Ways To Promote Your Business Locally
It can be challenging launching a business and making yourself known. While there’s lots of advice online regarding national or international promotion and expansion, we wanted to focus on a more local level. After all, local is where your business starts! There are types of business for which an online presence is much more important. These are, for example, companies that provide writing services to students. Or essays advisor blogs that specialize in researching such services. And for some businesses, like dry cleaning, offline location plays a key role. So we spoke to experts and colleagues and gathered some of their top advice and tips for promoting your business locally. Read on to find out everything they shared with us and why you should implement these things to help grow your company today.
Online Promotion
Local SEO
You may not have heard of Search Engine Optimization (SEO), but these days it’s absolutely key to promoting a business online. SEO is based on an understanding of how Google and other search engines rank websites. So, local SEO providers will use the tools and tricks they understand to ensure that when local clients are searching for businesses like yours, you are one of the highest on the list. Imagine you’re selling Pizza and someone three blocks away googles “pizza near me”. You want to be top of that results page, and SEO is one of the key tools that can help you be there.
Review Sites
This may seem simple, but it also ties in with the above. Consider all the big review sites on the internet, especially the ones popular in your area. Get on to each and every one of them and ensure your business is listed, has photos, and is verified. Encourage customers to leave reviews and always engage with them when they have left said reviews. This again helps boost your online presence and pushes you higher up the suggestions on local searches. Obviously, you want to aim for five-star reviews, but if you receive any negative posts, you should still publicly engage and encourage resolution. This shows the type of business you are.
Influencers
Much of the online sales world is currently dominated by influencers. Influencers will promote your product on social media for a fee or for some free items. They tend to be celebrities or those who have built a strong following and have incredible engagement on their chosen platforms. This is usually considered a national or international selling technique, however, it can certainly be done locally. Consider local celebrities and online personalities and encourage them to visit your business for a fee, discount, or whatever else you have to offer. If they sell your product online, your local followers are bound to follow suit.
Offline Promotion
Involvement With Community
Something we heard a huge amount from our local experts was that they all made sure to engage with the local community. There are thousands of businesses in each city, and you need to stand out. Being just another business selling things to people isn’t going to cut it. Give back to your local community with events or donations. Give free items to those in need locally. Sponsor charity events or local promotions. All of these things show that you are a local leader as well as a business, which can only encourage people to come to visit.
Promotions or Memberships
How many times have you been to a coffee shop, sandwich bar, or supermarket and seen (or used!) a loyalty card? Every single time? That’s what we thought! There’s a reason it is so common – it works. This is applicable to any kind of business. For example, one van hire company told us they give regular clients 20% off after their fifth booking, and one restaurant liked to give locals surprise discounts.
These things cement your business as a local friend and force, as well as make people remember you. Consider membership schemes, loyalty bonuses, or local discounts to keep people coming back.
The Classics
Some of the most simple, traditional, and classic things were mentioned over and over again, and for a good reason. We’re talking business cards, flyers, posters, radio ads, and networking events. Most of these promotional tools have been around since the very first types of businesses were formed, and they’re still going strong years later. Sometimes you just can’t beat a great advert on a street-side or a friendly interview on local radio. Mix these classic promotional tools in with the more modern steps above, and you’ll certainly be on to a winning campaign.
Above are the six top tips we gathered from professional people with great local success stories. We guarantee you that a combination of the above tools and tricks will create a successful and strong local marketing campaign. Follow them all and be on course for huge success with your local business.
