Did you know that 97% of people learn more about a local company online than any other medium?
What is Local Marketing?
Local marketing aims to target consumers within a certain radius within the physical location of a business. While local marketing is important for any business, if you’re a local bricks and mortar business then the stakes are that much higher!
Not only is local marketing becoming more important as a ‘must have’ digital marketing strategy for the increased number consumers look to support their local communities, but also due to the ever-growing number of people using a mobile device.
While local marketing is an on-going process that you should be highly engaged with, we’ve short-listed 5 local marketing strategies that you can implement today!
Local searches lead 50% of mobile users to visit stores within 24 hours – HubSpot
1. Localise Your Website
We’ll start with some low hanging fruit. If you already have a website, then making it more localised is an easy 1st step to take.
First of all, review your website’s content and tailor it so that it is more relevant towards your local market. An easy way to do this is to simply include your location.
For example, if you’re a local café that specialises in whole foods, then why not change the wording on your website from ‘Whole Food Café’ to ‘Whole Food Café Palm Beach’.
You can do this for your entire website and then branch out to your social media profiles, advertising etc. so that it is all consistent.
If you have multiple locations, you can take this a step further by adding specific location pages to your website. Just remember though, if you are adding more than one location page, be sure to keep the content unique and don’t forget to include the important details such as your business name, address, phone number, email address or anything else that would be relevant to a local customer.
BONUS: Localising your website isn’t just great for local customers – it’s great for SEO!
2. Make Sure Your Website is Mobile Friendly
In 2020, it simply isn’t good enough to just have any old website – especially if you want to maximise the number of leads and enquiries that come from it. A mobile friendly website means that your website can be viewed optimally on any device, as it automatically resizes itself to fit on any screen.
Plus, mobile friendly websites load quicker and make for a more positive UX (User Experience) with users being able to navigate around seamlessly.
While making your website mobile responsive sounds pretty involved, it’s actually very easy to implement and maintain. Just ask any good web design company, and they will be able to create a mobile friendly website for you in no time!
Not sure if your website is mobile friendly? Take Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test tool.
Did you know that 61% of mobile searchers are more likely to contact a local business if they have a mobile-friendly site? – HubSpot
3. Invest in Local SEO
Local SEO is a digital marketing tactic that can get your website ranking in Google for locally relevant search terms. The first step is to localise your website (refer to the above step 1) and then continue to create and promote quality and relevant local content.
Furthermore, be present and promote local community events both on and offline for great exposure and word of mouth.
TIP: Take your local SEO further by hiring an SEO Specialist. They have the tools, tips, resources and experience to supercharge your SEO efforts!
4. Claim Your Local Listings on Third-Party Websites and Directories
There are no shortage of third-party websites and local directories on the web that help point consumers in the right direction when they are browsing online. And as a local business, this is potential web traffic that you do not want to miss out on!
Plus, these sites are extremely important in helping with your SEO Strategy, as they provide consistent details about your website online.
When it comes to claiming your online listings, your first stop should be Google My Business. Your Google My Business or GMB listing, allows your business information to show up accurately when people search for your name, industry, products, or services in Google.
The beauty of a GMB Listing, is that you can even take it a step further and use it as a highly reputable online portal to acquire customer reviews, questions and gallery. You can create your Google My Business account in just a few steps.
5. Go Local with Social Media
Social Media is a great free way that businesses can engage with their local community. After you have completed your business profile with as much information about your business as possible, it’s time to get social.
Be sure to use your social media accounts for a variety of different posts (with a local focus when appropriate), rather than just using it is a sales tool.
So – it’s time to start acting on your local marketing. If you are interested in learning more or want to leave your local marketing to the professionals, then DigitUX is here to help – just get in touch!