How to Attract More Local Business With Online Marketing

Some of the most loyal customers you can have are the ones close to your physical location. So, putting a strategy in place to attract more local business will always make perfect sense!

Attracting more local customers has several other benefits too. As well as providing solid opportunities to grow your business, it helps boost the economy in your neighborhood. Local customers also provide better control over customer relationships, increasing valuable word-of-mouth referrals. With sustainability also having an impact, it really is a great time to do local business.

Even though the digital age has sparked significant growth in global business, there have been some recent changes. The Covid-19 pandemic shifted consumer attention back to local products, services, and experiences. With consumers now searching for additional value, it's your chance to give it to them!

With such an open market and more competitors than ever, drawing customers back to your local business isn't easy. As with everything though, a change in perspective can make all the difference.

Instead of viewing the internet as something that’s taking your local business away, see it as an opportunity. The internet can help draw in more local customers than ever before! To get you started, we’ve listed seven ways of doing just that.

Know your audience and how to target them

‘Knowing your audience’ might sound like marketing 101, but when was the last time you examined your local audience? Separating your audience into smaller groups and profiling them is the key to defining your marketing approach.

While it might sound a little bit old-school, we’re big fans of creating buyer personas. Especially when it comes to local customers, the more specific you are, the better!

To start building your customer personas, focus on:

• Age
• Location
• Interests
• Behavioral traits
• Pain points

After this, examine the social media channels these customers like to use and the type of value proposition that appeals to them the most. The best thing about local customers is that they’re much easier to read than customers further afield. So make use of your local knowledge and appeal to them in a way that non-local competitors can’t.

Tip: If you want your digital content to suit a more general audience, you can still do this. Use temporary content such as Instagram Stories to target customers in specific locations. This way, you can speak directly to local customers, without affecting the appeal of your feed to international audiences.

Ensure that your Google Business Profile is up-to-date

Did you know that over half of Google Business Profile interactions produce website visits? This is unsurprising considering the power Google holds over SEO ranking. 

Google is often the first port of call for consumers with a specific pain point. But for local customers, having solutions available to them within their vicinity is a big selling point.

Sustainability and the local economy aside, customers recognize the benefits local companies provide. As well as faster delivery times (or pick-up), there's no hidden import charges or international customer service to worry about.

For your customers to associate local benefits with your business, they need to know that you're local! This is why creating and updating your Google Business Profile is essential.

Alongside your full address, check that your Google Business Profile has the following in place: 

• The opening hours that you operate 
• Your most recent contact details
• An accurate and targeted description of your business

Without a Google Business Profile, you’re allowing your local customers to seek out alternatives. Show them that everything they need is already right under their nose! 

Don’t forget! Make sure every section of your Google Business Profile is complete but don't forget to engage with reviews and questions too. The more information associated with your Google Business Profile, the better.

Have a local SEO strategy in place

Having a fully complete Google Business Profile will naturally help your SEO rankings. However, if you want local customers to find you easily, it’s always best to have a local SEO strategy in place. 

If you’re operating businesses in multiple locations, it’s good practice to have individual pages on your website for each location. Claim local business listings for each location too! If you want more customers from a specific area, they need to know that you operate from there. 

Local reviews carry a sense of authenticity that general endorsements sometimes lack. So, highlight reviews and testimonials from local customers wherever possible. 

Join local Facebook groups

Did you know that using Facebook groups for business marketing is having a bit of a moment? As well as creating your own groups for nurturing customer relationships and sharing insights into your business or promotions, local companies are also utilizing local community Facebook groups. 

While physical notice boards in stores still exist, and ‘neighborhood watch’ groups are still an active concept, everything gets a digital equivalent eventually. Nowadays, community groups on Facebook are the place to be if you want to know exactly what’s happening in your local area!

If joining a local community Facebook group, it’s a good idea to:

• Engage in social listening to monitor what’s being said about your business in the group
• Ensure that your business account's privacy settings allow your posts to be shared within the group 
• Make sure you can be tagged in relevant posts by others
• Use the group to highlight promotions and local work carried out for satisfied customers (incl. photos and video)
• Respond to both positive and negative feedback as soon as possible!
• Ask happy customers to share positive feedback in community groups in return for a discount on their next purchase
• Actively engage with groups using both your business page and private Facebook accounts (it’s good for customers to be familiar with the face behind the local business)

Tip: In the case of negative feedback posted in a Facebook community group, respond publicly to the customer by acknowledging the need to investigate the matter further. Then ask the customer to DM you directly with an outline of their issue. This takes the conversation away from the public eye, while still showing that you’re taking action to resolve the matter. 

Network with local organizations and businesses

If your brand awareness needs some work, why not engage with entities that already have a strong presence within your local community? Partnering with local organizations and businesses not only helps raise your profile, it also helps authenticate your position and create a sense of camaraderie amongst those operating within the same area. 

Establishing a network of partners within your area is a great technique if you plan on operating within a particular community long-term. The ‘you scratch my back, I’ll scratch yours’ sentiment can get you far in community environments, so show your support to other organizations and they’ll be more likely to return the favor.

 

Don’t forget! Before engaging with other local businesses, it’s important to ensure that your website is user-friendly and running smoothly. First impressions count and a bad website is a sure way to lose out on potential engagement.

Run local competitions and promotions

Online marketing has opened up a whole new realm of creativity and innovation for companies who previously may not have had much opportunity to stand out in these areas. With so many digital tools at your disposal, ways to engage with your audience are more open than ever. That being said, some marketing techniques still can’t be beaten. 

Promotions and competitions are popular marketing techniques for a reason. Consumers love to feel as though they’re getting something for free (or are even in with a chance of getting something for free!). Additionally, customers who are already loyal to your brand love when this loyalty is rewarded. The psychology behind viral content marketing is fascinating, but ultimately, all you need to know is that promotions and competition campaigns really do work.

If you want to specifically target local customers with online promotions or competitions, ensure that you promote your campaigns in local online groups and, wherever possible, make use of shareable or user generated content. 

An interior designer can ask followers to choose which completed rooms are the best. An online shop owner can ask Facebook followers to choose their favorite item and tag a friend. Ways to show potential customers that you’re local and that you're great at what you do are limitless.

 

Establish yourself as an authority 

Collins Dictionary defines an ‘expert’ as “a person who has extensive skill or knowledge in a particular field”. Even if you don’t feel like you're an expert in your field, customers still want to feel like they’re receiving the best service possible for their money. 

With access to experts at a global level, it’s up to you to convince local customers that you can hold your own. If you’re not comfortable labeling yourself as an expert, it might be better to let your content do the talking!

Blogs are a great way of getting others to see your knowledge and form a higher opinion of you and your profession. By sharing blogs with a local target audience, you can become the first person they think of when a need arises.

Tip: People who have never used your services will still recommend you if you give them enough reason. Within local communities, people like to talk — so give them something to say about you!

If you’d like to discuss an in-depth strategy for attracting local business, the team at 406 would be happy to help! Reach out and we’ll get the conversation started!