If you own a small business, whether it’s a brick-and-mortar or an online company, you rely on the local market for their support. In fact, the majority of your business comes from the community in which you live and work. That means your audience is somewhat limited so you have to make the most of your marketing efforts in order to maximize the chance of attracting new customers. Small businesses often don’t have the financial and technical resources to embark on a high-tech, far-reaching marketing campaign, but that’s not really necessary. In fact, there are nine local marketing ideas that can produce big results.
Even if you don’t intend to sell anything online, designing a website is a great way to attract local customers. Ideally, you’ll purchase your own domain name, generally the name of your business, or something that explains what you do. You don’t have to have a huge site with all the bells and whistles, in fact, it can be very simple. A home page that explains what you do and how your services benefit them, a contact page, and a page about your company is all you really need.
The majority of people do a quick Google search whenever they need information or recommendations for local businesses. In fact, about half of 18 to 35-year-old people search for local businesses on a daily basis, and more than 80% search weekly. A Google Business Profile listing is a fast, easy way to get the word out online about your business. You don’t just get a business listing though, it also allows customers to find your company location and hours through a Google search and your company shows up on Google maps as well.
Online review sites are an incredibly popular and useful tool for customers. According to a Nielson study commissioned by Yelp, 74% of people searching for a business online turn to online reviews before making a purchase. The study also showed that 92% of consumers chose to make a purchase after they read reviews of a company’s products or services. Make sure that your business address, telephone number, and hours are accurate so that customers can find you without hassle.
It’s no secret that social media networks are popular, in fact, more than 2.7 billion people worldwide use social media. What many business owners don’t realize is that social media is also a great place to market themselves. Relevant, topical, timely posts, photos, and videos to networks like Facebook, Instagram, Twitter, YouTube, and LinkedIn are effective ways to do this. Customers and fans of your business will happily share your posts and spread the word for you. You can also pay for advertisements that target specific groups of people on social media, often for an extremely low cost.
The Chamber of Commerce and other local professional groups and organizations are a great way to get attention for your business. Participating in events and networking with other local business owners will help you gain credibility and customers. In many cases, member businesses are more inclined to do business with fellow members than non-members. Keep in mind that you may have to pay a membership to join, but the cost is easily recovered by the new business that it creates.
Even if your business is located in a very small community, you can’t expect people to just know that you’re there. You have to put effort into marketing activities that promote your products and services or you’ll miss out. The nine suggestions mentioned in this article are powerful individually but when combined, they’re hard to beat. Remember, you don’t need a huge marketing budget or a lot of experience to make a major impact on current and potential customers.
If you need help implementing these ideas into your marketing plan, we would be delighted to help, give Level Up a call today at (888) 754-5164.
