If you want to get your business started the best way to grab your first few clients is to advertise locally. Your local area is a great resource to tap into, its right on your doorstep and can be an easy way to build a base and some brand awareness without a huge media push like you would do to be known nationally.
The face of marketing has changed a lot in recent years. Many companies are busy capitalizing on social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, and Pinterest, as well as some of the newer players on the market. But while there’s no disputing that social media is king right now, you may actually be doing yourself a disservice if you focus on it to the exclusion of all else.
Local marketing is a tried-and-true way to reach consumers, and it can create a tremendous amount of buzz for your biz – whether you’re a national brand or a single-location company. Advertise locally and you put yourself in front of a more relevant audience – especially if your business is local. When posting updates on your social media accounts, be sure those articles make their way to county or city newsletters, which can be found through an Internet search.
When you market at the local level, you’re going to find yourself shaking hands with area business and government leaders, and those partnerships can prove quite fruitful when it comes to expanding your business. You might hear about commercial real estate opening up and events you can use for marketing purposes. To initiate those relationships, you could attend a digital marketing workshop hosted by your local chamber of commerce and reach out to other marketers.
Plenty of folks are spending and investing more money to advertise locally, mainly because of recent economic struggles. Just ask all of the people now banking at local credit unions instead of national banks. If, for example, you get your company to sponsor a kids’ softball team by springing for the jerseys, not only do you get your name out there, you show that you truly care about the families in your locale. That can generate a lot more foot traffic and ultimately revenues.
You might think word-of-mouth marketing has taken a back seat to social media recently – but it’s actually alive and well. According to consumer research company Nielsen, 77 percent of respondents are more likely to purchase a new product when they learn about it from family or friends. To boost your business, add local company pages on your social media accounts through Facebook Pages or Google Plus Local pages, and see what kind of conversation is generated.