Getting your business off the ground takes an immense amount of work. Just getting to the point where you’re officially open can be difficult.
Of course, once you’ve opened you still have a huge amount of decisions to make. Take marketing, for instance. It can be easy to get lost in talk of websites, global outreach, massive email campaigns, and in-depth SEO best practices.
Those are all great techniques, but too many businesses forget to take care of the opportunities that are much closer to home. Never forget to begin locally. Promoting your business locally not only builds a customer base, but it will also teach you valuable marketing practices that you can apply on a wider basis later on.
The Small Business Association estimates that there are over 627,000 businesses open annually in the USA. That’s a lot of new businesses! Unfortunately, it’s also a lot of noise and competition that your new business needs to cut through.
Promoting yourself locally is a crucial first step to getting a leg up. We’ll cover the two basic areas in which you can focus your efforts to promote your business locally.
Promote your business in person
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Advertise locally
An old method that can still pay dividends. Check out local newspapers, free community advertising magazines, and local bulletin boards. Never underestimate the value of a small poster in the local coffee shop!
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Put your information on vehicles
It’s a tried-and-true method for various tradesmen, so what’s to say it won’t work for you? It also doubles as a way to establish a certain visual style for your brand at the same time.
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Join a local business group or chamber of commerce
Especially on the local level, a lot of businesses still network through local business groups. And the chances are good that your nearby chamber of commerce still provides a business directory for its members, and maybe even a discount to member services. Either way, there’s usually only a minimal cost to a membership – with a lot of potential upsides.
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Donate to charity, give back to the community in the name of your business
Community charity drives tend to be dominated by big-name corporate sponsors, but there’s no reason a new local business can’t do something similar. Host a charity drive or partner on the big race or parade. There are a number of ways to go about this, but be sure to work with a local charity.
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Offer discounts and a loyalty program
Never underestimate the potential rewards of a good loyalty program. Whether it’s a simple “5th coffee is free!” punchcard or something more complicated, loyalty programs can provide a long-term boost to your business. They’re also great networking tools; you can partner with other local businesses to offer discounts for their own loyalty program members, and vice versa.
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Be active in your community
Less a specific action and more a general principle. Set up a booth at a local market or sponsor a youth sports team. Support local high school activities. The possibilities are nearly endless; just be sure that you’re actively reaching out to your local community.
Promote your business online
‘Local’ and ‘online’ might seem a bit contradictory, but there are lots of good ways to keep your focus local but utilize the Internet.
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Google my business
Like it or not, we live in a Google-centric world, various pieces of data have shown that anywhere between 70-80% of people search online before visiting a local business. And the first thing they will see is your Google my business profile – make sure it’s visible and optimized or you’ll fall at the first hurdle.
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Google map pack and local results
If people aren’t searching for your business by brand name they’re googling one of your services e.g. ‘carpet cleaner near me’. They’ll see two sets of results, both of which will be personalized by location – first they’ll see the traditional ‘map pack’ of results, then the standard results which for local searches will bring back local businesses. If you play your SEO cards right this source of business can be huge for a local business.
Playing your cards right involves some work. You’ll need a mobile friendly website, well written website copy combined with some local SEO optimization.
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Yelp & other local business sites
A go-to for business reviews and reports, Yelp is a lot of people’s first stop for information about your business. Make sure it’s up to date! Better yet, read and respond to reviews, particularly constructive ones. Search for your service locally and you’ll find more sites like Yelp on page one that you can apply to and gain exposure.
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Increase social media presence
Simply creating an Instagram account won’t do much for your business, but if you take the time to like and follow other local businesses you can start to develop a following. And if you approach it correctly, much of that following can be other locals, giving you an instant reach into your community. It takes work, so make sure that all of your social media accounts from Facebook to Instagram to Twitter are well-run and not just haphazard efforts.
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Partner with a well-known local influencer
If there’s a well-known influencer from your area, consider a partnership with them. Many of their own followers are likely to be locals, and you can boost your own brand by partnering with someone they admire and trust.
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Create an email list and add subscribers
It’s basic stuff, but don’t forget those email campaigns! They still provide one of the best ROI’s in the business; they’re simple to create, easily customizable, and can be designed to focus on the local market.
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Publish useful blog info monthly
If you’re running a blog on your website, keep it active and growing. Don’t post fluff and filler material, but focus on useful information. It can even be a guide to local businesses!
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Become an authority on Facebook
Everyone’s already an authority on Facebook, we know. But there’s always room for actual expertise. Join local business groups or community groups on Facebook, even if they’re not directly related to your business. Better yet, create a group to foster discussion of a particular topic – car repairs, SEO best practices, a guide to excellent coffee, anything. Within that group, don’t be pushy with marketing drives. Instead, just work to establish yourself as the voice of knowledge and reason. When people do need help in that area, they’ll naturally turn to you.
Conclusion
Local business promotion is easy to overlook in an era when we think of markets as global. But it’s always worth investing in good local promotions either online or in-person. In general, they’re easy to do, and a devoted local clientele is invaluable to the success of your business.