Indeed, small businesses don’t have the same capabilities and resources to compete with large global organizations. However, this doesn’t mean that your business won’t thrive. You have a better chance of dominating the local market than larger companies. It’s no news that global giants may be oblivious to local specifics, giving you the advantage of becoming an authority figure in this area. Moreover, many shoppers prefer shopping locally as it creates jobs and brings money to the local community. So, are you looking to dominate your local market? If yes, here are some helpful tips to achieve the best results.
1. Have a strong online presence
Statistics indicate that approximately 78% of shoppers research online for more information about local businesses weekly before patronizing them. This reiterates the need to have a strong online presence. Moreover, customers will view your business as more trustworthy when they can find your business on the internet. Likewise, customers will flock to your store if they realize that you are closer to them. You can also give your clients an idea of what they can expect when purchasing goods or services from you, helping them make informed decisions. Seeing these benefits, you want to build your online business if you haven’t already.
Having a website is a great way to establish your online presence. Consequently, ensure that it is easy-to-use and mobile-friendly to avoid bounce rates. Experts also advise avoiding colors and fonts that can be unpleasant to look at. Call-to-actions (CTAs) on your website pages can help people contact you easily, so keep this in mind.
2. Local SEO is important
While having a standard website is important, it may be a waste of time if people can’t find it on top google search results. This makes SEO essential. Indeed, local SEO makes generating traffic to your website easier while boosting your conversion rates. Although flyers, pamphlets, and local TV adverts are effective, they can be costly. However, local SEO can achieve the same results without straining your finances. Increased traffic and conversion rates can lead to long-lasting top ranks on Google SERPs, keeping you ahead of your competitors.
Fortunately, you can boost your local SEO in various ways. For starters, you can create a Google My Business account to optimize your Google listing and ranking on Google maps. Consequently, seek reviews from satisfied customers and create quality content based on local events or news stories. Also, consider using local keywords in your content and location pages containing your store hours, address and contact details, descriptions, and testimonials. Working with credible SEO companies will prove helpful if you aren’t privy to the processes.
3. Leverage geo-targeting on social media
Social media is an effective digital marketing tool. Not only is it cost-effective, but you can reach a larger audience in the shortest possible time. Despite its effectiveness, you may waste your time and resources if you aren’t using social media correctly. Fortunately, geo-targeting ensures that you achieve the desired results. Geo-targeting allows businesses to direct their content to clients based on their geographical locations. This way, you don’t have to go through trial and error before spotting customers close to you. Moreover, you can create personalized content and build brand authority while hiding your ads from competitors.
To get started with geo-targeting, understand how it works for various social media platforms. For instance, leverage promoted ads/posts and targeted status updates on Facebook. Likewise, promoted tweets with relevant keywords and locations will work well on Twitter. You can also leverage geotag on Instagram for the best results.
4. Be charitable to your local community
You’ve geotargeted and have gotten your local audience to notice your business. However, it doesn’t end here. You want to advance by being charitable to your local community. Indeed, this has benefits worth considering. First, it helps you establish a close relationship with your community members. Moreover, people have a good perception of businesses that help others, influencing them to patronize and stay loyal to your brand. So you want to consider this option if you haven’t already. Fortunately, you can achieve this in several ways.
For instance, you and your staff can work alongside community members on different projects or create mentorship classes for aspiring entrepreneurs. You can host community events for free if you have ample space on your business premises. You can also help the less privileged by supplying meals, clothing, sponsoring their education, etc. The good news is that there is no limit to what you can do to help your community.
5. Don’t ignore your competitors
Irrespective of your business’s brilliance, you still have competitors that offer similar products and services. And ignoring them is a mistake you want to avoid if you seek to dominate the local market. Many people promote the idea of ignoring them and focusing on your customers. While this isn’t wrong, it’s not all there is. Your competitors may develop innovative products that appeal to the local market. This, in turn, can result in losing customer loyalty and business relevance. Moreover, monitoring them can help you identify their mistakes and develop the best solutions to satisfy your customers.
Tracking your competitors doesn’t have to be a tedious process. You can start by detecting the keywords they target. Fortunately, several tools can help you achieve this, so keep this in mind. You also want to analyze their rankings against keywords about your niche and determine their most shared content. It’s also helpful to track their social media activity and read their newsletters and blogs for the best results.
6. Improve your customer experience
Your customers are effective marketing channels, and their experience will determine if your business will thrive in the local market. Research states that customers prioritize positive experiences and will support brands that offer that. You can achieve this by being honest about your products and services. Being polite and paying attention to their needs, complaints, and feedback is also effective. You can also send personalized messages and acknowledge your clients regularly through gifts to encourage them to stay loyal to your business.