of your help. Plus, these posts will often list the business owner’s contact information. 

  
  

These certainly aren’t the most scalable strategies for building local lead lists. But if you’re creative with these platforms, they can be great tools for spotting small business owners and solopreneurs in your area that the other techniques might’ve missed.  

8. Partner with Local Media Outlets

Local media outlets like newspapers, radio stations, and community newsletters represent an underrated method for acquiring local business data. These outlets often have a list of their advertisers, sponsors, and business partners—which can be a goldmine of local lead data. 

Here are the three best ways to acquire business lists from media outlets:

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  Media partnership proposals: Offer mutually beneficial arrangements like content promotion opportunities or collaborations in return for their business lists. 

  
  
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  List purchasing: Some outlets sell their advertising lists. To acquire one, reach out to their sales or advertising team. Focus on buying lists from outlets with readerships your ideal businesses would want to target. If you were focused on landscaping companies, you might buy a list from a lawncare magazine. 

  
  
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  Event sponsorship: Consider helping the outlet host one of their local networking events or trade shows by supplying either funds, labor, or supplies. In return, you’ll likely receive direct access to attendee lists. 

  
  

It’s worth mentioning that advertiser and sponsor lists are especially useful for cold outreach. They contain businesses that are willing to spend money on ads, which means they’re intent on growing and have a budget for it. In other words, they’re high-quality leads who’ll buy solutions (including yours) that help them. 

How to Use Artisan’s Local Data Tool to Find Businesses in Your Area

Artisan is a cold outreach platform that comes with a data tool that generates targeted lists of local leads, all of which fit your ideal customer profile. 

It’s built around an AI BDR called Ava. Once she has compiled a list of prospects, she reaches out to decision-makers over email and LinkedIn, using up-to-date data to personalize the messaging.

Here how to use Artisan to find a list of local businesses: 

1. Start by launching a Standard campaign and choosing to build a target audience from scratch.

2. Pick Local Data from the Select a Lead Source dropdown and set your criteria (Business Type, Location, Ratings, etc.). Artisan will surface verified companies that meet your filters. You’ll see a live preview of each business on the right.

3. Enter details about your offer. Artisan uses this info to auto-generate personalized messages tailored to each contact.

4. Adjust outreach settings, like your message sign-off and tone, as needed.

5. Check your workflow, adding additional emails or LinkedIn messages based on your preferences. 

6. Verify campaign settings, hit Activate Campaign, and sit back and let AI BDR Ava do the rest. 

Just like that, you’ve generated a lead list full of accurate contact information you can use to power and automate your cold outreach. 

Simplify Your Search for Local Businesses

Fully manual lead list building is fast becoming a thing of the past. It simply consumes too much time and too many employee resources compared to an automated approach. 

Today, the most efficient sales teams use AI sales software like Artisan to build large, targeted, accurate local lead lists in minutes—not weeks. 

This frees your sales reps up to spend their time speaking with high-quality local leads, rather than sourcing them.  

Automate your outbound with an AI BDR

Meet Ava—your AI BDR who handles prospecting, outreach, and follow-ups, so your team can focus on closing.

Book a Demo