It’s crucial for local businesses to embrace modern marketing strategies if they want to survive and thrive in today’s competitive market. In fact, statistics show that only 35% of small businesses make it past the 10-year mark, indicating the importance of staying ahead of the competition.
To achieve this, businesses need to analyse the latest marketing trends and understand consumer buying behaviour to create personalized experiences for their customers. Social media marketing, video marketing, influencer marketing are some of the latest trends that businesses should incorporate into their marketing strategies, no matter if you are local or national.
Local businesses should also focus on getting more money from their existing customers by offering loyalty programs, upselling, and providing excellent customer service. Research shows that it costs five times more to attract a new customer than to retain an existing one. Thus, it’s crucial to focus on creating a loyal customer base.
Therefore, here are our 8 options for how to promote your business locally:
1. Google My Business
An easy to start option for how to promote your business locally [Free]
Well, Google is usually the first place where potential customers search for a business. In online marketing, ad placement plays a significant role in a successful advertising campaign.
To that end, Google My Business can be a useful platform to create a business profile and listing that appears in Google Search or Google Maps. When someone searches for a particular service, such as “hair salons near me,” Google displays a local list of salon locations, and your listing can be included too.
By claiming or setting up your listing on Google My Business, your business information, including your contact details (phone number, website, address), and business hours, will be visible in Google’s search results.
Moreover, Google My Business provides helpful analytics, such as the number of times your listing has been viewed and appeared in searches. Additionally, the platform is an excellent way to obtain reviews, which are free advertising and often a crucial factor that influences new customers to choose your business.
Also, in the latest years, Google is making more and more changes and brings more weight to GMB profiles when comes to helping users to find local service businesses. These days, everyone is using the reviews within Google My Business for their research when comes to picking between to similar companies.
2. Word of mouth and networking
A powerful option for how to promote your business locally [Low-cost]
Building a strong presence in your local community is essential for the success of your small business. One effective way to do this is by joining local professional groups, such as the Chamber of Commerce, and taking an active role in the organization. In fact, businesses that are members of a Chamber of Commerce have been found to have a 49% increase in consumer favourability.
However, the most critical factor in building word-of-mouth advertising is providing exceptional customer service. Research shows that 70% of buying experiences are based on how customers feel they are being treated.
In contrast, a single negative experience can turn away potential customers, with 80% of consumers saying they would stop doing business with a company if they had a poor customer service experience.
Building a strong presence in your local community through active participation in local professional groups and offering exceptional customer service are crucial for the success of your small business. With the right approach, you can build a loyal customer base and establish a positive local reputation that will lead to long-term success.
3. Local listings, local search, and business directories
Not only good for promoting your local business, but potential useful for SEO [Free]
Digital advertising has revolutionized the way businesses market themselves to potential customers. With the rise of platforms like Yelp, Yellow Pages, businesses have new opportunities to connect with local audiences and promote their products or services.
Particular to the UK, there are a number of online directories available for businesses to list their services and products. Some of the most popular directories include Yell, Thomson Local, and Scoot.
Yell, in particular, is one of the largest directories in the UK, with over 2.4 million business listings. The platform provides businesses with a range of digital marketing tools, including search engine optimization, pay-per-click advertising, and reputation management.
Overall, these online directories provide UK businesses with an easy way to increase their online visibility, attract new customers, and grow their business. It’s important for businesses to choose the directory that best fits their niche and industry, as well as their budget and marketing goals. Is like a library or a book shelf, putting the titles by their genre and topic.
4. Optimise for local queries (SEO)
First way to go to improve your local online presence [Low-cost]
SEO done right and strategic, following the best practices, will improve the chances for your website (business) to be located and shown to relevant customers. To promote your business locally, you should be focusing on local SEO also, which entails optimizing your website for location-specific terms in your area.
This includes incorporating the name of your city and nearby cities into your content to enhance your chances of being discovered by local customers. Also, correlating your website content with your Google My Business profile and have an uniform approach for your credentials, message and offer will boost your local presence.
Entrepreneur suggests that starting with Google is a good idea because this search engine places great importance on local searches. When you perform a search that includes a location name, you will notice that Google returns a box at the top featuring three business names and their locations on Google maps.
Followed by businesses pages relevant to your query and location. Your objective should be to appear in this box to increase your visibility to local customers. Achieving this goal can be challenging and can back fire if is not done in alignment with Google guidelines.
