If you own a local business and don’t have that much budget, local marketing creates better conversions and more reliable monthly earnings.
Problem is, many of these businesses are giving up local marketing efforts in favour of a national approach. This is because of the common misconception that a national approach is a superior option. Many people have been led to believe that focusing locally means a limited potential base while national marketing opens the door to a large number of possible consumers. While this is not entirely false, the logic ignores the level of scale required to convert customers nationally and the conversion benefits of local marketing.
Local marketing is less costly
It’s a commonly known fact that it takes a long journey for an individual to become a customer. We need to reach one potential buyer at least half a dozen times to get them to convert (or become a paying customer). This means you need both financial resources and time investment.
Using digital methods to this generally means using several mediums to attract and educate those potential customers to choose you. Among the common strategies include social media, digital ads, SEO, PR and email marketing. Stretching these marketing methods nationally is a major undertaking. And oftentimes it doesn’t even yield the results business owners expect.
Digital traffic conversion works differently
A business owner with a storefront in a major city recently described her decision to build out an ecommerce platform on Shopify and begin promoting nationally. She spent about ten months using this method on a $3,000 monthly budget and found her sales did not increase. Her storefront revenue was between $32,000-$43,000 per month while her online shop made only $3,000-$7,000 on average.
With $30,000 spent and hundreds of team hours dedicated to building and managing the online store, she felt defeated. She wondered why she wasn’t converting customers and was making significantly less than her local storefront revenue when traffic to her store was much lower than that on the site.
An audit of her site revealed a number of issues including poor photographic visuals, product pages with little to no description and no customer retargeting built into her site. This meant her shop was not only giving a poor impression, but was also not building a long-term connection with people who had visited in the past.
By contrast, her in-person shop was located on a busy neighbourhood avenue, which meant passersby could get exposure to her brand subconsciously as part of their daily routines. Once they were in her system, she sent them coupons to return and commonly held special events to entice local customers to come in. That’s an entirely different customer experience, which is why her brick-and-mortar store was many times more successful than her online endeavour.
Location is a differentiator
Location is not only a cheaper marketing strategy, it is also a differentiating factor that can assist in the decision-making process for customers.
For example, you’re currently seeking a pre-purchase inspection service. You may be glad to find that potential support is located in the same city. Location can mean you have something in common and potentially reduces a trust barrier by creating proximity.
In some industries, location can be an especially relevant advantage because your company may also be connected with other local resources to support a major project. For example, an event planner may technically be able to work anywhere, but a local focus means having a list of vetted and quality local vendors and resources. This not only can save time but also ensure a quality event experience.
National campaigns can make out-of-market targeting
Your local market may actually be too small or not have enough need for your product or service. In this case, a great way to expand without going fully national would be to create a regional campaign. Or you can specify your target cities or states. This allows you to expand your market without stretching your budget too thin.
To do this, you have to perform solid market research. You need to make sure you’re choosing the best possible markets that both need your services. One last thing to ensure is that your potential markets should not already be saturated with providers.
Start local, national later
A better strategy would be starting local and working your way outwards. It is a great way to maximize your advertising budget. That way you can also build a foundation for future national campaigns.
For example, a local law firm that conducted a local SEO campaign to boost his brand locally also found that its national rankings grew simultaneously.
Going national later allows you to have a smaller test market to experiment with. By focusing on local marketing, you also maximize conversions before going to a broader market. Remember a broader market has less wiggle room in budget for testing ideas.
No matter your industry, local marketing is a highly valuable platform for growing your business and an essential component of a successful digital marketing campaign. One final point would be making sure you are found on all the major and relevant local search properties. For example, if you are a dentist, being listed on the dental association website may get you more leads as people living and working in your area can find you there.
In addition to industry-specific directory sites, marketing platforms like Top4 greatly helps promote your brand to a whole new local market.
Our unique #1 location-based Top4 Marketing platform is equipped with world-class technology that will help improve and strengthen your business online. Through Biz Categories, Top4 lists the top, most trusted local business in your area and makes it easier for your potential customers to find you.
To find out how we can help you with your Website + Marketing, using our unique location marketing platform called Top4, get in touch today at www.top4marketing.com
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Source: Top4Marketing & Entrepreneur