Local Marketing Ideas: How To Get The Best Return On Investment

Digitization has been a marketer's best friend with the growth of new opportunities and avenues to reach audiences and get creative with marketing campaigns. However, things can get difficult due to the proliferation of online marketing leading to many business owners and entrepreneurs forgetting about the basic fundamentals of a simple marketing strategy.

What are those basic fundamentals? To start, you need to make sure that your local search information is in proper order so that individuals in your local area are able to locate your business when they search for a specific keyword that is related to your business. Essentially, this is like a business sign out in front of your storefront for shoppers to see as they walk by.

In addition, more and more people are relying heavily on their mobile phones to answer the questions to their immediate needs, which has resulted in a boost in "near me" searches. For example, let's say that you are in an unfamiliar city on vacation. You are interested in finding a sushi restaurant for dinner. You use your smartphone and search, "sushi near me". This is known as a "micro-moment," according to Google, and it is crucial that marketers ensure that their company's information is online and ready to go so that foot traffic can be driven directly to their stores as soon as those searches are made.

If this isn't enough to convince you how important all of this is, consider some statistics. Research shows that more than 70 percent of cell phone users have reported that they have previously used a store locator to find the location of a specific store and that more than 60 percent of cell phone users have reported that they are more inclined to make a purchase from a business that has taken the time to customize their company location information. Regarding millennials, research shows that 87 percent of them report their cell phones are constantly with them.

Now, this is where it gets really enticing. The moment you get your business' pin dropped onto the map (and make sure that your information is always kept current), rest assured, you are about to see a significant boost in foot traffic. At the same time, though, when you make this move, it is time to increase your local presence. Here are three ideas to help get you started:

Idea #1: Optimization with a Strong Network of Both Search and Discovery Websites.

Some businesses try to get listed on as many websites as possible; however, this isn't necessarily the best strategy. Instead of taking this route, which can take unnecessary time and effort on your part, you should focus on getting listed on the sites that matter most. Focus on the top-rated sites and the sites that are specific to your industry.

Idea #2: Set Up a Campaign to Solicit Reviews for The Above Listings.

Since the aforementioned listings thrive off of customer reviews, and consumers rely on reviews to make purchasing decisions, you need to ensure that these sites have reviews from customers. Otherwise, they aren't giving your business 100% and consumers don't know that your business is a trustworthy company to do business with. Therefore, a marketing campaign to solicit reviews is a solid investment.

Idea #3: Utilize Data and Analytics for Intelligent Local Marketing.

With data gathered from analytics, you will know who is searching for your business, when they're searching and where they are searching from. With this information, you can create an intelligent marketing campaign to specifically match the needs of your business location and your consumers.

For more ideas and information on how to drive customers to your business or how to get the best return on investment with your local marketing campaigns, reach out to us here at WebDetail and let us help you succeed.