Local Marketing CAN WORK…
for any type of business whether you really are only local to the place you want to market to or whether you’re a global business. Often, globally or national businesses don’t think about the fact that local marketing can still work for them, especially when they’re a small business being run by a single proprietor. However, you can and should include local marketing no matter where your business is. Here are 10 easy local marketing ideas that can work for any business.
1. Start a Local Niche Group on Facebook
The remarkable thing about Facebook is that you can create as many groups as you want to. You can create them for different locations so that you can learn more about your audience in those local areas. Doing this will give you an inside into their thoughts and problems that you can use everywhere.
2. Go to Local Networking Events
In your own local area, especially near towns of at least 50 thousand people, there are going to be lots of local networking events that business owners can attend. You can sign up with the local chamber of commerce to start, but there are likely even more events than that. Even if you aren’t based locally, you can work local networking events into your travel or if the market is ideal for you, make a special trip to get involved with the local networking scene.
3. Add Your Business to Local Directories
One thing you must be careful about is that many directories don’t let you have more than one listing per phone number. You can get more numbers via some of the online services like Google Voice and others. Make sure that you look for directories that may be specific to your niche in addition to more general business listings.
4. Contribute Content to Local News Outlets
Locally there are magazines, newspapers, TV shows, radio shows and more that you can be interviewed on and submit content to. Give them a reason to want to feature your story, and you may soon find yourself to be a local celebrity in that area.
5. Host a Local Contest
You can kick things off by hosting a contest for your audience who live in specific locations only. Choose a contest that causes buzz. For example, get participants to make a video that can be easily shared. Contests can be structured around local favorite events to gain additional popularity.
6. Optimize Your Site for Local Search
This won’t cost you much at all. Set up your site, or at least a page on your site with local search terms. Don’t keyword stuff, think about the words and the content you put on that page before doing it. You want visitors to feel special when they visit not that they’ve just landed on a page full of the same few words over and over.
7. Speak Publicly in Locations You Want to Be Known
There are always event planners looking for speakers. Create a few different talks that can be adjusted for each audience. Create a “one-sheet” and start submitting to organizations you’d like to speak with. If you’re willing to start out without charging you can get popular very fast.
8. Host Workshops Locally
This is an excellent opportunity to start with a small group of interested people and then by publicizing what you did with that group parleying it into news and content that is locally focused on getting even more attention.
9. Create More Locally Focused Content
When you are focusing on a location consider creating more locally focused content. You may have to get creative doing it, but adding local events, and other related information to your content will help.
10. Create an Influencer Marketing Campaign
One fast way to break into any local market is to find local influencers to mention your name or product. You can often work with multiple influencers at the same time too. Leveraging their credibility can help you infinitely boost your popularity.
Remember…
By using some (or all!) of these local marketing strategies, you can soon find yourself with more potential customers ready to learn more about you. Don’t be afraid to try different things until you find exactly what works for you.
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Written By
Holly Kile – Marketing Assistant