The Ultimate Guide to Local Business Marketing

Over the years, marketing has become essential for businesses to promote their services and products. Even if you are just starting out, you already know that the essence of every business is to be lucrative. Well, that’s where local marketing comes into play. 

Unique approaches sustain and reinforce a new business. But why has local marketing particularly gained prominence?

It’s simple. Google’s algorithm is quite efficient. It uses a searcher’s location to display local businesses relevant to them, making it uncomplicated to build an online presence. Besides, what is relatively easier than competing globally? That’s right. Ranking locally!  

So, what exactly does that mean for a new local business?

Local marketing entails online marketing strategies that target potential customers within your business’ local area. It is the best way to reach new audiences, improve your search rankings, create an upsurge in online traffic, and stabilize your profits. Local marketing will also help firmly establish your business within the local community.

Here’s why concentrating on local marketing strategies help:

1. It improves the likelihood of attracting customers and acquainting them with your local business.
2. You will have increased prospects of engaging with your target audience while strengthening brand familiarity.
3. It allows you to build a repeat customer base.
4. It helps to avoid mistargeting. 

In case you are still wondering – as the name suggests, local marketing is literally what it is; localized or vicinity-oriented marketing. This means the location of your business, and the area of your target audience is what you ought to capitalize on!

The actual question is, how do you choose the ideal location range?

Preferably, when you strategize over local marketing, the immediate proximity of your business’ location should be within a radius of 10 miles. However, a lesser radius works great for areas with significant local traffic and population density. Through this, your business enjoys the advantages of associating with the neighborhood and enhance the status of your brand.  

Effective local marketing is characterized by a clever combination of local SEO (search engine optimization) content marketing, social media advertising, and pay-per-click marketing. 

By the time you are done reading this, you will be skilled at all things local marketing!

Here are 7 ways of using local marketing campaigns to improve and augment your brand’s local presence: 

1. Local SEO

Search engine optimization (SEO) entails promoting your brand to rank or show up on Google for specific searches. Since Google hits over 63,000 searches every second, a little snippet of those searches is your estimated target audience. 

Local SEO mainly aims at an audience within your locality, and a secure method of implementation is to use keywords with a regional influence. 

For instance, if you are a digital marketer in Mumbai, you would incorporate “digital marketer in Mumbai” as one of your primary keywords.

This strategy makes it conducive for potential customers to discover and explore your brand over the web. As a result, it is highly likely that your brand will show up when they specifically look for it, or when they search for similar businesses catering to their demands within the neighborhood. 

Hence, if your local business is new or small-scaled, engaging in highly focused solutions is the key to successful marketing.

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2. Local Business Directories or Classified Ads

One of the primary reasons you should consider listing your brand on local business directories is to be immediately accessible when customers are actively searching for it, or similar services. 

Make sure your business has all the information, such as name, phone number, website, address, and email address, readily available online. You can also aim for classified ads when targeting more exposure and engagement with a local audience who may be unaware of your business.

On the other hand, why should new brands emphasize on local business listings, anyway?

Here’s the thing.  Data proves that 97% of consumers check a local brand’s digital presence, before visiting them. So, you need to ensure that search engines have your brand’s detailed information listed, in addition to pictures, for added credibility. 

But remember, the fundamental premise for this local marketing approach is by being consistent with the information as Google highly values consistency.

Below are a few online local business directory websites to help you get started:

1. Google My Business
2. Bing Places
3. Yahoo!
4. SubmitMyBusiness
5. YellowBot
6. Yelp

Double-check if your brand’s details and information are consistently the same across all local business listings. Having your business recorded elsewhere on the web improves the likelihood of potential customers coming across your brand.

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3. Mobile-Friendly Website

Presently, there are nearly 4.78 billion mobile phone users across the globe! As a result of the shift in online consumers’ behavior, your local marketing approach requires concentrating on being mobile-friendly, too. This means optimizing your business’ marketing campaigns for mobile users. 

In a recent study, HubSpot estimated that 61% of mobile searchers are inclined to contacting a local business if they have a mobile-friendly website. This strategy not only attracts new local customers to your brand but also improves the prospects of repeat clientele.

You already know that mobile-friendly sites load effortlessly when accessed through a smartphone, so make sure your customers can conveniently browse through your website, as well!

Although, if you are uncertain about your local business website being mobile-friendly, Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test is the best tool for determining its accessibility.

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4. Collaboration with Local Businesses or Publications

Collaborating with local businesses is a brilliant way of getting your content viewed by a fresh audience. If you are looking to partner with another local enterprise, ensure that they are not a direct competitor. However, they could either be a non-competitor, offering similar products and services, or even a non-profit organization. 

Subsequently, do your research, get in touch with those brands, and gauge their willingness to collaborate. This would create an exciting platform for customers to know more about your business and get them interested in what your brand has to offer.

For instance, if you own a hairdressing business, collaborating with a local spa is a great way to achieve a strategic partnership that benefits both brands. Your combined marketing plan could include these considerations:

1. Co-hosting an online event
2. Referral plans and schemes
3. Social media shoutouts
4. Location-specific promotions
5. Interviews with other business owners  
6. Collaborations with influencers

You can also explore publications that align with your brand’s commercial prospects. Contact them and find out if they are looking for guest writers, ad placements, business listings, or if they are interested in writing about your brand.

