Marketing is a huge and essential part of any business. When you have a large corporation, they usually have huge teams of marketing experts all working on different aspects of your marketing plan. One group can work on SEO, while another focuses on email campaigns, and another department works on content creation. With access to a large number of tools, they can reach a large number of people. However, for local business owners, this process may look a little different.
If you run a small business that benefits your local community, you aren’t necessarily trying to get recognized worldwide. Instead, you’re more focused on the local search and appealing to your neighborhood. Your visibility extends to a smaller surface area, and that is completely reasonable. However, this means you will approach your marketing strategies a little differently, especially when it comes to social media. Rather than running a campaign that puts you on the map with influencers and operating systems worldwide, you want to be recognized by a searcher in your backyard. Let’s look at just five ways to use social platforms to benefit your local business marketing.
1. Direct searches in your local area.
Everyone has spent time scrolling through their phones trying to find a place to eat or a local retailer that fits their needs for a specific occasion. Smartphones have increased the availability of information and new locations with the tip of your fingers. If someone has an internet connection, they should be able to find your local business. One tactic you can try is increasing your search engine optimization with keywords and backlinks that promote your local business within a specific radius. Work with a local SEO expert to set up social media campaigns, mobile apps, and search engine results that will appear higher around your area. Even if someone is traveling from out of town, their search results on Facebook, Instagram, or Yelp should showcase your location over others that are farther away. By being specific about the traffic you bring to your website and social pages, you are working smarter, not harder. Local SEO can be the answer to promoting your business more specifically.
2. Share and promote branded products.
People turn to social media to see a picture of the life they want. You need to create pictures, products, and content that convince them your local business can help them get there. After all, if the pictures we post online are of a picture-perfect life, you may as well lean into it a bit. Create beautiful experiences, promote trendy products, and share unique styles, all while including your local branding. For example, Branded Merchandise Sussex will be full of Sussex Royal products with pictures of Prince Harry and Meghan Markle. When you have a local trademark or image, you want to put that all over the internet and invite people to buy those branded products. You make people more inclined to invest in the products by posting about your cute designs or special products.
3. Engage with your local customers and other businesses.
Social media is full of millions of accounts and brands, all vying for attention, likes, and comments. Big-name brands are going to have millions of followers with thousands of comments on each post. This actually makes it much harder for them to make personal connections with customers and clients. As a local business, you have a unique opportunity to respond to people directly. With only a thousand Instagram followers and 20 comments on a post, you can take the time to answer questions directly and respond to your direct messages. This helps show your community that you are there for them and welcome personal connections. You can also keep track of your interactions with personal cloud storage. You can also form relationships with other brands to help you both gain new followers.
4. Create events and live virtual experiences.
Throwing events and engaging with your community are the most fun parts of running a local business. You can utilize your social platforms to help promote these or even host events online. If you make a Facebook event for a local cook-off or summer party at your local restaurant, people can respond and get all the information right away. You can also consider hosting a trivia night or Q&A on Instagram live where people interact directly with your company leaders. Local listings are a great way to stay connected and promote your small business.
5. Allow for social media buying and ordering.
Many social media platforms have implemented the ability to do your e-commerce right on their site. Things like Facebook Marketplace allow customers actually to buy products directly through these social sites. You can also easily link to specific products and get more customers as they’re scrolling through these platforms. This is a great thing to set up as a local business to improve your sales traffic.