Why Make a Local Connection? 6 Reasons to Market Locally
If you don’t have a local marketing strategy and you’re not taking steps to connect with your neighbors, you’re missing out. An online business can and does thrive when they market to its neighbors. And it’s not just an increase in sales that matters. As we explore the benefits of local search, we’ll talk about word of mouth, media coverage, and more.
Maybe you’re still thinking, “But I’m an online business, what on earth can local marketing offer me?” If so, here are three reasons to help you change your mind.
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A Community Connection
- We’ve already mentioned that many people prefer to spend their money locally. They know that it puts money back into the community, creates jobs, and reduces environmental by-products.
- Additionally, people enjoy being proud of their community. When they buy from local business owners, they feel a sense of pride and connection.
- Marketing locally helps you not only tap into that sense of community; you can also help build it. You can get involved in your community in simple ways and build your business.
- We’re talking about things like sponsoring, participating in charity events, and other community support initiatives. When you create that connection, you also build your business community.
- More people become aware of your business. They talk about you. They buy from you. Your business, and sales, grow.
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A Relevant Audience
- You know your audience, your global audience, well. You know who buys from you, why they buy from you, and the value that you have to offer. You know your neighbors well, too.
- Combine that information and you have the tools to create highly specific and effective marketing campaigns.
- Many businesses fall into the trap of thinking that local marketing means local search terms and group coupons or mailers.
- Sure, you can use those tactics and you can use them effectively. But you can also use online tactics like email marketing, social media, content marketing, and more.
- When you create and implement local marketing efforts, you reach a more relevant audience.
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Partnerships and Opportunities
- When you market locally, you’re going to start making personal connections with people in your community. You’re going to meet other business owners. You’re going to meet local media representatives. You may also meet local government leaders.
- These connections can be profitable. Here’s a simple example of what’s possible.
- An online website developer meets the owner of a massage school. He (or she) learns that the students have a difficult time marketing themselves when they graduate.
- He thinks he can help with that by creating a custom website for them.
- The massage school owner makes an introduction to the website developer at the end of the class.
- Students hire a website developer to get their massage business online and everyone wins. One simple conversation can lead to thousands of dollars in business. It can also lead to a new business model, partnerships, and more.
- Marketing to a local audience is a smart business.
- It helps you accomplish much more than sales. You can reach new people, connect with them, and potentially expand your business into new areas.
- How much time are you dedicating to your local audience? Online and offline businesses can benefit from local marketing.
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New Marketing Tactics
- Many businesses focus the majority of their efforts on social media, advertising, and email and content marketing. Those tactics are proven methods to market a business.
- With local marketing, you can embrace those tactics as well, and use them successfully.
- However, you’ll also likely find that local marketing can help you tap into new marketing tactics. These tactics include but certainly aren’t limited to:
- Guest blogging with other local businesses
- Reciprocal advertising
- Local print ads. For example, your local schools always need sponsors for sports teams, drama programs, music, and more. You can get ad space in their print materials and reach a new audience.
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Word-of-Mouth and Referral Marketing
- Word-of-mouth marketing is alive and well and it thrives in local marketing. In addition to potentially getting referrals from the connections you make in your community, when you sell to a neighbor, they’re going to tell their neighbors.
- They’ll likely share on social media as well. You can leverage word-of-mouth and referral marketing in several ways.
- Ask for a share or referral, create local pages on Google and social media, and start interacting with your community.
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It’s Cost-Effective
- Advertising, creating content and marketing materials, and even social media can cost money.
- They can quickly eat away at your marketing budget. In contrast, many forms of local marketing are free. It’s a cost-effective way to build your business.
- If you’re looking for a way to build your business, consider stepping back from global or national marketing initiatives.
- Look closer to home. You’re going to find that marketing to your neighbors and your community is budget-friendly.
- It also creates opportunities and expands your audience while making sales.
- Earlier we talked about the concept of local marketing and making connections in your community. We said that getting involved in the community can help you expand your business.
