One group of businesses who have benefitted the most from digital marketing without a doubt are local businesses – especially small businesses. The reason for the same being that for the same level of expense as big businesses, they can showcase their products and services worldwide to a much larger and diverse audience! Yes worldwide! But ideally and with experience, it can be said that most do not care much about business clientele beyond a certain geographical range given the pains that one has to take to cater to their needs versus the profits that one may earn from such clientele.
Today we tell you how best to tweak your digital marketing strategies for business in your local area businesses. You could alternatively call it digital marketing strategies for local Business.
- Understand your product and your intended audience inside-out!
How could you possibly sell something that you do not know?? Even if you do, your chances of failing are very, very high! Same goes for helping folks without understanding your and their products and the latter’s needs. Local businesses typically need localized content with local flavor and with a reach which is seriously local. Most of the times, bigger companies with their awesome knowledge and scopes of work do not understand or care to understand that what a person is asking for may not be available with the former!
- Understand everything about the product and likely clientele:
Local businesses typically have local clientele with their own sensibilities which come about due to peculiar cultural and language reasons. On top of this, one’s socio-economic status and educational background have their own part to play in making particular populace react to a certain situation in particular ways. A product in the digital domain which people aren’t familiar with is sure to run foul with its intended audience. Too many things to do can also put people off. It is thus important to keep things simple.
- Try and make a responsive website:
Which caters to all platforms that the target audience shall ever use! India is a typical example of a country which missed the computer revolution which took the world in its grip. BUT what it missed then, it’s more than making up for it now. With its super, super-large base of mobile phones, it is expected that most of the buying online shall be through mobile phones. That being the case, it makes sense for digital marketers to try and convince their clients to make responsive sites.
- Do not sit idle. Keep posting stuff + keep looking at a reason to post like festivals and events
Get up and be counted. If you don’t, they just might miss you! This is something one needs to remember when dealing with digital marketing – especially in the local context where the competition can sometimes be very intense. To make the most of things, try and make a social media and digital marketing calendar which pinpoints what you post and when + be ready for unexpected events which may arise unannounced like natural calamities, death, winning in competitions etc.
- Do not depend upon ONLY the digital medium and that too your website
This may sound right out of context but on giving it a deeper thought, you would know it is not! Sometimes, it makes sense to do some promotions on a physical level that leads to an engagement online! Yes, even a kiosk at a prominent location can be used to drive traffic towards a website and social media posts. In fact, off-line working is always an important part of online campaigns and can be used as a good means to kick-start a campaign in a local area to gauge responses!
- Invest in an App and a well-defined Landing Page!
To increase local interest in your digital marketing strategy, invest in making an app of the service that you plan to provide. Map out what the app would do and do that to the last T meaning nothing should ever be left out. Do not depend 100% on an external agency to do your job. Instead, map out the entire working of your app- all by yourself. Doing so would give you the experience of knowing how things are done and what goes into making such detailed maps. Secondly, invest in making a fast and efficient “Landing Page” which holds the viewer’s attention with the right details. An independent landing page linked to a website for special occasions can be helpful as it would be light to operate and not be heavy for a smartphone.
Also Read: Does Negative SEO exist? What should you do about it?
Using the above, one can build a proper digital marketing strategy for local business right from day one.
- Looking forward to your increasing business!
- Make websites with all b & w which shall attract local interest
- Make content local with local flavors & local SEO and key-word searches
- Do not depend upon ONLY the digital medium and that too your website
- What you want to promote should be clear
- Use social media and other sites effectively
- Use landing pages effectively
- Do not sit idle. Keep posting stuff + keep looking at a reason to post like festivals and events
- Take criticism and feedback seriously – NEVER FEEL OFFENDED.
- Ask for testimonials from happy clients
- Invest in local CRM and keep going after people.
- Have an app.
- Measure impact and keep tweaking strategies
Suggested Links:
Importance of keywords in content writing
What’s the Difference between content Optimization and SEO
Why Having A website is So Important for your Small Business