You can improve your chances by focusing on local SEO optimisation for meta descriptions, title tags, headers, page names, and specific local content, all of which should include location names.
Additionally, linking to other local businesses and having them link back to you can be beneficial. Studies have shown that 46% of all Google searches are local, and 72% of consumers who conduct a local search visit a store within five miles. Therefore, optimizing for local searches can significantly boost your chances of attracting local customers to your business.
5. Place an ad/article on your local magazine or newspaper
Easiest way to use paid advertising in favour [Variable cost]
To connect with people in your local area, you can choose to advertise in your local newspaper or magazine. While paying for ad space is an option, you may have better results by securing a feature article about your business from a reporter.
To pitch a story idea to the reporter, you must come up with an attention-grabbing concept that will captivate readers. Some compelling ideas could be organizing an exclusive contest that garners widespread attention or celebrating your business’s 25th anniversary.
6. Partner with local businesses and influencers
A collaborative approach can be really rewarding [Variable cost]
Research shows that having a large following is not necessary to be an effective influencer. Micro-influencers, who have a smaller but more engaged following, can generate better conversion rates for businesses.
To capitalize on this, businesses should seek out local micro-influencers who are well-known in their community or industry and build partnerships with them. As micro-influencers may not expect payment, businesses can offer them free products or experiences to keep costs low.
Collaborating with micro-influencers not only helps promote the brand to their followers but also generates high-quality media for future marketing. This approach strengthens the business’s connection to the community and enhances the brand’s perception among potential customers.
Also, reaching to complementary businesses to your niche can be a good tactic or reach to a marketing agency, a local magazine and put a referral scheme in place with them. You could each offer discounts for referrals. For example, if you recommend a customer to the advertising company, the marketing consultant would then give that customer 10% off services.
7. Supporting local organizations
Giving back to your community is rewarding in many ways [Low-cost]
Contributing to the community through volunteer work and donations is an excellent way to benefit your business while doing something positive for the community. While making donations is a great option, it’s recommended to try to volunteer whenever possible.
To maximize your impact, it’s advisable to focus on one main cause that aligns with your values and mission. This enables you to concentrate all your efforts and make the most significant positive impact possible.
Aside from monetary contributions, you can get involved in clean-up or beautification projects and similar events that bring people together for a good cause. Even if you have a primary cause you support, you can still participate in multiple events or contribute in some other way.
8. Use social media to promote local
Acknowledging each platform (dis)advantages can be the difference [Free*]
LinkedIn – To expand your network and connect with other business owners, it’s crucial to have a presence on LinkedIn. To begin, create a personal profile and highlight your expertise to optimize your visibility. Once this is done, you can create a LinkedIn Page for your business.
Your LinkedIn Page should include your website and a brief description of your company, but you have the flexibility to add more information and customize it to your liking. It’s recommended to use images and update the page frequently to make the most of it. Additionally, connecting with other businesses in your local area can enhance your reach and visibility on the platform.
Facebook/Instagram – Is a significant player in local business marketing, as it can lend your business more credibility among customers. Creating a Facebook page for your business is key, as it allows you to promote your business using a range of tools.
One effective strategy is utilizing targeted local ads, which can be customized to suit your specific needs and budget. By doing so, you can advertise to local individuals who are active on Facebook and are more likely to take an interest in your business. Interestingly, Instagram can be connected your Facebook page and you can use both platform simultaneous.
Youtube – Video marketing is a crucial element of any social media marketing strategy, and YouTube is an ideal platform to leverage. By creating videos that demonstrate your product or service, you can effectively showcase your brand identity to a vast audience.
One noteworthy statistic is that YouTube has over 2 billion active monthly users, making it the second-largest search engine in the world after Google. This offers businesses a massive audience to connect with and expand their reach. With the right approach, YouTube can be an effective tool for building brand awareness and engaging with customers.
In conclusion, local business marketing is a vital aspect of promoting and growing your business. By utilizing various platforms such as Google, Facebook, LinkedIn, and YouTube, you can create a strong online presence and connect with potential customers in your local area.
By focusing on local SEO, partnering with micro-influencers, local companies and entities, giving back to your community, and utilizing video marketing, you can establish your brand identity, build credibility, and expand your reach to increase sales and grow your business.
With the right strategies, tools and guidance, local business marketing can help you achieve your goals and succeed in today’s competitive market. If you have any struggles or have questions please feel free to contact us. We are more than happy to assist you and to give our advice.
