Tips for Small Businesses For Local Marketing

A large percentage of potential customers search the internet to find out about nearby products and services. Companies that complement their offline business strategies with online marketing strategies can multiply their results since they are offering different channels to communicate to their target customers. Here are tips for small businesses for local marketing:

About local marketing

Local marketing is used by small businesses such as shops, restaurants, points of sale or franchises to promote themselves around their specific location.

Online Local Marketing gives you the ability to understand your customers’ behaviors and buying habits much more because you can know more about your customers than just seeing them enter your store or location. You can use online channels such as your website, mobile applications, social networks, local search and emails to attract local customers. The combination of these strategies can be very effective to influence your potential customers.

But local marketing is a long term process, it’s not just a quick campaign or an event that has a certain duration. If you take the right approach and you do it well,  then you can find your investment in local marketing helps to bring potential customers and deliver revenue.

When we think of local marketing we probably think of local paper or sandwich boards or flyers, the more traditional offline methods of marketing. But in the world of online marketing, you can also use strategies to do local marketing and to make your business known in your neighborhood. It’s about how you can get there, meet and interact with your audience as much as you can.

Here are some online channels normally used to target local audiences

Your website

Your website is a potential shop window, showcasing your products and services. Having an informative website that is constantly updated will be a great help for your target audience. People do not always call or come into your location, but they may like to browse a website in advance.

Mobile applications

Having a mobile application can also complement the online strategy of your company. Building an app for your local business, or building local content into your app makes a lot of sense for many businesses.

The trend for developing local mobile apps is growing in line with mobile use — you’ve got to have your local content found where people are going. Businesses are increasingly tapping into technology which allows them to cash in on mobile moments or simply to bring timely awareness of what they have to offer.

But one of the big challenges for creators of local apps is not just getting them found, but getting them found by the local audience they are targeted at. There is a lot of “noise” in the app space so yours is going to have to stand out and be very useful.

Social Media

People spend a lot of time on social networks, so it makes sense to be on the ones that your target customers are on regularly. Have you completed all your business information so that people can contact and find you easily locally?

The number of followers, “likes”, reviews, comments, re-tweets, and any other social action shows the interest of your audience in your products and in your company.

Make sure you are listening regularly – respond to comments, offer information of interest, share local news, these are all ways to show that you care about your local audience.

Local search

Does your website appear because of its location and in the local market it serves? There are keywords and descriptions that are used by those people who are looking for a company in a specific area. You should try to optimise your search position by working on these keywords.

When your online presence is developing, a very effective way to appear is through the local directories. Try including your website in directories based on geolocation.

Email marketing

Having your customers’ emails is a very effective strategy for local marketing. Ask people to opt in to receive e.g. discounts or advance notices of sales so they can buy things first, or even customer events that you may be running. Make sure the emails you send out are of value to your email list.

Elements to consider for local marketing:

Segmentation: This defines how a group of customers differs from another group of customers. It also refers to “who” will be addressed.

Medium: This determines “how” you will deliver your message. It shows the type of medium used to communicate with your audience such as a website, mobile applications, social networks, local search, emails, etc.

Message: This defines “what” is being communicated. These messages are directed to the local population, rather than to the mass market. Establish what you should say to your audience and how you should convey these messages to your audience to become a customer.

Measurement: This is essential for evaluating your marketing efforts: measuring results. The results will show if your strategy is working. Check if your strategy suits your business.

Conclusion

You can target users based on location through these channels, but make sure if you are paying for advertising that it is well-targeted. Always look for ways to narrow down your audience and target only the most likely users.

Source: business-achievers.com