Attracting and retaining customers close to you is vital if you operate within a certain area; more generalised strategies may not necessarily apply. In this article, we’ll be looking at ways in which local businesses specifically can boost their local marketing through some essential tips and tricks.
Local SEO basics
The very definition of the world wide web involves its global reach – but what if you only offer your goods and services to local people? Say you’re a tradesperson, or a cafe? This is where local SEO comes into its own, providing searchers with results relevant to the area they work within, but also information such as opening times, address, and reviews that previous customers have left, all easily viewable. Local SEO helps you be found by the people looking for exactly what you do in the area you do it in.
Local SEO calls for a few key activities to bump you up to prime position. These include:
- Google My Business (GMB) optimisation
- NAP consistency (Name, Address, Phone number)
- Local keyword research
Optimising your Google My Business (GMB) profile
Let’s start with the most important basics: setting your GMB profile up for success. A Google Business Profile will show up for a local search, and you’ll see the address, contact details, and openings hours at a glance. From there, users can land on your website, give you a call, or browse reviews.
Optimising GMB is something of a quick and easy win, and should see you:
- ‘Claiming’ or setting up your business
- Verifying your business with Google
- Populating your profile
- Updating your business hours
- Describing your business
- Encouraging reviews from customers
- Adding some images
It’s essential to include accurate and detailed business information, as well as encouraging and managing customer reviews (Google will take note of how you respond). You can also use GMB as a kind of social media platform, updating and engaging with local customers as appropriate.
Local content marketing
Locally relevant content will embed you into the local business landscape, creating opportunities for you to engage with customers in and around the area you operate within. This content, which could take the form of blog posts, social media posts, and videos, could cover local news and events, customer stories and testimonials, or local guides and “best of” lists.
Leveraging social media for local engagement
Social media can reach anyone in the world, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be part of your local marketing strategy – you just need to give it some thought. For example, you may find that Facebook and Instagram are better than the likes of TikTok for your local content, which could include locally relevant content such as:
- Local events and community involvement
- Local partnerships and collaborations
- Location-based promotions and contests
Take the time to engage with local followers and respond to their comments and messages.
Local partnerships and networking
Getting noticed locally is partly about who you know – there’s no getting around that. There are so many ways of partnering with local businesses, such as co-hosting events or workshops, cross-promotions and referral programs, and featuring each other in content and promotions. This is a particularly good strategy if you’re new on the scene; you can utilise their already established following whilst building your own.
Local advertising
The old ways are sometimes the best, and local advertising has long been a way to get people in your area to be aware of your business. Local newspapers and magazines are one way to go, as is radio advertising (on your local station) and featuring on community websites and blogs.
You could also take your advertising strategy onto social media, using their advertising capabilities to create social media ads targeting local audiences, as well as reaching out to local influencers to work on sponsored posts.
Community involvement and sponsorships
Embedding yourself in your local community can do wonders for bolstering your business’ reputation, so whilst they may not be direct advertising strategies, becoming involved in your community builds goodwill and attracts local customers.
Community involvement could look like:
- Sponsoring local events or sports teams
- Participating in community fairs and markets
- Donating to local charities and causes
To conclude
Boosting your visibility and engagement locally is something of a long game, but one that you can set yourself up well for by focusing your efforts on both online and real-life strategies, always ensuring you’re providing value to local people. As with any marketing, ensure that you track the performance of local marketing using tools such as Google Analytics, and the insights social media platforms are able to provide, in order to make data-driven adjustments and improve your local marketing efforts further.
