
When people in your community need a product or service right away, chances are they’ll turn to a local business first. According to BrightLocal’s Local Consumer Review Survey, 97% of consumers searched online for local businesses, and 12% did so daily. Are you taking advantage of this trend to capture customers? Let’s dive in and find out:
- What is local marketing?
- Why do small businesses have a local advantage?
- 3 things that matter most in getting the customer’s business.
- Tactics to help you deliver on customer expectations.
What is Local Marketing?
Local Marketing promotes products or services to a specific area or community. It aims to engage with local customers and establish a strong presence within the local market.
Local marketing strategies tailor your business to suit your local audience’s unique preferences, needs, and culture. It encompasses various tactics, such as:
- optimizing for local search engine optimization (SEO)
- creating content that resonates with the local community,
- hosting events and workshops
- leveraging social media
By understanding and embracing the essence of the local community, you can make a meaningful impact on your neighborhood and create a loyal customer base that supports your growth and success.
Why Do Small Businesses Have an Edge Over Big Businesses
If you have a small business, you may feel like it’s hard to compete with big-box stores or online retailers. However, small businesses have an essential advantage in attracting customers: the local advantage.
There are several reasons why people prefer to buy from local small businesses:
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According to a recent Gallup survey, Americans trust small businesses more than big businesses. In fact, the only institution Americans trust more is the military.
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Americans understand the importance of supporting small businesses. Just look at the continuing popularity of Small Business Saturday, a post-Black Friday event in November that encourages consumers to do holiday shopping at independent local businesses instead of big chains. Consumers know that money spent at small businesses stays in the community and helps create jobs.
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Small business owners who are part of the community know the local market and its needs better than multinational corporations whose focus is spread thin between multiple markets.
3 Things Customers Want from Local Businesses
It’s encouraging to know that customers want to support small businesses. However, you can’t rely on goodwill alone to get them to choose your business. That’s why a strong marketing strategy is so vital to success.
When a user begins an online search to find a business that services their needs, these are some characteristics they are looking for:
1. Action: People who search online for local businesses have a solid intent to act on what they find:
As you can see, most consumers searching for local businesses plan to do or buy something. One-fourth need a particular product or service, and 24% have plans to make a purchase. In addition, 15% need to connect with a business right away.
2. Speed: Most people searching online for local businesses have a fairly urgent need. For example, you probably don’t search online for pizza delivery two weeks before you order a pizza. In fact, you might end up waiting until you have a house full of hungry teenagers on your hands, or that roast didn’t turn out quite as you had planned. In these situations, users need the services of a local business urgently:
That’s right, more than one-third of consumers need the business immediately or have an emergency need. Wow!
3. Proximity: Proximity is almost as important as price in choosing a local business, as you can see from the graph below:
Studies show that 93% of consumers travel at most 20 minutes for their general shopping needs. The more “every day” the product is, the closer to the home they want to stay.
For instance, someone buying a new sofa might be willing to drive for 30 minutes for the best price since it’s a big purchase. On the other hand, someone looking for shoe repair services might care more about finding the most convenient location.
All else being equal, where would you get a product or service right away? You’d probably choose the one that’s closest to you.
This concept even applies to service businesses. Someone looking for a plumber will likely choose nearby companies because they know plumbers far away may not service their area.
10 Local Marketing Tactics That Deliver Customers
Now you know the three things consumers want when they look for local businesses online. Here’s how you can meet those needs:
1. Understand your local market: Understanding your local market begins with conducting thorough market research. To hit the bullseye with your business, you must know your target audience like the back of your hand. Identify their demographics and preferences – what drives them, what they desire, and what challenges they face. This invaluable insight will help tailor your products and services to meet their specific needs.
But it doesn’t end in your audience. You need to analyze your competitor’s strategies as well. Uncover their strengths and weaknesses to identify those golden gaps in the market.
Once you’ve started your market research, keeping up with local trends is next up. Trends change rapidly, so keep tabs on local consumer trends and preferences. You can leverage social media and online forums to engage with the local community’s discussions and adapt your approach to stay relevant and captivating.
2. Engage the local community: Nothing brings people together like a well-crafted event or workshop that speaks directly to the local community. Organize local community events that resonate with their interests and aspirations. Why stop there? You can collaborate with other local businesses to co-host events to widen your reach.
But it’s not just about business; it’s also about making a positive impact on your community. Show your commitment by getting involved with local causes and nonprofits.
You build an authentic brand reputation and genuine care for the community by supporting initiatives close to your customers’ hearts. Partnering with local charitable organizations also opens doors for meaningful collaborations, fostering goodwill and loyalty among your customers.
3. Make it easy to take action: Consider all the different actions a customer might want to do when they find your business online. They might want to:
- Call your business
- Text or live chat with someone
- Go to your website to find out more about your business
- See photos of your products or an explanation of your services
- Find out what your store hours are
- Find out your business address
- Get directions to your business or view a map of your location
- Browse your products online and place orders
- Make an appointment or reservation online
Something to keep in mind: these activities are likely taking place on a smartphone. Why? Because people who are searching for local businesses generally want the information fast, and they are often on the go.
That’s why your website must be mobile-friendly. Customers must easily use your website on their phones. Sadly, some businesses (even relatively big ones) still have websites that aren’t mobile-friendly.
If you don’t think that matters, consider this example: Imagine a couple deciding where to go for dinner. Two local restaurants sounded appealing, and both served the same cuisine (Mexican food). However, one had a mobile-friendly menu so they could check out different meal options.
The other site wasn’t mobile-friendly, and they couldn’t read their tiny menu.
Customers don’t want to spend time squinting at the tiny type on the non-mobile-friendly site; instead, they’ll scan the menu on the mobile-friendly website and decide what to order.
