Local Online Marketing: Strategies in Increasing Foot Traffic

So you’re planning to start your business in a local setting? Well, the first step of any successful business is getting the word out to your target audience. Are you opening up a sneaker store in your area? You’ll have to target millennials. Are you setting up a tech store? You’ll have to focus more on digital means of advertisement. While there’s no problem with using traditional means of advertising your product, there’s bound to be more engagements from online marketing means. Most local businesses that invest in their online “image” get more customers than usual. Compared to most online businesses or are already large enough to take on the international market, local companies will need to have their marketing level. The conventional forms of marketing that might work for online and global companies might not work for those that are in the local business. Since these strategies don’t typically work for local establishments, “unconventional” marketing tactics are among the best ways of boosting foot traffic to your business.

Essential Strategies for Every Local Business

For the most part, people think it’s easier to run local businesses in rural areas, mainly since word will quickly spread regarding your business or services. But when it comes to businesses in urban areas and proximity to different competitions, they might get easily drowned in the competition. Here’s what you can do to level up your marketing game for your local business:

Make Your Domain Mobile-Friendly

Let’s face it: when people hear about a particular business, they don’t go to their laptop. They usually search for it on their phone. It’s great that you might have your own website, but you’ll have to make sure that your website is friendly to mobile users. The first quarter of 2020 saw that 51% of websites were accessed through smartphones and mobile devices rather than on standard browsers. Several industries need to have sites; most of the time, these sites will serve as portfolios for events. That is especially useful for media and content-heavy businesses, such as wedding photographer and videographer packages. Having a mobile-responsive site that can work well with various mobile applications can help ensure that customers will have the much-needed information they’re looking for.

Focus on Geography

Since you’re setting up a business that’s catered towards the local scene, it’s only logical that you want customers coming in. Hyper-local keywords that target specific towns, sites, and streets can help search engines map out the location of your business. Geofencing is a way of targeting a specific demographic through the use of your geography. Do people love sportswear? You might want to target individuals who are gym members or members of sports clubs.

Use Social Media Marketing

Social media platforms are usually equipped with different options for uploading content. Most of the time, businesses have been using social media to advertise various products and services. Around 71% of local startup businesses use social media since it’s the best way of reaching out to the public. Local businesses that are active in social can also easily interact with customers for deliveries and other services.

Make Your Business “Official”

Most of the time, search engines are crawlers that will make “legit” sites have better rankings in terms of SEO. Listing your business in an online directory will help funnel more customers towards your site, especially if it’s related to a geographic location and address. Google incorporates several tools, such as the My Business Messaging Tool, which helps convert brands into listings.

Get Some Testimonials Going

Want to dispel any doubts that you have about your business? Testimonials are a tried and tested way of removing any doubt that potential customers might have. Contrary to popular understanding, reviews are, in fact, different from testimonials. While there might be good reviews to your business, there will probably be criticisms that will touch on “negative” parts. Compared to reviews, testimonials are a good way of letting your customers what they want to hear. That filters out reviews that might place your business in a bad light. Still, most successful business owners would address criticisms regarding your business as this will show customers and clients that you’re willing to adapt to what the public wants. There are several ways of marketing your business when it’s just locally situated. Even the traditional means of spreading the word with pamphlets, advertisements, and promotional materials through billboards will work well for local businesses. But with recent innovations in marketing and services being migrated towards a more digital audience, it’s easier to get hold of customers and increasing foot traffic in your area.