If you are a small business, you probably have limited resources and trouble knowing which marketing strategy to focus on. You want to grow your business as much as you can, but might not know exactly where to start.
Well, it’s nearly impossible to become a national brand without first focusing on the people you call your neighbors. This type of marketing (marketing to nearby communities, rather than the general population) is called “local marketing.” Local marketing is less about the quantity of people you are trying to reach and more about the proximity and relevant interests of people to your business.
YOU CAN RELATE
Feel like I am making you dream small? Let me get your attention with an example everyone can relate to.
If you are human, you probably from time to time get a demanding craving for delicious food. Maybe your particular favorite type of food is Indian. So, imagine it is a normal evening and you are suddenly in the mood for some really good Indian food in your area.
What do you do?
You pull out your smartphone and don’t just type in “good Indian food.” Instead, you type in “good Indian food, San Francisco”, or wherever you are at that moment (Does San Francisco actually have good Indian food? I’m not sure. Will have to Google that later). The main results you see are the companies who are focusing on local marketing.
NOT JUST FOR FOOD
People aren’t just Googling things when they are hungry. Nowadays, we pretty much Google everything. In fact, there are 10 billion searches on Google every month. Many of these searches are people looking for a specific product or service. Research shows that 81% of shoppers research online before making a big purchase. Additionally, 70% of location-based search results are within 1-10 miles from the user, meaning that Google is keeping people in the area.
You are probably already starting to understand why local marketing is so worthwhile, but I’m just getting started.
BENEFITS OF LOCAL MARKETING
People are already looking local anyways- With local search, you aren’t trying to convince people to search for you online. They are already searching; you are just making sure they can find you. On mobile alone, 32% of searches are related to a location.
Local marketing gets people in your store- 72% of consumers who perform a local search then visit a store within 5 miles of them. 50% of local searches lead to store visits within one day. That’s a lot higher than the people who just happen to be passing by your store and stop in.
Purchases- 28% of “nearby” searches result in an immediate purchase and 78% of mobile searches result in an offline purchase. Tell me you aren’t impressed!
New customers- 51% of smartphone users say they have discovered a new company or product when searching from their smartphones. People trust Google as much as they would a review from a good friend. So, when search engines show your business in a positive light online people think “this must be a good brand.”
WHAT YOU NEED TO DO
Search Engine Optimization:
61% of marketers say that improving SEO and growing their organic presence is their top inbound marketing priority. There’s a reason that number is so high. Without a strong SEO plan to make sure your business is listed above your competitors on a search engine, it doesn’t matter how amazing your product or services may be. Be willing to call in SEO experts for help.
Content Creation:
57% of marketers say relevant content creation is the most effective SEO tactic. Content helps drive traffic to your website which will improve your position in search results. It also helps with link-building and driving searches based on keywords. If you want a consistent stream of customers, you’ll need consistent, relevant, high-quality content.
Get on Maps:
You need your business findable on Apple maps, Google maps and Waze. This allows people to not only search by using their city name along with whatever they’re looking for, but also to simply search “Coffee near me.” The easier people can pull up directions on their smartphones, the easier it is for them to walk through the doors of your business.
Get Listed on All Things Local Search:
That means all major search engines including Google (obviously), Yahoo and Bing. Also be sure to get on major business listings such as Yelp, Foursquare, Local.com and Angie’s List. Getting on these lists usually comes down to creating an account and “claiming” your business.
Find Errors, Fix Errors:
As prevalent as local search is, businesses make many simple errors in their local listing information. Among these errors, 75% have an error in opening hours and 67% have an error with their phone number. Make a checklist and go through your own website information to ensure carelessness is never the reason you lose a potential customer.
ARE YOU CONVINCED?
The numbers don’t lie. In today’s digital world, local marketing is a must for all businesses. For more background on local search marketing, a reference to all statistics used in this article, and additional statistics check out the infographic below by Boostability and Navads.
