Are you struggling to attract local customers despite having a robust online presence?
Discover the top five strategies for adopting a local marketing mindset and connecting with the customers in your community.
A little over a month ago, I added a post about Google+ and business marketing that covered the “Search plus your world” function and how it will play into local marketing. While Google+ is still slowly rolling out their social media platform, the idea of local search is becoming more and more prevalent, particularly to the marketing universe. Let’s take a moment to consider some ideas for boosting your local presence…
Business Lead Widget 1
- Google’s smart search is trying to direct consumers to their local businesses more than ever and it doesn’t look like it will change. Instead of solely marketing to expand your presence, focus on appealing to the people in your backyard who are most likely to find you. Marketing locally also gives you opportunity to get involved with your community.
- Enhancing your website for local search means that you really need to be on it with your Search Engine Optimization. SEO is a constantly changing concept that requires attention to detail but is absolutely worth it in the end. Think of it as a way of letting search engines like Google know where your business is located, the area and audience that you serve, etc. This helps them direct people near you to your business.
- Press releases. These are great for targeting specific industries and audiences. Press releases target locally as well, making it perfect for creating a buzz in your area. Pricing on press releases range from totally free and up (can be way up). While paying the most probably isn’t a great idea, free press releases every time probably won’t do much for you in the long run.
- We’ve been hearing it for years, but social media networking is key. Friend-up with local businesses, share what’s going on with your business, comment on what’s new in your area… You know the drill.
- Make sure your local profiles are up-to-date! This one is often overlooked, simply because there are so many directories out there with your companies address. Take the time to make sure these are current! How do people find your business on the internet? Do they find you by Yelp, Google Maps, Yellow Pages, etc.? If your contact information isn’t correct when someone searches for you, that potential customer is as good as gone.
Always remember that even little guys can get big results with local search marketing and it will only continue that way. If you are in need of local business marketing, contact us today at (866)736-1232 and we can get you on the right path.
