How To Implement Local Marketing To Boost Visits

A great customer experience can help your small business stand out. Today’s customers want convenience, speed, and personalized buying journeys. To meet these expectations, you need a local marketing plan that focuses on all of the above.

Even the most seasoned marketers will tell you that local marketing is like a language of its own, and there is always more to learn. If you own a small business, you know that time is a precious commodity, and you probably don’t have any to waste. That’s why we compiled all of the information you need to get started on a local marketing plan that will help increase customer loyalty, reach new customers, and come out ahead of your competitors.

What is local marketing?

Marketing is the process of attracting customers to your business and enticing them to buy from you. It sounds straightforward—and a lot of marketing concepts are—but there is a lot of hard work that goes into building a local marketing plan.

You can break marketing down into two main categories: traditional marketing and digital marketing.

A traditional marketing strategy relies on media like magazines, radio, and newspapers while digital marketing relies on digital media such as social ads, email, and text/SMS. While both traditional and digital marketing tactics can help you reach your target customers, focusing solely on traditional marketing strategies isn’t enough.

Let’s dig into more of the difference between both, how to use local marketing in your customer journey, and best practices for improving that journey over time.

Marketing Terms You Need to Know

Rome wasn’t built in a day, and your marketing plan probably won’t be either. Let’s start with the basics. Marketing is like its own language—here are some terms you need to know:

• A/B test: Also known as split testing. Compare two versions of content to see which version performs better.
• Analytics: Data used to evaluate the effectiveness of your marketing plan.
• Bounce rate: The percentage of visitors that leave a website after only viewing one page. A low bounce rate indicates that visitors find your content relevant and useful.
• Conversion: What happens when a visitor on your website completes a desired goal. That goal is completely up to you—it can be anything from signing up for a newsletter to purchasing a product.
• Conversion rate: Calculated by dividing the total number of conversions by the total number of visitors to your website.
• Customer journey: Refers to all of the touchpoints a customer has with your brand. This starts the moment a customer starts searching for a product or service and continues even after a customer makes a purchase.
• Engagement rate: The total number of interactions (likes, shares, comments) with a post or piece of content divided by the number of people who saw it.
• Funnel: Similar to a customer journey. A funnel or a marketing funnel describes how a potential customer becomes a customer.
• Impressions: The number of times your content is displayed on a screen.
• Lead: A person or organization who shows interest in a brand’s products or services. Basically, a potential customer.
• Opt-in: A form of permission given to a brand by a customer, allowing the brand to send them emails, texts, or follow-up communication after a purchase.
• Persona: A fictional representation of your ideal customer. Creating a person can help you better understand your target audience.
• Prospect: A lead who has been moved into the sales process.
• Search engine marketing (SEM): Uses paid marketing tactics to appear in search engine results.
• Search engine optimization (SEO): Uses organic marketing optimization methods to appear in search engine results.
• Search engine results page (SERP): The page of results a search engine shows when you search for something online.
• Visitor: Someone who visits your website.
• Value proposition: The unique value you bring to your customers.

Building a Local Marketing Strategy

Now that you know the basics, it’s time to put that newfound knowledge to use. Don’t worry; we wouldn’t just dump all of that information on you without telling you how to start implementing it in your own business. Here are some steps you can take to start building your local marketing plan:

Decide Who Will Own Marketing at Your Business

First things first, you need to get clear on what your goals are and who will help you achieve them. Ask yourself:

• Will you have someone in-house take care of marketing or will you outsource the work?
• What marketing-related goals do you want to accomplish?
• What’s the timeline for hitting those goals?
• How will you determine whether or not you’re on track to meet those goals?

Create a Marketing Plan

You might want to get out a notebook or open a blank document for this section. We’re going to walk you through how to put together a marketing plan.

Getting Clear on Your Ideal Customer

If you want your marketing to be successful, it’s important to know who you’re trying to reach. Basically, you want to get really clear on all the essential information you can refer to when developing content messaging, campaigns, etc. Understanding who you are trying to target will help you create marketing campaigns that convert.

Remember that pen and paper we told you to have handy? Get those out now, and fill in the following information to create your ideal customer profile:

• Demographics: Demographic information tells you WHO your customer is. Demographic information includes things, like:
  • Age
  • Income
  • Education level
  • Marital status
• Psychographics: Psychographic information tells you WHY your customer buys. Psychographic information includes things, like:
  • Values
  • Lifestyle
  • Hobbies
  • Morals/beliefs
• Goals: If there are any blank spots in your ideal customer profile, surveys can be your best friend. Sending a survey is a quick way to gather a LOT of customer data—especially if you use a tool that allows you to send a survey to multiple customers at the same time.
• Customer Pain Points: A pain point is a problem someone would be willing to pay money to solve. A successful business solves pain points for its customers. Pain points could be related to finances, productivity, and processes. Ask yourself why your customers choose to do business with you. Maybe your target customer is a working professional who doesn’t have time to deep clean their home, so they come to you for monthly cleaning services. Or maybe they live in a cold, snowy climate and commute to work every day, so they come to you for snow tires that will help them drive safely. Once you know why your customers need you, you can target new prospects more effectively.
• Channel Preference: Finally, think about where your customers spend time—both in person and in the digital world. You could run the best marketing campaign in the world, but if your ideal customers don’t see them, they won’t buy from you. Once you figure out where your customers spend time, you can meet them in those spaces and try to capture their attention.

