If you’ve got the money, there’s no arguing that mass marketing can work. However, for everyone else who doesn’t have the budget of Coca-Cola or McDonald’s, local marketing is a better choice.
Before we jump into effective strategies, let’s understand why exactly local marketing is a stronger choice.
Spillage
When it comes to marketing, spillage is a term that refers to any effort that doesn’t work. If you use a shotgun approach (lots of less-targeted messages) you’re likely to hit the bullseye at least a few times. However, you’re also going to be wasting a lot of pellets around the bullseye, to no effect.
Brand Evangelism
Instead of increasing brand awareness through mass advertising, proper targeting means you can make a bigger impact on your customers. By focusing on the right people, you can make sure your time and efforts are more rewarded. It will also likely lead to those customers spreading your brand awareness themselves.
Let’s get to the strategies.
SEO
If you have a solid place for potential customers to land (namely, a website), you’ve likely heard about the importance of Search Engine Optimization. However, you should be using SEO to target more locally!
Especially true for retail or eCommerce businesses, including geographic keywords along with your other keywords is a fantastic way to attract local consumers. So, instead of just targeting “Men’s Shoes”, also target “Men’s Shoes in [insert city name]”.
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Social Media
Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, or LinkedIn, whatever social media you choose, there are tools available to target locally.
If you’re going the paid promotion route, make sure to use all the filtering options at your disposal. For organic posts, there are also targeting filters you can use and don’t forget to include geographic hashtags to niche down your audience!
Local Events
It goes without saying that local events are a fantastic place to target local customers. However, there are more than a few ways to get involved.
First, you can host an event yourself. A great place to start is with a workshop or seminar showcasing your expertise and giving attendees valuable information. Second, you could join an event that is already taking place. Finally, you can also sponsor local events, depending on your business. For that last one, always be aware there will inevitably be some spillage.
Reviews
There is one fatal mistake that businesses make when it comes to reviews: they don’t ask for them!
Online reviews and testimonials are crucial for establishing trust in your brand and the vast majority of consumers will look for them before making a purchase. Asking for a Google review or testimonial doesn’t have to be difficult and most will happily oblige if you went above and beyond.
The worst thing they can do is say no!
Networking
Get out from behind your desk!
Meeting other business owners in your community can do wonders for your own business. You might gain valuable insight into the community, or spark an idea for a local partnership. Also, business owners who know you personally are much more likely to recommend or refer customers to your business.