- We refer to any business that meets with customers face-to-face as a “local business”. If you have a store-front or a service area, you have a local audience, which makes you a local business. You may be a one-person team running things all on your own, or a national chain. Your direct interaction with customers in a specific area is what makes you a “local business” online.
- Your local search presence is largely based on how well you can communicate your business information online. It’s definitely not a one-and-done initiative, it takes time and on-going efforts to earn and maintain great search visibility online! We don’t believe in long-term contracts here at E/Power, but that doesn’t mean we don’t run long-term programs. Our clients stay because of our results and hard-work, not because of a restrictive contract! The work is truly never done online, especially for local businesses. If you aren’t staying aggressive, you’ll get left behind!
- Your Google My Business listing is one of the most valuable pieces of search real estate for local brands! It needs to comply with Google’s guidelines, include all business information optimized for your business, and stay active with posts, photos, and reviews.
- While your Google My Business listing is the most important online listing, there are so many others that should be claimed to help boost your online presence! Check sites like Yelp, TripAdvisor, Bing Local, Foursquare, and more to take ownership of your free listings.
- BE VERY WARY of paid listings. We’ve worked with a number of clients who have invested thousands of dollars in Yellow Pages advertising and saw next to nothing in return. Claiming and cleaning up free directory listings is a very different project than running advertising through a directory provider.
- Consumers are spending more and more time on their phones and mobile devices. Invest in some advertising strategies that put your business front and center when people are on their phones!
- Your website needs to be built for your audience and optimized so both they and the search engines can easily find and navigate it. No amount of advertising or marketing can make up for a poorly built website that’s not designed for success on the search engines.
- Great local SEO is a mixture of technical know-how, creativity, and a thorough understanding of geography! Your online presence can’t just focus on what you do, but also where you do it and who you serve.
- Put your business on display with display advertising. We’ve seen some interesting spikes in where people are spending their time online, a great display advertising program will let you get your business in front of local customers as they browse local news sites and other sites across the web!
- Embrace email marketing. Not all online marketing strategies let you own your customer data as well as email marketing does. Start collecting email addresses from your current customers and use an email marketing channel (Omnisend is AMAZING) to stay top of mind and nurture them through the sales funnel. Use automated email campaigns to make better use of your time and the technology available!
- Invest in your social presence. You don’t need to be on every social channel but you do need to be active on the social channels you have. We were recently working with a Fond du Lac business and recommended they really invest in Facebook and Instagram right now. We also noted that down the line, YouTube and Pinterest could be a great fit for their business. After a few consulting sessions, it became clear that they didn’t have the time or resources to invest in both Facebook and Instagram. Talking through things, we helped them come up with a plan for going all-in on Instagram for now. Getting really active and comfortable there, then upping their game on Facebook down the line. Understanding your resources and comfort on the social platforms is key to making them really work for your business.
- Have you invested in traditional TV spots in the past? Learn more about Connected TV and digital video ads as a supplement or alternative to your TV commercials! Mirroring traditional television spots, these video placements target users who are streaming content via a Smart TV, connected device, or game console. Many businesses spent more on Connected TV and digital video in 2020, with decreases in traditional TV ad spending. 2021 is a great time to explore your ad options on streaming and digital channels!
- Audio streaming ads are a great alternative or supplement to any radio spots you’re running, too! We’ve gotten local clients great ad spots on streaming radio stations like Spotify and Pandora and in top podcasts, too!
- There are a ton of opportunities for local businesses to get more active online through local and industry-focused groups and forums! Here in Oshkosh, the #SupportLocalOshkosh Facebook group has over 10,000 members. What questions can you answer or insight can you provide to your neighbors in that kind of setting?
- NAPs are key – “NAP” is the acronym for “name, address, phone number” across the web. That information has to be consistent across the web to earn the trust of both searchers and search engines.
- Do you have a customer loyalty program up and running yet? They are a great way to encourage repeat sales and keep your customers loyal! Working in an element of “bring a friend, get a deal” can generate even more success from your program!
- Native advertising allows you to publish great content that highlights the best elements of your business in a more integrated, natural setting online. You can seamlessly integrate your ad into a story stream from a news site or as a sponsored article on industry-leading publications!
- You need a strategy for encouraging your customers to leave you online reviews. 92% of consumers read reviews online and positive reviews influence 68% of shoppers’ feelings of trust in a business.
- Beyond encouraging reviews, your business needs to be reading and responding to all reviews – good and bad. Thank those that leave a good review and encourage them to spread the word about your business! Work with anyone who leaves a bad review, even if all you can do is publicly ask them to reach out to you directly, that show of goodwill will go a long way in helping other readers feel like you did what you could to resolve the situation.
- Take your review strategy a step further and ask for user-generated content from your customers! Photo contests are an easy way to see how your customers are using your products or how your services have made a difference for them. You’ll get great feedback and engagement online, and you’ll be getting some great word-of-mouth marketing!
- Integrate your online and offline initiatives. Something as simple as including your Instagram handle on your packaging, or including your URL on your postcards can go a long way in tying together your different marketing collateral.
- Are billboards part of your marketing plan? Take that strategy further with Digital Out of Home advertising! Create omnichannel experiences to reach audiences when other channels aren’t available and deliver a consistent presence while people are on the go. Our programmatic partnerships give us access to over 150,000 screens nationally, 1B+ monthly impressions, and access to leading sellers including Clear Channel Outdoor, Lamar, and Outfront Media.
- You need to communicate with your audience as much as you can, every interaction your business has online, from your website to your social posts to your ads is an important reflection of your brand and the chance to expose a prospective customer to your business. The more you publish, the more chances you have to reach new audiences and drive more business.
- Understand and nurture your competitive edge. What really sets you apart from your competition? What aren’t your competitors doing yet that you could? Get creative and set your business apart!
- Use location-based targeting to really reach the right people at the right times. You can send really thoughtful, well-designed ads to your target audience based on where they are in the community, or where they’ve been. Show shoppers your ad while they are at your competitors’ store, or retarget to them after they leave!
- Stay engaged and invested in your local search presence. Invest in an ongoing strategy that will continue to shine the spotlight on your business to drive more sales or leads!
- Partner with other local businesses to promote each other. If 2020 taught us anything, it’s the importance of sticking together and supporting each other. Find another local business that either compliments your business, or shares a target audience and co-host an online workshop, guest blog for each other, hold a pop-up event in each other’s space, or just offer a deal to both sets of customers to cross-promote your brands!