Brand Messaging

Once you know who your target audience is, you’re ready to start determining your differentiators. What makes YOU a better option than your competitors?

To do this, you need a core message they can identify with. Your core message should speak directly to your ideal customer. If you’re not sure what your core message is, start by determining your value proposition and the niche your business falls under. A niche is a specialized segment of the market for a particular kind of product or service. Knowing your niche gives you a solid foundation upon which to build your core message.

Determine your niche by answering these questions:

• Which market/industry are you in? For example: Retail, Home Services, Healthcare, Automotive.
• What market segment (a subset of your industry) are you in? For example: Furniture/mattress, Appliances, clothing/apparel; HVAC, Window coverings, Cleaning services, construction; Dental, Mental Health, Orthodontics, Hospital, private practice.
• What do you specialize in within that market segment? Your specialization is your niche.

• Industry = healthcare
• Market segment = dental
• Niche = pediatric

Brand Purpose

Your brand’s purpose is the “why” behind your brand, and it should be evident in every product or service you offer and in the way you do business with your customers.

Ask yourself why you do what you do, and what value you provide to your customers. Your brand’s purpose lies somewhere within the answers to these questions.

If you’ve made it to this point in the guide, you’ve either identified your target audience and gotten clear on your core message, or, at the very least, you’re equipped with the tools to do so. Your audience combined with your core message is the north star of your marketing plan. Let that north star drive all of your marketing-related decisions.

And remember: there is no one-size-fits-all marketing plan. Don’t be afraid to try new tactics—just make sure your decisions are data-driven and tie back to your core message. As you experiment with strategies, you’ll figure out what resonates with your customers and helps your business grow.

9 Local Marketing Strategies

The right local marketing tactics can attract new prospects and boost sales. Here are nine strategies small business owners should consider:

Confirm your website is mobile-friendly.

People research local businesses and shop through their phones, so it’s absolutely essential that your website is mobile-friendly. Make sure your website loads quickly across mobile devices and that your site’s text, navigation, and buttons are easy to read for a good user experience.

Localize your website.

Marketing for local businesses starts with your website. Think about what your local customers and audiences are interested in and create content around topics that are relevant and helpful. Make it clear that you’re marketing local products or services.

Claim your local listings on third-party websites and directories.

Third-party review websites like Yelp and business listing directories like Google My Business are key local online marketing tactics to help new customers find your business. Your Google Business Profile ensures your company’s correct information comes up when people search for your business or products.

Invest in local SEO.

To help local customers find your business, you need to use location-based SEO. For example, instead of generic keywords like ‘SUV dealership,’ focus on local SEO keywords such as ‘top SUV dealership in Denver’ or other terms relevant to your location and business.

Localize your paid advertising.

Incorporate location data, such as the name of your city or your store’s neighborhood, into your paid ads. This local business marketing tactic helps your target audience find your business when they do a local search online.

Go local on social media.

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram are a great way to connect with local customers and promote your business. You can add your location to your profile page and even tag locations in individual posts to help promote your business.

Be active in your community.

Showing support for your local community is a great way to showcase your business’s values and connect with more people. A few local marketing ideas to consider include sponsoring local events or partnering with another local business for a giveaway.

Don’t forget your local media.

A comprehensive local marketing plan includes local media opportunities, too. Consider placing a digital or print ad in your local newspaper or a regional magazine. Or, see if your business can be featured on a local news segment or a radio morning show.

Leverage your e-commerce activity.

Encourage local visitors by offering special discounts or promotions to online shoppers. A ‘buy online and get free store pickup’ offer or discount on their next in-store purchase can drive more customers to your store.

Final Thoughts

Small businesses continue to hold a special place in a local community’s heart. In order to compete with changes in consumer expectations—and big-box competitors—local businesses need to find new ways to connect with customers. Podium can help you do just that.

Our marketing and communications platform helps local businesses across industries, including retail, home services, automotive, healthcare, and more. Podium empowers your local marketing and business strategies, helping you increase leads and revenue, communicate more effectively with customers, and get more done in less time. Watch a demo to learn more.