Ways to Improve Your Local Marketing Strategy

It’s easy to overshoot with online marketing, many businesses can dramatically increase their revenue by focusing on their local marketing strategy.

Local Marketing Strategy

Photo by Erik Mclean on Unsplash

The rapid evolution of the Internet has provided us with marketing tools on a global level.  But trying to ʽconquer the worldʼ, many businesses can’t see the potential right in front of their noses – their local markets.

 

Many businesses, especially small ones, depend on word-of-mouth recommendations. This clearly shows how important it is to target customers living in your company’s area. That is precisely what a local marketing strategy exists for, and we’re about to show you how to make it shine.

Get to Know Them

The first step in improving your local marketing strategy lies in knowing your audience. That means you need to start with demographics, finding out your ideal customers’ age group, gender, occupation, income level, etc.  When you pinpoint that, it’s time to dig deeper into their interests, needs, and wants. This is what you’ll build your marketing campaign around and it will also help you identify keywords.

 

But you shouldn’t stop there. Research the types of events happening in the community, what issues are they facing. The best advertisement is the one that offers precise solutions to their problems.

Beyond Conversations

Now that you know your local audience, it’s time to engage them. Locate which social platform they use the most and start communicating. There are numerous local groups out there with shared interests, and you can boost your local marketing reach by simply becoming a member. Social media platforms are an excellent hub to be professional and show the human side of your business at the same time.

 

Of course, you should slowly move beyond conversations.  Be there for them, answer their questions, but also show them that their opinion matters. You’ll accomplish this not only by gathering and posting every positive feedback you get but also by encouraging satisfied customers to write and share their reviews.

 

And remember that appreciation shouldn’t come only in the form of posts, comments, and shares.  Even if the majority of your local target customers are online, they all still live in the offline world. In these times when our mailboxes have never been emptier, the power of a handwritten thank-you card has never been greater.

Mingle

You got to know them, but how well do they know you?

Communication is just one part of it – you also need to be visible. And for that, you need to mingle through all layers of the community.  Local directories such as Angie’s List, Whitepages, Yelp, etc. are a great way to start –  open a profile where you’ll include the name of your business, address, phone number, working hours, directions, and link to your website – it’s practically free visibility.

 

The next step should be local radio and TV stations, and newspapers.  Don’t underestimate their power, especially if you’re located in a smaller area – that’s where a large portion of your future foot traffic lies.

 

Again, don’t neglect the real world and show the face of your business out in the streets. Search for your community’s local events and participate in many as you can. When there’s some competition, be the one that will donate some prizes. If there’s an opportunity to volunteer, show up in a shirt with your business logo.  Even the mere attendance of events will get your name there and eventually make locals like your brand.

 

You can additionally boost exposure through cross-promotion, teaming with other non-competitive local businesses. Introducing each other to each other’s clientele leads to immediate exposure to more clients which leads to more sales, while the effort is minimal.

Grab The Spotlight

Now that you’ve established your presence, it’s time to rise above the noise. You can start with  your own promotions and contests that will engage a wider audience, especially if you get creative with the prizes, providing ideal customers with things that completely match their interests. You can organize these as a way of celebrating local events, or you can even go a step further and sponsor or eventually host those very events. It is a perfect opportunity to inform your local community about your business while they’re having a good time, and that will do wonders for their loyalty.

 

Keep in mind that grabbing the spotlight is about reaching the ʽholy trinityʼ – love, loyalty, and respect. The easiest way to earn the last is to position yourself as an authority in your field by writing expert, professional, and engaging blog posts that will tackle the local issues and answer your customers’ questions. 

 

Many small businesses try to copy the marketing strategies of much bigger companies, so their local ones are often neglected. Following these tips, you’ll easily turn potential customers close to you into loyal customers, leaving a large portion of the competition behind.