10 tips for successful local marketing
Not every company is directly focused on the national or even international market. Even in the globalized world, many companies are increasingly focusing on the local market or working with various local and regional partners. The target group, which is to be addressed by marketing, can usually be clearly defined, at least spatially. However, in order to promote the local market in a particularly successful and varied way, these 10 tips will help you perfect your local marketing:
1. Don't neglect online presence
The Internet is an important advertising platform not only for big names in online retail. A company's website is also becoming increasingly important in the local sector. Search engines in particular can help you reach even more local customers and attract people to you at the point of sale. The majority of mobile searches on Google and Co. are so-called “nearby” searches. This involves searching for branches and stores in the immediate vicinity on the go and partly moving the customer journey to the Internet. Only whose website or information can be found here can be found and gets the chance to sell their products/services.
2. Use industry directories & customer reviews
In order to be listed as well as possible on search engines such as Google, not only an SEO-optimized website helps, but also the use of local listings. Local listings are digital business directories that collect all relevant information about a store or company. Customers can find contact information such as address, contact person or telephone number, but also useful information such as opening hours or customer reviews. These directories and the associated reviews can be used as a positive sign of your own company and should therefore always be maintained and up to date.
3. Proper targeting and personalization
Whether online or offline, an advertising medium is usually only successful if customers feel addressed. Targeting and personalizing your own customer base is an important measure for this. Only when your customers see themselves in the ad, will they react to it. Online, this is not only possible by designing the advertising material and addressing it, but also by using the right targeting. Choose which groups of people your posts and ads are relevant to and let them view your content. In this way, you can specifically determine the advertising audience, distribute the budget correctly and have as little wastage as possible.
4. Use local media
Despite digitization and the advancement of social media, local media are still an important point, especially in marketing. Depending on the target group, you can also reach your customers via the local daily newspaper or advertising paper. Printed ads in these formats can be quickly delivered to a large local audience. However, it is not only print media that are important in the local sector. Feel free to use more unusual ways to reach people, for example by running a commercial in a local cinema or placing ads in the city or region's app.
5. Cross-media advertising
In general, it is important not only to concentrate your own advertising measures on one platform or on one medium, but to advertise as cross-media as possible. Through measures on online and offline platforms, you can reach different target groups and age structures and achieve the highest possible level of awareness. Make sure that the various advertising media are coordinated and jointly contribute to a better brand image. For example, you can draw your customers' attention to you through cross-media campaigns on flyers, stickers, social media, moving images, etc.
6. Maintain corporate design
Place particular emphasis on advertising consistently in all measures, using the same visual language, colors and fonts. This makes advertisements visually more consistent and appealing. All published content on a wide variety of platforms thus helps to give your company and brand a better recognition value.
7th point of sale
In addition to publications in local media or online, the point of sale, your own store, is and remains one of the most important places for local marketing. Invest time for your shop and develop a store concept in which your customers feel comfortable, ideally want to stay and generally like to drop by. Feel free to be creative here and bring personality to the ambiance. Regardless of whether you make your products or brand tangible, install a small coffee bar or score points with the latest technology. There are no limits to the design in order to impress customers and provide them with a personal consultation directly at the point of sale.
8th events
Even though events are still a bit difficult to carry out with the current contact restrictions, don't be afraid to plan them for the future or even carry them out digitally. Increase personal contact through events and reach out to your local audience. Be it through an open party or smaller events for selected customers. With events, you make the brand come alive and are usually remembered by the whole family. Here too, you can get as creative as possible and as your budget allows. From smaller lectures to street food festivals with a children's program and bouncy castle, everything is possible here.
9. Establish collaborations
In local marketing in particular, you can benefit from collaborations. Are you a company with branches or partners at various locations? Use your partners and colleagues and join forces for joint advertising measures and reach even more people. In addition, it is ideal, especially in the local environment, to reach out to other companies or even local associations, to facilitate cooperation and to use the synergy effects. They can support the local sports club, participate in regional events and integrate themselves more into the cityscape in general. In this way, you can use the attention of those around you and achieve greater recognition in general.
10. Use software support
Implementing all these different marketing tips for local marketing can be a challenge, especially if you're not responsible for marketing yourself and need to rely on your local partners. It helps to provide partners with the best possible support and to use a software solution. Such local marketing platforms can automate and significantly simplify your marketing process. Provide your partners with not only marketing and budget plans, but also ready-made advertising materials and customizable advertising materials. In this way, any local partner without previous knowledge can do local marketing in a variety of ways without worrying about the corporate design. In general, with such software support, you can not only support your partners, but also positively influence the entire brand image.