Small businesses have a huge advantage over national (or global) brands when it comes to local marketing. You know your customers very well. You know what’s happening on the ground at any given time, be it the weather or local events. In short, you know your way around the local culture. You can quickly make adjustments in your business when you see changes in purchasing behavior.
When it comes to hyperlocal social marketing, that’s even more true – and you can use it to your advantage to drive sales.
What is hyperlocal social marketing?
Hyperlocal social media marketing is a marketing strategy that targets potential customers in a local, geographical location using different social media platforms. Small or local businesses usually use hyperlocal marketing strategies to reach their local customers. When these are successful, there’ll be an increase in foot traffic as well as increased brand awareness.
Hyperlocal marketing strategies that you can adopt for your small business
Set goals from the get-go
Generally, the goal of hyperlocal social media marketing is to boost brand awareness. However, it can also be used to boost the sales of a particular product. Setting goals from the beginning helps you set targets that are aligned with what you want to happen for your brand. Once you’ve set goals, you can start creating a social media marketing strategy.
Choose an appropriate social media platform
Each social media platform has its fair share of strengths and weaknesses. Think about your target audience: what platform do they usually use? If you’re aiming for a younger audience, try using Instagram. But if your audience is more mature, you might want to try Facebook. However, this doesn’t mean you’ll use one social media platform only. You can use as many as you want as long as your budget allows. Using a lot of social media platforms can help you achieve more goals, generate revenue, and get leads.
If you’re on a tight budget, you can start with one social media platform first. Then as your business grows, you can expand to other platforms.
Run social media ads
Facebook local awareness ads help target customers within the vicinity of your physical store by displaying ad content. You’ll have to indicate your store’s location first as well as the radius around which you want to advertise your store and your offerings. You can then target your customers according to age, gender, and location.
No matter how old your target audience is, they’re always on social media browsing. That’s why it’s really crucial to invest in hyperlocal advertising like Facebook’s local awareness ads to increase foot traffic in your brick-and-mortar store.
Tailor your content for your local audience
You can do this by taking advantage of events in your local area. For example, if your business sells refreshments and there’s an upcoming festival in your town, you can participate in that festival and post your participation on social media. Users are actively engaging on social media so it’s not hard to miss.
Use local hashtags and geotags
Hashtags help you get found by prospective customers nearby. If you want to advertise your local cafe in Florida to nearby customers, you can go with #floridacafe. Although it’s tempting to use a lot of hashtags on your post, you should only limit it between 5-10 because too many hashtags look spammy, and it buries your message underneath the clutter. Use relevant hashtags and a mix of popular and niche hashtags to reach a wider audience and target potential customers who might be interested in your offerings.
On the other hand, geotags, are designed to help people find location-based products or services. For example, if a user adds a geotag on a video or photo on Instagram, it emerges as a clickable location name on their post where other users can see other photos or videos with that location. You should also encourage your customers to post their photos and videos on Instagram to create social proof. This helps prospective customers locate your local business easily.
Collaborate and engage with the local community
Engaging with your customers directly helps you get feedback for your business. This is where you can hear their concerns and address them to make their experience more worthwhile. Aside from engaging with them directly, you can also work with local influencers and local celebrities to promote your products and services. They help create a positive buzz around your business page that entices their subscribers to check your business out.
Like any other business with a social media presence, you need to constantly post and respond to your customers’ comments on your posts and inquiries. This is another way of keeping them in the loop of your upcoming offerings, products, or services. In addition, it helps build relationships with them, which makes them want to do business with you.
How to go the extra mile when it comes to hyperlocal social media marketing
Combine these six tips, and you have a winning recipe for hyperlocal social marketing.
Listen to your customers and audience
Social media marketing is the equivalent of a real-life conversation. It’s as much about listening as it is about talking. In fact, a lot would argue that listening is probably more important. You can’t know what someone needs unless you hear them say it.
So, the first step in hyperlocal social marketing is to listen to what your followers and fans are saying on social media. Follow trending topics and hashtags to find opportunities for your small business to help in some way, whether by sharing a tip or offering a discount.
Pay attention to local news
Read the local news online every day, follow local radio and TV stations on social media, and subscribe to news alerts. Pay attention to what’s going on in your area so you can respond quickly when an opportunity arises. Keeping yourself abreast of the latest happenings will have you knowing the latest needs or trends that will benefit your business.
Use very specific ad targeting criteria
The more targeted your ads are, the more likely they will boost sales. Target ads by ZIP codes, home ownership, pet ownership, relationship status, gender – whatever criteria allow you to reach the right people at the right time.
Focus on providing value
No matter what, your ad must be relevant and provide value to your customers. Do not promote how great your business is. Promote the products and services that can immediately benefit the people you are trying to reach. Specify how you can make their lives easy with what you offer.
Personalize messages
Speak directly to the challenge your target market is facing right now. Empathize with their plight and show that you care. Not only does this improve your customer service, but it can also be a competitive advantage.
Be authentic
Only use hyperlocal social marketing when it makes sense for your business. Don’t try to force a connection between your business and a local event. People can see right through poseurs.
Reach local customers effectively now!
A good hyperlocal marketing strategy stems from proper planning and knowing your target audience. If you don’t get that many customers from the start, trust that eventually, you’ll get there with consistency and excellent customer service.
Further, local communities engaging in hyperlocal social media marketing can help foster relationships among the residents and promote a sense of community. This is the ideal strategy to undertake if you want to attract local customers to your physical store.
By following our strategies and tips above, you’re on your way to becoming a go-to store for your locals.
