How do I Advertise my Business Locally?

Many business owners ask themselves this question, especially today given that we are in unprecedented times with the Covid -19 pandemic

It is almost twice or three times as difficult compared to previous years. But, with effective marketing, you can continue to generate enquiries to your business.

We wrote this article to show you the new trends and best practices in digital marketing today, so you can implement them in your own business.

Free Google and Bing Listings

Did you know that 97% of consumers searched the Internet for a local business last year? Business owners can use this to their advantage by creating free Google and Bing listing for their business, allowing them to be placed on Google Maps when someone is searching locally.

Start by clicking on the following links to create a Google My Business profile or get started on your Bing account. 

Your Google or Bing listing will have the following information advertising your business:

• Address 
• Business/Professional name 
• Phone number 
• Hours 
• Directions/Location 
• Link to website

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After creating your listings, you are going to need to create a strategy to attract reviews. If you don’t do this, you will not rank highly on Google Search.

This is because your star rating is one of the most influential factors when determining if someone will purchase from your local business.

Statistics show that 94% of customers will use businesses with a 4-star rating.

Start Blogging About Your Local Business

We know that it is difficult to write a blog when you are busy running a business, but content is one of the most important factors in attracting people to your website. Especially in the B2B sector, clients want to understand that you have the expertise to help them. 

For easy blog ideas you can start by thinking about the common questions that customers ask you and then providing answers on your website. You don't need to give away trade secrets, but just answer questions such as following;

• How does your product work?
• What will happen when I buy from you?
• How long until I receive the product/service?
• How do I pay for your product?
  

Now that you have established what content you need on your blog. The next thing you need to do before you optimize your blog content is to look for what local keyword search works for your competitors so you can use it to your advantage.

If you don’t know who your competitors are, start by thinking about what your customer would search and see who comes up online.

Or, if you have a site and have been blogging for a while now, you can check what local queries that are driving traffic to your site, what converts, what’s not, what adds value, and what gives revenue. 

According to a study by Conductor, consumers are 131% more likely to purchase from a brand after reading their content.

This can show that by creating compelling content, you can help to boost your revenue.

Use Local People as Influencers

Can you think of someone who is influential in your local area? Perhaps it is someone who regularly posts on your local Facebook group? The good thing about local or micro-influencers is they want to build their name the same as you do.  

What’s great about that is local, micro-influencers want to post new content every day, and to be featured by this local or micro-influencer will help boost your local business.

Reach out to them and see if they are open to collaborating online.

In return, you can offer their followers a discount or promotional item in return for using your services.

Summary 

If you have a small business or you are a start-up begin by advertising your business for free on Google and Bing. Once you have collected some reviews and begin to get some customers, start by working on a blog and sharing content online. If done correctly, this will help you to get even more customers.

If you need help advertising your business locally get in touch with the team at RACER Marketing.

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