Ever feel like your small business is the best-kept secret in town? It's time to change that. Local marketing isn't just about putting up a few flyers anymore. In today's digital age, there are powerful strategies you can use to get your business noticed, loved, and talked about in your community.
Let's dive into five local marketing game-changers that could put your small business on the map.
Google My Business: Your Digital Storefront for Small Business
Be the First Thing Locals See
Did you know that 46% of all Google searches are looking for local information? Make sure you're front and center! Personally, I don’t believe that if you are an internet-based business you can ignore the local market. You live in a neighborhood, a city, a State. Those are real people.
You know the old saying that says, “Think Globally, Act Locally?” While the environmentalists adopted this mantra, I believe it is highly relevant to the small business owner. Because you have a physical location, you have a lot of control over how much or how little you can interact in your particular area to get your business known. This means that your Google My Business listing needs to be tight, efficient and informative.
Google My Business Optimization Tips:
Claim and verify your listing
Keep your information up-to-date (hours, phone, address)
Add high-quality photos regularly
Encourage and respond to reviews
Pro Tip: Use Google Posts to share updates, offers, and events directly on your listing. Stop thinking about your listing as a Yellow Pages entry, and instead as a mini-website.
Local SEO: Climb to the Top of Local Search Results
Be the Big Fish in Your Local Pond
Local SEO is your ticket to showing up when nearby customers are searching for what you offer. And why is this so useful? Because other business owners are too busy running their business to bother with local SEO. But you know better! You know it matters. This is what they mean by Low Hanging Fruit. Grab it!
Local SEO Tactics:
Use location-based keywords in your website content
Ensure NAP (Name, Address, Phone) consistency across the web
Get listed in local directories and citation sites
Create location-specific pages if you serve multiple areas.
Tools to Try: Moz Local, BrightLocal, or Yext for managing local citations
Community Involvement: Build Real-World Connections
Become a Local Hero
Nothing beats face-to-face connections for building trust and loyalty. Remember, people do not buy from a business unless they
Know
Like and
Trust
you. There is a variety of methods to create this rapport with your customer base, and since we're talking about local issues, then community involvement is definitely right up there with accomplishing exactly that.
Community Engagement Ideas:
Sponsor local events or sports teams
Host workshops or classes related to your business
Participate in local charities or fundraisers
Join and actively participate in your local chamber of commerce
I can personally attest to the ability of a brick and mortar store successfully leveraging ‘events’ at their store to drive revenue. This was an absolute victory by the business owner of getting creative about getting customers into her store when they were saddled with a ‘bad’ location.
This particular shop owner decided that she was going to use her naturally vivacious attitude and extroverted nature by reaching out to local artists, charities and other organizations to simply host their events in her store. My analysis showed that she was able to increase revenues on event days by an average of 30%!
What was my advice when I showed her the analysis? Keep doing what works! My advice was that her instincts were correct and that she should build a calendar of events to formalize this winning combination. Just doing one event a week covered her fixed expenses and all the cash she made on non-event days was pure profit.
Localized Social Media: Connect Where Your Customers Are
Turn Followers into Neighbors
Social media isn't just for global brands. It's a powerful tool for local businesses too. Personally speaking, I am not a fan of social media generally. It’s a lot of work and it just seems so….meh…
But who am I to argue with the predominant culture? If it works, it works. Get used to it, you dinosaur…
Local Social Media Strategies:
Use location tags in your posts
Share behind-the-scenes content to showcase your local roots
Highlight customer success stories and testimonials
Create and use local hashtags
Pro Tip: As I said, I’m not on social media much, and when I am there, I do it kicking and screaming. But, in spite of this, I’ve decided that, if I’m going to participate on social media to any extent, I’m going to do it efficiently, damn it.
For that reason, I use Buffer as a tool to make social posts across all channels simultaneously. I don’t get anything from this recommendation, it’s just what I use and I can attest that it is exceedingly easy to use.
Email Marketing with a Local Twist
Your Direct Line to Local Customers
Email marketing isn't just for e-commerce. It's a great way to keep your local customers coming back. As much as I hate social media, I love email marketing. Maybe it’s my inability to write anything with a character limit on it, or that I just love to hear myself chatter on, but email marketing is definitely my sweet spot.
For those unfamiliar, email marketing is where you send emails to your customer base telling them about specials, promos, etc. I discuss email marketing at length in The Tradesman’s MBA and why it’s useful.
Localized Email Marketing Ideas:
Send location-specific offers and promotions
Share local news or events related to your business
Create a loyalty program for local customers
Use geotargeting to send relevant content based on subscriber location
Pro Tip: Just like Buffer helps you be efficient in your social media posts, there are email services that do much the same thing. Prices are all over the place on how much you’ll pay. But some providers are Mailchimp, Constant Contact, or Keap that you can check out.
When BreathEasy was an app, dedicated to helping patriot small businesses, I used Keap as my Customer Relationship Mangement System (CRM) and it was great. It was easy to use and was VERY capable and able to handle all sorts of scenarios on how you interacted with your customer base and email list. I highly recommend it.
Bringing It All Together
Remember, successful local marketing is about more than just promoting your products or services. It's about becoming an integral part of your community. By implementing these five strategies, you're not just marketing your business – you're building relationships, establishing trust, and becoming a local fixture. Ready to make your small business the talk of the town?
If you’re ready to implement some or all of these marketing strategies to get your business noticed in the marketplace, please consider reaching out to BreathEasy Business Coaching and Consulting to guide you towards success. I specialize in email marketing campaigns (don’t ask me to do your social media! ) that turn leads into returning, faithful customers.
Sincerely,
R. Altomare
Founder, BreathEasy Business Coaching and Consulting
The Shameless Plug
If you'd like to learn more about this and other key topics that help you manage your business efficiently and successfully, may I recommend The Tradesman's MBA? It covers all the topics you need to operate your small business effectively and efficiently. Planning, Strategy, Finance, Accounting, Inventory Management, Marketing and Project Management are all covered to help you avoid costly mistakes.
And, if you'd like to learn how BreathEasy Business Coaching and Consulting can help you lower your costs and keep more money in your pocket, please fill out the contact form on the homepage and I'll reach out within 2 business days to discuss your particular challenges.
Comments