TIPS FOR OPTIMIZING YOUR LOCAL MARKETING STRATEGY
BY HEIDI MCIVOR ALLEN
No matter what industry you’re in or what size your business is, an effective local marketing strategy is a must for building community awareness and managing your business’s reputation. After all, your most important audience is your immediate radius of local customers. This approach also helps businesses build relationships with customers and network with other businesses in the local community, which can help you grow your business into a thriving community of its own.
At McIvor Marketing, we’ve helped numerous businesses across a range of industry verticals AND sizes develop winning local marketing strategies. In this blog post, we’re sharing some of our top local marketing tips and tactics. By no means is this list exhaustive, but reading to learn more about how you can attract more customers in your area!
FOCUS ON GOOGLE BUSINESS PROFILE AND SEARCH ENGINE RANKINGS
Your Google Business Profile should be the foundation of your local marketing strategy. Make sure your profile is complete, accurate, and regularly updated. Add high-quality photos and logos, respond to reviews as they’re posted, and use Google Posts to share updates, events, and limited-time offers. These strategies will improve your visibility in local search results while serving potential customers need-to-know information about how to find or contact you.
Focusing on your local search engine optimization (SEO) and visibility is particularly important for reaching nearby customers who may be looking for you, but not your business specifically. SEO ensures you meet your target audience in the right place at the right time.
In your website content, meta descriptions, and headers, include location-specific keywords. Create location pages for each of your business’s locations with unique content and local information, like your city and state in title tags and meta descriptions.
TIP: Make sure your website is mobile-friendly! Most local searches happen on mobile devices, so optimize your site for fast loading times, simple navigation, and clear call to action.
ENGAGE WITH LOCAL CONTENT MARKETING
Creating content that appeals to your local audience will also benefit your local marketing efforts. Unique local content may come in the form of stories about your business’s local community involvement, events going on in your community, or tips about services and products relevant to your area.
For example, if your business is geared toward health and wellness, you might write blog posts about the best local parks for doing yoga. On the other hand, an automotive dealership might share guides on hybrid versus fully electric vehicles on its blog.
JOIN THE COMMUNITY ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Content shouldn’t be limited to your website or Google Business Profile–make your business visible on social media! Social media platforms like Facebook, Instagram, TikTok, and Nextdoor are excellent tools for connecting with nearby customers. Share local news, participate in community discussions, join groups with other local businesses, and show your involvement at community events.
TIP: Consider partnering with local influencers or micro-influencers to expand your reach and credibility in your city or region.
LOCALIZE YOUR MARKETING EFFORTS WITH MCIVOR MARKETING
The strategies we’ve outlined above are just a handful of the many ways you can build a thriving customer base within your local community. Local marketing also extends to email marketing, directory and review management and geo-targeted paid advertising. However, a successful local marketing strategy requires a solid understanding of your community’s needs and a tailored approach.
Interested in learning more about how you can incorporate local marketing into your larger digital marketing strategy?
Contact McIvor Marketing today!
Want to Read 5 Marketing Tips for Small Businesses?
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