As business owners and marketers, we frequently succumb to the idea that bigger is better. “We’d obtain greater results if we merely did more, bought more, or increased our budget,” we reason. What if that’s not the case, though? Imagine if it were the complete reverse.
In 2022, many smart brands and marketers understand that size doesn’t necessarily matter. They are discovering that one of the best strategies for creating a strong brand is to set modest goals. We’re discussing localizing your marketing approach.
The Influence of Local Marketing
Local marketing can seem to be something that startups or tiny, specialized firms do when they lack the funding to start a full-fledged marketing campaign. Don’t, however, rush to judgment. There’s a reason why some of the most popular brands in the world are concentrating more on local marketing. Listed below are a few of the instant benefits:
- Purchase practices. Did you know that, on average, typical purchases take 93 percent of consumers 20 minutes or less? Despite the continued popularity of Amazon.com and other eCommerce sites, the majority of people still purchase the majority of their daily essentials from small local shops. Consequently, it makes sense to have a local marketing presence.
- Searches are done nearby. 33 percent of online shoppers use the internet every day to hunt for nearby companies. Another 16% of folks do it multiple times each week. In other words, almost 50% of internet users are actively seeking nearby businesses.
- Recommendations from trustworthy sources. Here is something to consider: 83 percent of consumers are more inclined to purchase a good or service after hearing about it from friends or family members or through word-of-mouth recommendations. Having a local marketing presence is crucial because most friends and family members reside in the same local market as the consumer.
- Engagement. Local Facebook sites account for 72% of brand engagement if you look at Facebook pages. This includes comments, private messages, and shares on social media (which are all high-value engagement activities). Wider audiences and non-local pages frequently receive low-value interactions like likes and views.
You can understand the value of local marketing when you sum together all of these benefits (particularly when you stack it up against your existing marketing strategy that attempts to reach a broader market).
5 Local Marketing Techniques and Strategies
If you want to be successful, there are various things you can do to enhance the outcomes of your local marketing. Let’s examine some of these tactics:
1. Decide on a Particular Market
Successful local marketing is built on a clearly defined target market. Or, to put it another way, you need to be aware of your target market.
It is insufficient to focus on a single local market, such as Nashville, Tennessee. You must identify your ideal target market inside this market. As you develop your target consumer profiles, take into account elements like age range, interests, jobs, political and religious affiliations, desires, frustrations, and more.
Your local marketing campaigns will be more successful if you have a more focused target market. Spend considerable time developing these elements up front.
2. Spend money on regional SEO
Once you’ve established your market, it’s time to concentrate on local search engine optimization (SEO). It makes sense to engage in local SEO given that almost half of all online users use Google and other search engines to find local companies. The primary elements are as follows:
- SEO techniques. While everyone wants to go right into content and keywords, the reality is that your local SEO plan will stall without a strong technical SEO foundation. In order to achieve this, your website must be correctly configured to optimize elements like tags, titles, page structures, URLs, site speed, security, and usability.
- Local key phrases The use of keywords is crucial to SEO. If you want individuals who are in your target demographic to see your sites, advertisements, and content, you must give the proper local keywords top priority. To conduct keyword research, you can make use of a number of resources, including these eight.
- Content. Although keywords may be used in many different ways, including PPC ads, they work best when they are part of your content strategy. In actuality, content serves as the gasoline for the entire local SEO engine. Google employs blog posts and website pages to promote your website.
- Backlinks. Google and other search engines view backlinks as trust signals. They can know that your material is valuable when they see lots of backlinks referring to pages on your website from reputable websites. Link building is therefore an essential part of a proactive.
Your brand’s online presence is immediately increased when you invest in local SEO. In other words, you are more likely to be found when consumers search for keywords associated with your goods, services, or market.
3. Take use of services that are location-based
You can utilize location-based services to improve your exposure and even drive foot traffic if you have a real storefront or structure.
Popular location-based services include Facebook Places, Foursquare, and Google Places. You can connect with locals through these services, which are free to use.
4. Work with nearby small companies in collaboration
One of the quickest methods to develop a presence in a local market is to make use of the contacts, assets, and connections that other well-established companies already have. Partnerships can be formed to achieve this (whether official or unofficial).
There are numerous sizes and shapes that partnerships can take. The ultimate objective is to help other companies. Other firms will be willing to help you out by giving them value in return.
The value of corporate alliances was well illustrated during the pandemic shutdowns of 2020 and 2021. Businesses that have solid alliances with other companies were able to pool resources and use them to their advantage to survive. Those that operated their companies out of their own private islands had a far higher chance of failing.
5. Take Part in Local Events
Meeting and interacting with customers in person is the best approach to establishing a connection with them. What more effective way to interact with people than at a local event?
You can network and meet new people by going to local events. This tactic performs admirably when your team includes outgoing individuals. Here are some suggestions for regional event promotion:
- You may sponsor neighborhood events. Are there any forthcoming community events that you could sponsor to promote your business? This not only helps you increase brand recognition in your neighborhood but also fosters goodwill between your business and the event’s organizers. (Also, it gives you the chance to network with the other event sponsors.)
- Rent a booth at a nearby event. It can be advantageous to sponsor an event and reserve a booth at a neighborhood gathering (like a tradeshow, outdoor market, or festival). This gives you the chance to network, promote your company, and perhaps even close some deals.
- Take part in charitable activities. Every neighborhood market hosts non-profit events and activities to support a particular cause, organization or group of people. You might be able to provide some of your goods or services, volunteer, or sponsor the event.
These are but a few ideas. Bring your group together and generate some fresh concepts. Each market is unique, and your city might provide some special options.
Local marketing can aid in business expansion
Local marketing is not a quick-money technique that works right away. It necessitates persistence, foresight, and time. You will, however, be rewarded with more penetration, awareness, and, eventually, a larger return on your marketing investments if you give it a few months.
The only issue is your willingness to put forth the work.
Learn more from Marketing and read 10 SEO and Digital Marketing Tips to Help You Get More Website Traffic.
