Local Marketing, which is also known as local store marketing or neighborhood marketing, is a kind of marketing strategy that only targets the community around your business rather than the general market.
Its execution entails local businesses directly reaching out to customers through word of mouth, mail, during town events or through advertisement in the local town paper. Another way is through sponsorship of some local programs in the community like the local football club or the local rehabilitation center.
Businesses that exercise this kind of marketing hope to attract new customers and promote repeat business. If successful, this marketing technique helps a business to create a significant presence in the minds of locals which in turn boosts its sales and returns.
Importance of Local Marketing
This kind of marketing is important as it does not only create awareness to the community of your business but also promotes and boosts your sales. Since it can be practiced offline and even online it ensures that your business is known with the chosen radius (usually 50 miles)
Online the technique strongly uses the SEO techniques to promote visibility on local search results on search platforms, location pages, and online maps by locals.
This marketing technique also maximizes your flow of local clientele rather than general marketing. General marketing can be a total waste of time especially if you market to a large audience who might never set foot in your business.
Some Tips and Tricks for the Effective Use of Local Marketing Campaigns
Involve yourself with Community Engagements
If your business is to make a name that is common to the locals you will have to ensure its presence in most community engagements is felt and noticed. It can be through sponsoring community events like festivals or contests. You can involve your business in sponsoring the local football club or drama festivals and high school festivals etc.
At times, simple acts like volunteering time to support local charitable causes can go a long way in archiving this objective. It will give you a chance to meet many people and help you in building and marketing your brand within the community.
Create Visibility with “My Business Listings”
According to this study, most small businesses are yet to claim the “my business listing” feature on Google. What owners of these businesses do not know is that they are ignoring an excellent marketing opportunity.
This feature allows you to create a profile for your business. On that profile, you will be able to include all the relevant details about your business. From the name, functional phone number, local address including area zip code, simple and elaborate directions, and live pin, normal operating hours, and you can link your profile to your official website.
You can even add catchy images of your business to allow potential customers to go through and have an idea of what to expect when they visit. This feature gives your business free visibility in the world’s most popular and frequently visited search engine. Other places to list your business on are; Google My Business, Bing Places, and Apple Maps
Make Use of Local SEO
Smart business people know how to leverage already existing systems to their advantage. You can use the web to boost foot traffic for your business. Chances are that within your locality potential clients are searching on their electronic devices for products or services that you provide. This technique seeks to maximize your visibility in those search engines.
Local search engine optimization (Local SEO) ensures the optimum appearance of your business on local search results, prominently ensuring that your business is visible in most search results. This will require you to use SEO rankings. It will require you to identify keywords that consumers frequently use while searching for businesses such as yours.
In case this is difficult for you to do by yourself, you can hire a search professional from your locality. You also can consult with local agencies that specialize in SEO. These will not only provide SEO services but also they will give you professional advice about the same.
Create a Local Network
Partnering with local businesses is an excellent marketing strategy and an effective way of expanding your network. Ensure however that the relationship is complementary and not competitive.
By joining the local business associations or chambers of commerce within your locality, you will connect to your peers and also create room for B2B relationships.
Conclusion
Every business has a locality. Meaning every business can rely on this technique to create and build up a clientele. If implemented well, this strategy can immensely build an impact on your business.