4. Make your website fast-loading: Whether the user is on a desktop, laptop, or mobile device, your website must load quickly. Google has an easy-to-use tool to test your mobile site speed. Potential customers won’t bother sticking around if your site is slow to launch.
Use images with the proper size, resolution, and other elements that can affect site speed. You can also boost your web hosting plan to handle the website traffic you’re receiving.
But speed isn’t just about how fast your website pops up: It’s also about how fast you respond to customers who contact your business. Rapid response is critical, whether a prospect is filling out a leads form online, calling your business to make an appointment, or emailing you a question about your services.
It’s not good enough to return a call from a prospective plumbing customer the next day. Their sink is overflowing now!
5. Ensure your business is responsive to customers: Set standards for you and your employees’ response time. For instance, set a goal to answer every phone call on the second ring, respond to emails within a certain number of hours, and contact leads from lead forms by the end of the day they’re received. Other tips include:
- Use your automated phone system menu to give customers self-serve answers to common questions like your hours and location (“For our hours, press 1…for our address, press 2,” etc.).
- Anticipate questions from prospective customers and set up a frequently asked questions (FAQ) section on your website where they can get answers quickly.
- Set up automated responses to texts and emails that tell customers you received their message and how soon they can expect a response, and then follow through on that promise.
Responding quickly and actively engaging with customers shows that the lights are on, you’re listening, and you care. You’ll get more business if you consistently demonstrate that your door is open to welcome new customers.
6. Optimize your website’s on-page SEO: Search Engine Optimization (SEO) improves visibility in search engine results. When people search for something related to your business, SEO helps your site appear higher up on those result pages. On-page SEO focuses on specific elements on your web pages to boost your rankings and attract more organic traffic.
First, you must identify relevant keywords and phrases related to your content and target audience. Keywords are one of on-page SEO’s leading players.
Use keyword research tools to find high-traffic, low-competition keywords that align with your business. Once you have your keywords, include them in your content’s page titles and meta descriptions. Keep them enticing and encourage clicks on your search results.
Incorporate keywords in your headings to signal the main topics covered on the page to search engines. Be sure to structure your content into proper heading tags (H1, H2, H3, etc.) Your URLs should be descriptive and include relevant keywords as well. Finally, compressing your images improves page load speed, and including relevant alt text with keywords helps search engines understand the image’s context.
7. Highlight your business location: Promoting your business’ location is one of local SEO’s primary marketing strategy. When people know where to locate your business, there’s a higher chance of attracting nearby customers.
Claiming and optimizing your Google Business Profile listing and other local search sites helps improve your search engine results position and your odds of showing up on Google Maps when someone searches for a local business.
Use keywords related to your city, neighborhood, and other location elements to highlight your location throughout your website and local business listings. Submit your business to online directories and business listings for better visibility.
You can also attract nearby customers by using pay-per-click (PPC) ads to target customers within a certain radius. For example, Google Ads lets you narrow the people who will see your ad by location (among other factors). You can set your ad to display only in specific areas, so if your store is in Milwaukee, people in Boise won’t see your ad.
8. Craft engaging content for local audiences: Consider what your local community wants and address their unique needs. Your content should reflect the values and culture that make your community unique. Use relatable stories, references, and insider knowledge to build an authentic connection.
Show them that you’re more than just a business; you’re a member of their community, genuinely invested in their well-being. By putting your audience at the center of your content, you’ll forge a strong bond that sets you apart from the rest.
Stay in the loop with what’s happening in your community and seize opportunities to showcase your community involvement. Whether it’s a festival, charity event, or milestone celebration, be present and share the excitement of local events through your content.
Highlighting local news and happenings keeps your audience informed and positions your brand as an active participant in their lives. Your content becomes a go-to source of both information and inspiration, further solidifying your role as a valued community member.
By infusing your content with local zing and genuine care, you’ll create a content strategy that resonates deeply with your local audience, leading to increased engagement, trust, and advocacy.
9. Harness the power of social media: With so many people on social media sites, you’ll miss a golden opportunity if you don’t connect with your local audience.
Each social media platform has a unique vibe and audience. Get to know the demographics of each one to make informed decisions. Instagram’s visual appeal draws the younger crowd, while Facebook’s vast user base spans different age groups. Pinterest captivates creatives, and LinkedIn is the go-to for professionals. Select the platforms that align best with your target audience. Once you do, you’ll have a direct line to your community.
With the right platforms, next up is creating social media campaigns, Craft eye-catching content that instantly grabs attention! High-quality visuals, striking graphics, and captivating videos are your secret weapons.
But don’t stop there – inspire participation with user-generated content. Encourage your community to share their experiences, ideas, and stories. Engage with your followers, respond to comments, and build a vibrant online community. By fostering genuine connections, you’ll create loyal brand advocates who amplify your message far and wide.
10. Deliver a stellar customer experience : To truly connect with your valued customers, believe in the power of personalization. Collecting relevant customer data lets you gain precious insights into their preferences and needs. Armed with this knowledge, curate personalized recommendations and exclusive promotions tailored just for them.
Audiences who enjoy their customer journey tend to come back. Your attention to detail and their preferences assures them that you care about them, which drives them back to your business.
Exceptional customer service helps with your audience’s customer experience. Train your team to be mindful of your customers’ needs. Give prompt and friendly responses to feedback and inquiries. The faster you address their concerns, the better experience they’ll have.
Take every opportunity to listen to them and turn each interaction into a positive and memorable experience.
Connect With Your Local Community
The good news is people are eager and willing to support small businesses. Now it’s up to you to ensure your marketing strategy caters to the needs of your local market.
Act and implement these local business techniques to elevate your brand and engage with your community. Embrace the power of local marketing strategies and let Web.com assist you in forging strong connections with your potential customers with our online marketing services.