You can have the most amazing business, beautiful store, high-quality products...but if no one knows your business exists, you will have a hard time reaching your target audience.
We are all for supporting local businesses and helping them succeed - which is why we are putting together some useful pieces of advice, know-how and simple strategies to help give your business a boost -- locally
Online Presence
It's no secret that people are always connected on some device, whether it's their phone, tablet or computer. When someone is looking for a particular service, product or restaurant, they will search online. It's so important for your business to have an online presence and to come up in search results in the search engines -- even better if you can rank on the first page of search results too!
Where should your business have a presence online?
Business Website
Google My Business Listing
Social Platforms (Facebook, Instagram, Twitter etc.)
Business Citations
Other niche platforms such as Houzz, if you are a designer, contractor, or sell home furnishings to name a few industries
If your business does not have a website, it's time to get one. There are plenty of platforms that make it easy to get a website up and running quickly - even if you have no experience in web development. We work on several platforms depending on what the needs of our clients are, such as Shopify, WordPress and Squarespace, but if a client of ours wants to be able to make changes, add products and really needs a super-easy, user-friendly backend, we recommend using Wix. There are plenty of pre-made templates to choose from, even suggested text depending on what your industry is. Also, Wix offers a pretty sweet deal after a few days of signing up, where you can save 50% off of all premium plans (just needed to mention that!).
Need help with a new or existing website? Let us know!
Social Media Sites, Google My Business and Business Citations, Oh My!
To put this simply, you need an online presence that spans beyond just having a website. When you have an active presence on social sites, like Facebook, the more your company name will saturate the search results. Be active on your social media business pages, share company updates, promos and connect on a human level with your audience.
It's also important to make sure the NAP (Name, Address, Phone Number) for your business is listed the same, consistency, across the board on business listing sites. This is a ranking factor that is especially important in local search. Google My Business is like the best of both worlds, you can optimize your business and maps listing as well as post content that will show up right at the bottom of the knowledge panel you see in search results.
Learn more about local business listings, and check your business citations on Moz.com
Build Relationships
When it comes to business, one of the most important aspects of it, is building positive, meaningful relationships. Those relationships can be reaching your customers online through valuable content you are providing, or in-person by helping to support a local cause in your community. This can help raise brand awareness locally and promote your business to your local audience.
Another great way to reach your local audience and keep them coming back for more is to create a loyalty program. By creating a program where you provide value to your customers, and reward them for their loyalty, is a really great way to help retain customers.
Learn more about building a customer loyalty program from HubSpot
There are many creative ways you can take to market your business locally. Brainstorm some ideas, create a strategy and execute!
Want a Free Marketing Plan Template?