Small businesses must focus on the local market because trying to spread too far and wide would prove detrimental. Since the businesses are small in their size and capabilities, focusing on the local market will help to maximize its potential in customer engagement and reap the benefits of more lead generations and higher conversions which is the ultimate measure of success. Customers want to buy goods that are available nearby and normally browse the internet to identify the sources near them. It provides enough reason for small businesses that mainly rely on their physical location for conducting business to focus on the local market, explains Eric Dalius, a successful marketing expert who has gone through the transition of marketing from physical to digital.
The specialty of local marketing
Realizing that customers are keen to identify supply sources nearby for the convenience of buying, small businesses use it as an opportunity by targeting customers within a fixed zone around their physical location. For determining the boundaries of the target market, small businesses consider how soon and how conveniently customers can reach them. The marketing tactics focus upon the audience within a reasonable driving distance, including those who can walk down a few minutes to access the business.
Types of businesses that benefit from local marketing
Although many types of businesses can benefit from local marketing, it is indispensable for some special types of businesses. A typical example is the restaurant business that mostly relies on people located nearby who can turn into loyal customers whether they prefer to dine in or delivery services. The nature of the restaurant business is such that it remains static in its physical location. A similar local marketing strategy is most appropriate for professionals like lawyers and accountants as they can maximize their reach within a fixed distance. However, going beyond it might be necessary occasionally.
List your business on business directories
Despite focusing on the local audience, having an online presence is a must for small businesses, and besides creating a website, listing the business on online directories like Google My Business Listing is almost mandatory. Claiming your business son Google My Business lends high credibility and trust as customers can easily locate the business with the help of directions, maps, addresses, and other contact details. However, keep all information updated so that there is no scope for any confusion.
Add local flavor to the content
While your website pages must have relevant and useful content that generates closer engagement with the audience, create some landing pages with exclusive local focus so that it creates a compelling attraction for the local audience. This is especially applicable for businesses with multiple locations but would like to reach out to the audience of the specific locations. The content of these pages should be specific to your business, explains Eric J Dalius.
Engage online and encourage positive reviews
Closely track your satisfied customers and encourage them to leave positive reviews online on any social media platform like Facebook, Google Reviews, Yelp, etc. You can even offer incentives for writing positive reviews byways of discounts and other promotions.
Sponsoring or hosting local community events increase the audience engagement many more times.
Eric Dalius is The Executive Chairman of MuzicSwipe, a music and content discovery platform designed to maximize artist discovery and optimize fan relationships. Eric is also the host of weekly podcast “FULLSPEED” which is a podcast that features interviews with groundbreaking entrepreneurs from a variety of industries.Eric is also the founder of “Eric Dalius Foundation” where he has created 4 scholarships for US based students. Follow Eric on Twitter,Facebook,LinkedIn,Instagram & also on Entrepreneur.com