Looking for ways to get your local business on the map? It may not be the easiest part of running your business, but it is very attainable with hard work and patience. Try these 8 tactics to get more customers through your doors!
Invest in Local SEO
When people want information, they ‘Google it’. Get your business in front of potential customers, boost your SEO profile by setting up your free Google My Business profile. This is equipped with your website, address, phone number, pictures, store hours and reviews that people can reference.
Community Relations
People generally love when businesses give back, especially to their communities. Partnering up with local charities and donating to good causes is a great way to put your local business in a positive light. Not only will your brand get local recognition, but they will be received in a positive light.
Run Social Media Contests
Consumers tend to prefer brands that are interactive. Social media algorithms tend to limit the reach of business pages and prioritize reach for personal pages. Run contests that encourage fans to post about your business. These posts tend to yield high engagement, which is ideal for local businesses.
Utilize Review Marketing
Yelp is one of the top platforms for customers to leave reviews, especially restaurants. In the world of reputation management, you can see this as a liability or an opportunity. Insufficient or negative reviews will deter new customers from giving your business a chance. The trick is accruing positive reviews. Not only will accruing positive reviews not deter potential business, it will actually bring you more customers than none at all! We recommend providing loyalty customers incentives, such as future discounts for leaving positive feedback on your review pages such as Yelp, Google and Facebook!
Run Events For Local Press
Local news has one thing that national news doesn’t and that’s the relevance of proximity! One thing that makes them appealing is their ability to feel more personalized. Businesses can utilize that by hosting events and asking the press if they want to cover it. TV, radio or social media coverage is a great way to get free exposure among the right publics.
Partner With Local Businesses
There’s one obvious thing you have in common with your neighbors… your location. With that said, you’re serving the same community, and while you might not have all of the same customers, word-of-mouth can be a vital part of your local marketing strategy.
Partnering with local businesses helps you reach each others’ customers, allowing you both to win. It’s even better if you can think of something that relates to both industries, that way you can bring the whole group together!
Organize + Participate in Networking Events
Piggybacking off of the idea of partnering up, network events are a great avenue for gaining exposure among potential business partners. Remember, it’s also about getting to know you and your brand, which can help create some great ideas. At the end of the day, your goal is to forge alliances, and that’s what you can do!
Run Digital Ads
Running ads on search engines and social networks can be a cost-effective way to reach your ideal customers and you can target them by location, too! Set targeted campaigns that promote local sales to increase brand awareness and foot traffic.
