Local online marketing is a powerful tool for small to medium businesses. It might sound strange at first, but with the help of technology, you can engage your customers and fans in ways that are much more personal than ever before. And now, it’s easier than ever to take advantage of this opportunity!
Local online marketing has been around since the 1990s when Google was just a start-up company.
The internet revolutionized how we communicate and do business – but even today many people don’t know what local online marketing really means or why they should care about it.
In this article I’ll discuss how local online marketing is different from traditional offline advertising (e.g., TV ads) as well as some tips on how to use it effectively.
Mapping Out Your Local Online Marketing Strategy Now, let’s think about what local online marketing means…
The first thing you need to do is make sure you’re ready for it. That means:
What’s your business going to sell?
If you don’t know, that’s okay! We’ll go over some ideas later in this article. Â Who are your target audiences and how much will they be willing to spend on your products or services?
These are questions to consider before you get started so that you’re ready when new opportunities come your way.
How will you garner more attention for your business?
You need to make sure that people know about your business – wherever they go online, whether it be on social media sites, mobile apps, content marketing hubs, review or blog sites, or even news sources. Â Having a presence on multiple channels will help your business to reach a larger audience.
What methods can you use to track and analyze data?
There are many ways for you to improve how your business operates – whether it’s your local SEO campaigns or just your Yelp business page.
You also need to be able to track the progress and performance of your online marketing efforts so you can make adjustments along the way to see how effective they are.
What type of content will you want to use as a tool for getting more people engaged?
As mentioned before, if you don’t have a lot of experience with local online marketing, you’ll want to start by creating content for your website and social media profiles that’s helpful to your audience. Â The more useful content that you can provide, the better shape your business will be in!
These are just a few things that should be on your mind when getting started with local online marketing. Â You’ll also want to think about things like your smartphone, email signature, and how you showcase yourself on LinkedIn.
You’ve Got the Tools; Now How Do You Use Them?
The key to online success is engagement, with your customers or audience members.
There are many ways to do this – it depends on your situation and what works best for you.
Here are some tips to get started: Â How do you connect with people online now…
1. Make sure that you have a website through which people can find the information they need about your business and its products/services; This should include not only general knowledge but also videos, images, and more. Â Make sure to keep it updated as often as you can!
2. Share relevant content on your social media pages, especially those that are centered around your business; For example, if you own a coffee shop in San Diego, then post photos of the area’s best coffee (and talk about why they’re your favorite) on your Instagram page, talk about what makes your business unique on your Twitter account, and share info about discounts or special events on Facebook.
3. Consider using a mobile app (if you don’t already have one) so that people can easily find great content from you at any time; In the case of the coffee shop mentioned above, you might want to use the Starbucks app to show photos of your favorite drinks and share information about deals and events. Â You don’t have to be a large company with an established presence on social media – that’s one of the great things about local online marketing!
4. Build a blog, or contribute articles to blogging platforms like Medium; If you can develop a reputation as an expert in your field, then you’ll have more opportunities to share content online; People will appreciate the useful information that you’re providing them with! Â You can even use this method to help to create some revenue for your business.
5. Be sure to optimize every aspect of your website experience – it’s not just about optimizing the content for search engines, but for the visitor as well; For example, make sure that your site is easy to read and navigate on any device (especially mobile), consider the need for responsive design, etc. Â The better things are at a basic level, the easier it will be for people to enjoy your content and find what they’re looking for!
6. Consider using social media advertising, where you can create ads that are connected to your page; This will allow you to target certain groups of people who might be interested in what you have to offer.
8. Track your progress with a social media monitoring platform; This will allow you to see what’s working and what isn’t so that you can optimize your efforts…
9. And last but not least, be sure to keep track of your results!
Local online marketing is a great way for local businesses to start building a reliable online presence without breaking the bank.
The key is to keep in mind that it’s not all about writing great content. Â It may seem obvious, but if you’re putting out good information for people to enjoy and benefit from, then the audience will come…and stay!