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5. Localized Website

CSA Research states that 75% of consumers prefer buying products in their regional language. Since every different region has a distinct dialect and cultural flair, it is essential to customize your business’ website, according to what your target audience needs. It also increases engagement opportunities and builds customer relations.

So, how can you effectively localize your website? Contrary to popular belief, localizing a website is not equivalent to translation alone.
The first step to developing a localized website is making sure that your content is relevant in terms of culture, laws, slangs, customs, and jargon that local consumers are accustomed to.

You could also go a step further and modify the payment process on your brand’s website, by including localized currency and units of measurement as per the customers’ native preferences. Ideally, you can also localize email campaigns, social media posts, and blog posts for a comprehensive output.
Well, you also must steer clear of a few things.

Make sure that the slangs are not overused or redundant, as they get super annoying. Avoid literally translating content because it would be outright obvious to your customers.

Besides these measures, do not compromise critical elements like local SEO and the sincerity of your brand. Begin by partnering with an efficient associate to revamp your business’ website through localization and translation. This would ensure curating clear-cut, valid, and relatable content.

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6. Localized Ad Campaigns

Advertising campaigns are one of the most crucial components of marketing, as they directly promote your brand’s products and services. Ads put you under the limelight and open engagement prospects, before converting the target audience into customers.  

Let’s understand how ad campaigns can be localized to target the audience within your community, efficiently.

Once you have identified and determined your target audience, it’s time to start studying and analyzing them. Then, begin customizing your local marketing strategies, according to your customers’ needs, interests, linguistic preferences, and cultural foundation. 

For instance, if you run an ad campaign for a confectionery store in a Spanish-speaking town, your ads should be localized to suit the population, in terms of language, demands, and relevance. You could also make them more engaging, by involving pertinent themes, national days, or addressing social issues and events.

#Amul Topical: Hugs in Parliament…. pic.twitter.com/dNurd7XDaX

— Amul.coop (@Amul_Coop) July 20, 2018

A classic example is an ad campaign run by Amul, India, titled, ‘Embracing (or) Embarrassing.’ It featured India’s prime minister, Mr. Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi. The ad was released just after Rahul Gandhi walked up to Narendra Modi and hugged him amid an intense discussion in the Parliament.

Quite interestingly, the tagline of the butter ad said, “Amul hugs bread daily.”

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7. Localized Social Media Communications

Once you select social media channels for promoting your local business, such as, Instagram, Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn, among others, you must focus on understanding your audience and personally connecting with them.

It is proven that consumers who encounter positive and friendly engagements with your brand on social media, are more likely to turn into repeat clientele and recommend you to others.

Begin with posting organic content, that is relevant to your local target audience.

Make sure you interact with your local customers and are promptly available to resolve any queries. Engaging interactions with your brand’s social media profiles would also help consumers stay up to date with your business, collaborations, and offers.

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Since you have made it this far, here is a bonus tip!

As a customer, what is the first thing you do before visiting a specific place or buying a product?

 Right. You go through the reviews and ratings usually posted by people who have already been to the place you want to visit or bought the product you wish to purchase. This practice determines whether the location, product, or service is customer-friendly, cost-efficient, and worth your time. 

Regarding your local business, customer ratings are an excellent way of promoting your brand. According to statistics, nearly 97% of customers read reviews about local brands, and almost 92% of consumers believe that positive reviews influence their decisions!

Although some negative ratings may affect the credibility of your local business and keep customers wary, positive ratings and reviews can considerably grow your brand.

Reviews also drive your local SEO ranking!

That’s right. Google considers ratings and reviews from several websites, before determining how well your brand ranks in local searches. Also, the better the reviews, the more likely it is that your business will thrive in terms of search appearances.

Honestly, nothing beats getting local testimonials, product reviews, and customer service experiences. Encourage customers to leave positive feedback about your business, and their experience with you. It will enable you to concede with constructive criticism, increase your brand’s credibility, and build trust. 

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Now that you know how to implement local marketing strategies, here’s why you, as a local business, should invest in local marketing campaigns as well:

1. Your brand will reach more customers within your neighborhood, who may otherwise be unaware of the products or services your brand offers.
2. Investing in local marketing campaigns initiates effective branding, allowing the community to recognize and acknowledge your brand.
3. Local marketing campaigns will help drive potential local customers to your website, subsequently converting into additional leads.
4. It will enable you to develop lucrative relationships with local organizations, for promotional prospects.

According to Danyelle Overbo, a Smartling contributor, “localization goes beyond merely having to translate website content, and it connects with consumers on a personal level, builds your brand image in a way that is both accessible and unique. In short, localization is about building trust,”

Additionally, consumers acknowledge local businesses, owing to the convenience and ideal location setting, despite living in a global economy.

In conclusion, it doesn’t really matter whether your business is small or large, or if you are just exploring the prospect of building an exciting brand. Remember, local marketing is undoubtedly one of the best ways to augment your business.

So, continue discovering the possibilities within localization and begin implementing local marketing strategies to build your brand’s online presence.

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If you have any questions or are interested in running a local marketing campaign for your business, please feel free to reach out to us.