Promote Your Business Locally
Building a business from the ground up requires a lot of hard work, dedication and a solid marketing strategy. Before a business achieves a big success, it will first have to dominate its local market. It is important for a business to be known to its local area for it to be successful in the first few years of operation. Here are a few steps on how a business can be promoted locally.
- Set up your online business directory
Many people would use Google to search for a product or service before actually visiting a physical store to make a purchase. For this reason, it is important for a business to show up on the organic search result of any search engine. Google My Business is a free tool by Google where businesses can manage their online information such as their address, contact number, opening hours and website link to make it easier for customers to find them. It also puts the business on Google Maps. This helps the business expand their presence while connecting with the online community. Moreover, when the locals search a product or service offered by the business, Google will suggest the business as one of the results. Additionally, it allows for customer reviews.
- Start a blog
Blogs are a great way to boost a website’s SEO and attract the right audience which can then be converted into customers. Through blogging and creating interesting content, it helps your website rank higher on the organic search results. To help create blogs that could increase brand awareness, HubSpot has a marketing tool that generates SEO suggestions. Furthermore, it is important to cater to the local audience when writing blogs (i.e. an indoor surfing business can write about “things to do in Perth”). It is also important to link related articles to the blog posts, a contact link and a call to action to encourage visitors to make a purchase. The goal is to have the blogs appear on search results which will then lead viewers to the business’ website.
- Post visually appealing and interesting content on social media
Social media is the hype nowadays and is a great way to advertise a business. Although social media platforms are mostly used because of its reach, it is also a great tool to use for advertising products and services in the local area of the business. Social media and search engines go hand in hand; therefore, it is important to have good quality content on the business’ page on every social media platform that must link back to the website. Since the local area is being targeted, it is essential to use the right hashtag and location tag that is relevant to the area in order to attract local audience. Social media also allows for creativity and self-expression so businesses can upload images and captions that convey the message of their brand. Moreover, it allows brands to partner with online influencers to further promote their products and run online contests to increase following.
- Grow your email list and offer a loyalty program to your customers
Having a database of customer information helps a lot in sending out marketing e-mails that is relevant to the customers’ wants and needs without overwhelming them with other unnecessary information. Moreover, with an email list, businesses can start a customer loyalty program to build customer retention. Loyalty programs should be creative enough for customers to be encouraged to sigh up and connect with the brand and must also deliver value to customers. Incentives are a great way to entice customers to make more purchases to gain points and receive rewards. After all, who doesn’t like free stuff, right?
- Use traditional methods of advertising in your local area
Traditional advertising such as print advertising and outdoor advertising are still very effective forms of advertising. Print media advertisements on local press and direct mail can raise brand awareness and effectively promote a business. A cost-effective way of advertising a business to the local area is through investing in car wrap advertising. Marketing On Wheels is an organisation that helps businesses promote their products and services by contracting everyday drivers to install vinyl graphics that showcase the brand on their private vehicle to act as a mobile billboard. This effectively reaches audience in the local community and is cheaper compared to other advertising media. If you have a business you would like to advertise locally, contact us to find out more about dynamic advertising solutions.
Sources:
https://www.google.com/intl/en_au/business/
https://www.hubspot.com/products/marketing
https://alltopstartups.com/2016/02/22/ways-to-promote-a-small-business-locally/
