What is Local business marketing?
Local business marketing refers to the marketing strategies that a business uses in-person and online to get its brand and products/services in front of local target audience members. It also includes being able to engage new and potential customers within a specified location with the intent of turning them into loyal customers.
Local marketing is most used by businesses that may have physical storefronts or service small businesses or individuals. With so many kinds of marketing strategies that your business can use, we’ll explain why local marketing should be one of them in this guide!
14 Local Marketing Strategies and Ideas You Need to Try
As a small business, it may be hard to come up with local marketing strategies that will lead to success and that will convert leads into long-term customers. However, with this guide, we will provide you and your small business with 14 local marketing tips.
1. Optimize your Google Business profile.
Google Business is an essential tool for small businesses like yours looking to succeed. Google Business is a resource that many business owners use in order to manage their online profiles. This resource is a free tool created by Google that allows small businesses to manage their online presence and to show up on search engines like Google Search and Google Maps. With a Google Business profile, your business can create and maintain a detailed business profile that includes important information such as your name, address, phone number, business hours, website, and a description of your products or services.
Another benefit to utilizing Google Business is that it allows you to interact with your customers by responding to any reviews, posting updates, and sharing important announcements. These kinds of interactions contribute to building trust and engagement with your customer base. This resource is a powerful platform for increasing your visibility and attracting local customers to your small business.
2. Engage in community activities.
Building a strong presence in your community is an amazing way to enhance your local marketing efforts! In order to do this effectively, you should consider participating in local events, fairs, or even charity events to increase your reputation in your community. You can also partner up with other small businesses for joint marketing efforts. Hosting workshops or even seminars not only establishes your presence and dominance as a small business but it can also bring potential customers to you!
In your local marketing journey try to show your commitment to your community by supporting local causes or charities, which can boost your reputation and convert leads to long-term customers.
3. Craft localized content.
Creating content that is tailored to your local audience is a great way to connect with potential customers. In order for your localized content to actually work you should begin with writing location-specific blog posts or articles that address topics, news, or events in your local community.
You should try to include local keywords in your website so you can improve your search engine rankings for local searches. Show reviews and stories from local customers to prove your brand’s trust!
4. Implement loyalty programs.
Loyalty programs are a great way to increase your customer base and to better improve your marketing efforts! These programs vary from each type of business, but may include a points system or even rewarding customers for repeat purchases. Loyalty programs help keep your customers and can even attract new leads to your business.
Loyalty programs come in many forms, but when done right, you can increase customer engagements and build loyalty within your customer base. Sometimes loyalty programs can sway customers who need more convincing to choose your product or services.
5. List in local directories.
A great way to enhance your local marketing strategy is by putting your business info in local directories. A local directory is basically an online platform or service that collects and displays business listings, often categorized by location and industry.
By listing your business in these local directories, you make sure that potential customers can easily find you when they try to search for products or services in your industry. It’s a simple but very effective way to boost your online presence and attract customers. Make sure to keep your directory listings up to date to keep accuracy and reliability for your potential customers.
6. Encourage customer reviews.
Customer reviews play an important role in shaping your online reputation and bringing in potential customers. Encouraging and managing customer reviews should be a very significant part of your local marketing journey.
As a small business owner, you should engage with your customers, respond to their reviews, and ask for feedback to show your commitment to providing amazing service.
7. Distribute flyers and postcards.
More traditional marketing efforts like distributing flyers and postcards can still be highly effective in reaching a local audience. By distributing these kinds of marketing materials, you can engage potential customers in your local community and provide them with a physical reminder of your business and what you offer.
8. Optimize your website to attract leads.
Your website is an important component of your online presence. Try to optimize it to attract leads by ensuring it is user-friendly, informative, and has clear calls to action so customers are more persuaded to use your services or products. Make your website a conversation starter and consider adding a web chat feature, such as Podium’s Webchat to provide real-time customer support!
With tools like these, you can increase customer interaction and make sure potential leads feel like their needs are being met.
9. Create SMS campaigns.
SMS campaigns are an excellent way to target your local audience directly and engage with them. Sending relevant text messages can drive revenue and build customer loyalty. Use tools like Podium’s ready-to-use texting templates to improve your SMS campaign efforts!
10. Encourage customer retention.
Customer retention is just as important as attracting new customers. As a small business owner, it is important to keep your current client base satisfied with your products and services. To keep your customers satisfied try implementing strategies to keep your existing customers coming back.
By offering loyalty programs, discounts, and great customer service you can significantly contribute to customer retention.
11. Sponsor local events.
Sponsoring local events is a fantastic way to increase your brand visibility within your community! It demonstrates your commitment to the local area and offers opportunities for direct interaction with potential customers.
By sponsoring local events your credibility and reputation also increase within your community, establishing your business as a trusted brand, and creating a positive image for both you and your small business.
12. Engage on social media.
Actively engaging on social media platforms with current and potential customers is essential for local marketing. Regularly post updates, engage with comments, and utilize social media advertising to reach a wider local audience.
By maintaining social media pages like Facebook, Instagram, or even Twitter, you can control your online reputation and make your business easily accessible to customers.
13. Create local landing pages.
Local landing pages on your website can cater to specific areas or locations, making it easier for customers to find the information most relevant to them. A landing page is the first page potential customers land on when visiting your site.
You should include general information about your small business that is easily accessible, such as business operation hours and the services or products you offer. This not only enhances the user experience but can also improve your local search rankings.
14. Partner with other local companies.
Collaborating with other small businesses can open up new marketing opportunities for your brand. Cross-promotions and partnerships can help you tap into each other’s customer bases and build a stronger presence in the community.
By incorporating these strategies and tips into your local marketing strategy you can propel your small business to new heights within your community and potentially into new markets, leading to long-term growth and success for your small business!
Growth
According to Morris, Pitt and Honeycutt (2001), the growth of business marketing is largely due to three “revolutions”.
- Technological revolution. Technology is changing at an unprecedented pace, and these changes are speeding up the pace of new product and service development. A large part of that has to do with the Internet, which is discussed in more detail below. Technology and business strategy go hand in hand. Both are correlated. While technology supports forming organization strategy, the business strategy is also helpful in technology development. Both play a role in business marketing.
- Entrepreneurial revolution. To stay competitive, many companies have downsized and reinvented themselves. Adaptability, flexibility, speed, aggressiveness and innovativeness are the keys to remaining competitive today. Marketing is taking the entrepreneurial lead by finding market segments, untapped needs and new uses for existing products, and by creating new processes for sales, distribution and customer service.
- (Occurring within marketing itself) Companies are looking beyond traditional assumptions and they are adopting new frameworks, theories, models and concepts. They are also moving away from the mass market and the preoccupation with the transaction. Relationships, partnerships and alliances are what define marketing today. The cookie-cutter approach is out. Companies are customizing marketing programs to individual accounts.
