Not all businesses have to be global ones. In fact, for many, there is more than enough work to make a good profit and build a great business right in their own backyard. It’s easy to ignore this element of marketing, however, when you see how much reach you have through social media and other outlets. In other words, it’s tempting to want to be more globally known.
Yet, is that important? Or, would it make more sense for your business to focus on the untapped local market and build more slowly, or even stick with that more local business structure into the future? It could be. For many businesses, staying local is more cost-effective and it means their marketing can be tailored in a specific way. Read on to find out more about this.
Local engagement through social media
As every business owner should know, one of the very best ways—and potentially the best way—to market your business is via social media. As mentioned, this can give you a huge reach and make your business visible to people all over the world. This means, of course, that your business can also be made visible to your local market. By changing your keywords, your content, your market research, and your marketing goals, you can use social media to successfully find a local market for your business for very little money. In some cases, it won’t cost you anything at all.
One of the best ways to start is to make connections with non-competing local businesses as well as local groups. Here you can find not only a potential partner but also a great customer base. Once you get started, word of mouth should help to boost your business too, especially when it’s local. The key is to give excellent customer service if you want this to happen, and business process automation (BPA) might be your best option. Results come quickly with BPA software as it’s known to increase service quality, improve service delivery, and contain costs.
Local SEO
Just as important as social media when it comes to marketing is your website. You can make this as global as you want, and it will all depend on the SEO tactics you employ. If you want to focus on your local market, then using local SEO is the best option. When you do this, you can find local customers and be placed higher in search engine rankings; ideally at the top of the first page.
SEO is a tricky thing to get right, and local SEO can be even harder. Although you’ll want to be careful with your budget in your business, especially at the start, it can be worthwhile to pay an expert to do this for you, as it will bring in enough sales to pay for itself and give you a decent profit when it’s done right.
Help your local neighborhood
Many business owners will automatically think of technology and digital marketing when it comes to getting their business noticed, and they’re not wrong to do so. However, there is something to be said for something more personal, especially when you want to impress local customers.
Therefore, it can be a good idea to help out in your local neighborhood. Whether you organize a workshop, get involved in litter-picking, sponsor a local sports team, or anything else, the more you can be seen to be doing good in your local community, the more people will be willing to buy from you.
