Having a small local business allows you to be your own boss, but marketing is not as easy as it may seem. While you probably have an established local business, it’s still important to continuously market your products and services because of tight competition, rapid changes, and innovation.
In this post, you’ll learn why local businesses still need marketing, which will serve as your guide to make yours successful and still thriving for years to come.
Online Shopping Overtakes Retail Businesses
With the advent of the ecommerce industry, online shopping is now overtaking a lot of retail businesses. That’s the reason why local businesses should strive hard in their marketing campaign, such as implementing small business video marketing via YouTube or Facebook, targeting local audiences in your area that your business covers.
Here’s a report about ecommerce making higher sales than brick and mortar local businesses:
- New Online Shopping Milestone: There’s a new milestone for ecommerce or online shopping, wherein the total sales market share from online or “non-store” retailers is higher as compared to that of general merchandise.
- Online Sales History: The online sector is called “clicks”, and it has gradually taken over the market share in the past 20 years, rising from less than 5 percent to about 12 percent from the late 1990s to 2019.
- Online as the Largest Sector: Online sales are considered the fourth largest sector, which brings about 59.8 billion US dollars in adjusted February sales this year. The largest segment comes from motor vehicles and parts, which makes up 20 percent of overall retail spending, while restaurants and food and beverage store sales make up 12 percent.
Consumers Research Online Before Availing Products and Services
The Internet is considered a valuable tool by a lot of consumers; they research about products and services before availing them. Also, consumers are empowered by online platforms, such as social media, wherein an ad or video can easily go viral.
Remember that people don’t just go online and read. Most consumers watch a video instead of read textual content. One way to keep up with this trend is to use a promo video maker so that your local business stay relevant and competitive.
Also, you can boost your monthly sales with stunning promo videos and irresistible animations that you can share within minutes. Both local and global businesses need to have a good web presence to stay active in the eyes and minds of consumers. For instance, seeing videos of your local business on social media reminds customers that your business is ever-expanding and is innovating, and is flexibly keeping up with modernization.
Here’s some statistical data on consumer purchases and online research, including video marketing:
- The best ROI is video content, according to 51 percent of marketing professionals worldwide.
- Marketers who are using video marketing grow revenue 49 percent faster as compared to non-video users.
- After watching a branded social video, about 64 percent of consumers make a purchase.
- About 59 percent of executives agree that they prefer video over text.
- Social media video generates about 12 times more shares than images and text combined.
- Videos that last up to two minutes long usually get the most engagement.
- You can increase your conversion rate by 80 percent or more with a video on a landing page.
Reach Target Audience Faster and Easier
Traditional marketing methods – TV ads, radio broadcasting, newspaper, flyers, and banners – can be expensive and is already outdated, not to mention they are not environment-friendly. If you rely on those or choose not to market your local business at all because you already have an established customer base, then you’re limiting your capability to grow.
Don’t give your loyal customers the idea that you’re resting on your laurels and are no longer interested in marketing your business. Instead, show them that you’re willing to grow with them. Showing your target audience that you’re willing to devote your time, money, and effort in promoting your business the best way possible encourages them to support you all the more.
With online digital marketing, you no longer have to print out a mammoth of flyers to share the good news with your clients. Also, video marketing allows you to reach your target audience wherever they are through their smartphones, tablets, and other internet-capable devices.
Local Businesses Need Consumer Support
Online businesses are usually owned by big corporations resulting in a huge monopoly in the industry, wherein only rich business owners sell and expand. However, not all consumers are aware of this fact, and many continue buying goods abroad without thinking about its impact on local businesses and local workers.
Local businesses need consumers to buy their products and avail their services. If you own or operate a local business, you know how important it is to get the buy-in of your target audience. While you’re able to establish a decent customer base, most of them are probably middle-aged adults or elderly clients. How about their children and grandchildren? Are you sure you’re getting their buy-in, too?
Consumer needs and wants change rapidly more than you can imagine. One day they like you, the next day you’re off their list. If you’re a legend in your niche, you probably have impressed a lot of consumers because you’re still existing. But, how were your sales for the past six months? Are you wondering why your sales are not as flourishing as they used to be? If that’s the case, it’s probably high time to re-market your business.
Here are some effective marketing strategies for local businesses:
- Optimize with Geo-terms: Optimize your website with specific terms about your local business as well as your products and services by using targeted hyper-local keywords. Some examples would be incorporating street names, city names, or neighborhoods in your local area that your business covers. Create landing pages and write blog posts that target their needs, wants, and interests.
- Go Local on Social Media: In your social media posts, tag locations whenever possible. You can also include your local keywords in your bios, hashtags, and profiles and put your city or neighborhood name into relevant captions and other social media posts. Also, you can advertise based on your location, like using Facebook Ads.
- Claim Your Listings: You can associate your brand with a specific location or geographic address by listing your local business in online directories. Claim your listings in Google My Business, Yellow and White Pages, Facebook, Bing Places, Yahoo Local, and Foursquare.
- Get Testimonials: Reviews are crucial because most consumers read them before making a final decision about buying a product or availing a service. Seeking positive reviews or encouraging your happy and satisfied customers to leave great reviews will surely be recognized by new customers who are probably still thinking twice about making business dealings with you.
- Localize Paid Ads: With paid online advertising, you can localize your ads like adding local keywords into your headlines, and use location extensions wherever possible. For instance, Google Adwords can help you link your Google business page, including your local phone number.
- Get Out in Your Community: Being active in the local community will make you stand out from your other local competitors. So, why not participate in a community event or sponsor a local sports team? Putting your business name on the backdrop of a community event, such as an annual convention, can market your local business and capture a broader audience.
- Partner up: Collaborate with other business owners in your area, and you’ll be surprised by its great impact on your business, most especially if both your businesses share the same clientele.
Increase Customer Satisfaction and Boost Customer Experience
Why do you need to market your local business even if you’ve been in the business for many years now? One reason is that you want to gain more customers who are happy and satisfied with your products and services. By doing such, they will spread the word about your local business, which is a free and organic way of driving your sales to the peak.
You have to market your local business to be seen and felt by your target audience. Let them know that you’re still existing and willing to serve them with the same passion and dedication you had when you were just starting out. With different marketing strategies in place, you keep your customers abreast with your business such as your:
- Latest deals, promotions, special offers, freebies, or discounts, like buy-one-get-one promos
- Trending items for sale, like best menu recipes for restaurants or trending summer wardrobe for clothing stores
- New products and services that your new and loyal customers wouldn’t want to miss
- Contests, events, and other activities you participate in or your customers can join in, which aim for better customer relations and positive customer experience
Conclusion
Local businesses still need to market themselves to stay competitive and keep consumers reminded, and also a way for them to expand so much further and even go global. With the help of digital marketing, like video marketing, local business owners can reach their target audience easily and faster as compared to traditional marketing methods.
Marketing your local business will help your target audience easily find and do business with you while giving them the impression that you’re able to keep up with the latest marketing trends even if your business has been existing for years. It increases customer satisfaction and trust rating, and, above all else, boosts your sales. It doesn’t really hurt to take advantage of modern-day methodologies that promise endless possibilities to your venture.
