So you’re new to marketing. That’s ok. Everyone has to start somewhere. We hope that you’re not too confused by it all. However, you may have heard two particular words going around. These are “local marketing”. Now, you might not know what that actually is. It might also be quite complex when explained online.
Again, that’s ok. We’re going to make it easy for you to understand. We’ve looked at local marketing, and broken it down. And now we’re going to be looking at it, and how it works. Hopefully, you’ll understand a little better when we’re finished. And without further ado, let’s get into it.
Local Marketing – Getting Listed
Marketing itself is something you’re probably familiar with. However, local Marketing is something slightly different. The whole point of local marketing is getting listed where it’ll count. In this instance, it’s getting into the right directories. It’s all about making sure that your target audience knows you exist. Let’s take an example. Let’s say that you’re a small business operating in a city. Your primary audience is people in the area. Therefore, do you want to be known on a global scale? Not right now you don’t. Do you need to try and get hooked up to a lot of big directories? No. You need to focus your listings and make sure that you’re known in the area. Local Marketing is more precise because you’re focusing on one place. The place you’re based.
Updating Your Listings
So. You’ve gotten yourself listed where you need to be. That’s great. But what’s next? How do you go forward? Now it’s a question of updating your listings. Making sure that you’re refreshing your business. Making people remember you exist. Those listings that are frequently updated are those which rank highly in search engines. This because you’re constantly nudging people in a good way. “We’re still here” “Hey, we’re open for longer now” “Have you seen our new deals?” Local Marketing is great for this kind of updating. It refreshes the public memory of you. And that’s critical for success.
As before, let’s look at an example. Maybe you’re running a special promotion. You’re offering half off on certain products. Someone searches for your shop, and they don’t see that promotion. That would have been the deciding factor. If they’d seen that promotion, they’d have come and done business with you. And it’s all because you didn’t update the listing. Sucks, right? That’s why it’s important to update the listings. You never know what could entice customers. It might be a promotion. It could be longer opening hours. But is it a chance you’re willing to take?
Local Marketing – Managing A Reputation
Another critical component of local marketing is reputation management. What do other people think of you? What would the public say about your service? That’s the important bit. Local Marketing involves making sure that your reputation is strong. That people want to be at your store. They want your service. You want reviews on your listings.
They help to create that reputation. They also aid in managing it. Let’s look at a real example. Someone wants to go to the best store for a particular product. They search for the best stores in their area. Your shop appears, as well as a few others. You’re all ranked highly, so how does the customer decide? They look for reviews. More specifically, the glowing ones.
They look for testimony from real people. Customers want to know how the service was. How the shop was organised. How easy it was to find what they wanted. These are all things which will influence how you stack up. They’re the kind of things which will sway a customer. It’s what will make sure they come to you. That’s why they’re so important.
Overall, these are the basics of local marketing. It’s basically all about getting know in the right places. You need to make sure that no matter what, you’re listed. And not just listed everywhere, but where it’ll actually mean something. Once upon a time, companies would throw large amounts of money around to be listed. They’d try and be known everywhere and anywhere. But that’s not always effective. Sometimes a more precise option is best. It means that you can approach things with more caution. You can make more informed choices. For example, how best to use your money. Where the best places to apply pressure are.
How local marketing is important. Because it is important. There’s a lot that goes into local marketing. You’ll soon see that it’s a big part of marketing as a whole. How can you expand globally if you don’t consider the area around you? You can’t really. There’s no real way to grow without first consolidating what’s right in front of you.