Marketing to the locals

If you run a business where local customers are its lifeblood stay tuned. We’ll cover what “local” means online how your business can be found by people that are physically near you and why local marketing and mobile are a match made in heaven. But first, here’s Mike of Cotswold Balloon Safaris to tell us a bit about his approach to local marketing. (Mike) So a significant part of my business is the need to attract local customers. Part of my strategic plan was to be able to reach out to those and I was able to do that as far as listing specifics.

Instead of just general or more generic terms of balloon flight Cotswold or hot air balloon rides there’s was always then to be more specific you know, balloon flights, Cirencester. When you then are able to compare it then with analytics and cross-reference the two you can see how effective it is.

There’s no quick, easy formula for it. You’ve got to be able to monitor “Oh, that seems to work.” And the benefits of doing that is not only in sort of digital or online presence but also in a real world, you’re known.

You’re getting more presence in the community. It’s just a general benefit. You might dream of growing your company into that global brand or your goal might be to be big fish in your neighborhood pond.

Either way, the Web can help. So, what do we mean by “local” exactly?

We’re talking about businesses with an actual shop like a bicycle shop or a hair salon. But we’re also talking about a service area business that goes out to meet with customers like a gardener or a plumber. These businesses usually sell products and services to people who live nearby and also people who are visiting from afar. For example, a potential customer might live hundreds of miles away but she’s coming into your town and she’s on holiday.

So, she’s looking for a place to rent a bicycle while she’s there.

These types of local businesses used to rely on tools like the phonebook to connect with customers looking for their products and services. If a person wanted to buy something like a bicycle, he might look up stores nearby and then visit a few to see what was available. Nowadays, people hunt for stuff from their sofas via laptops and tablets or they’ll browse the internet on mobiles to pass the time while standing in the queue. If they’re searching for a product or service, you offer and if they’re in your neighborhood is the perfect opportunity to get on their radar. So, how does a local search work?

Let’s take an example. A man wants to find a bicycle shop near his flat. He goes online and does a search for a bicycle shop including his city or neighborhood as one of the search terms. Next, he’ll get a list of local businesses including the address, phone number and the working hours.

If he’s on a mobile, he can click to ring the shop, or he might even use the mapping functionality of his smartphone so that he can get directions to the shop.

A great perk if he’s already out and about. How can you build a local online presence for your business? First and foremost be sure that your location details are on your website. If you have shop be sure to include your address and maybe even an interactive map so a customer can get directions plus your telephone number and your working hours. If you have a service area business be sure that your website explains what areas, you serve and how people can get in touch with you.

There are some very specific things that you can do to help local people become local customers and in the videos that follow we’ll cover the importance of local search listings like Google My Business, Ping Local and Yahoo Local. These tools can help lead potential customers to your local business. Local advertising opportunities on review sites, social networks and search engines are a great way to connect with your local customers on their mobile devices. Finally, search engine optimization will also help you find that local audience. Local businesses need to be seen by potential customers in the neighborhood on any device.

Someone looking to buy in a specific location is usually ready to pull out their wallets and you want to be their go-to shop. If you stick with us, you’ll learn how you can build and promote an online presence that ensures that’s just what happens.

https://www.sellingonline.com/?cf_affiliate_id=3175293&affiliate_id=3175293

Views: 0