Where do you go to check out a new restaurant, find the best supermarket near you, or look for a trustworthy plumber when something goes wrong in your home?
Online, right? Maybe you search Google to check locations and reviews, photos, and recommendations. If you have a business that benefits a local market, then you do not want to overlook local search engine optimization (SEO) marketing. You can make your business more successful by helping people find you.
Local marketing targets an audience within a certain radius of your business’s physical location. It can be used to draw people to your location for in-person business.
Local marketing is also beneficial for service-based businesses. If you have a service business where you are going out to homes to meet with clients, then local marketing techniques can help fill your customer pipeline.
Local marketing can help you sell to your local community and surrounding areas. It can also help you capture visitors and new residents. Here's how.
Every business wants to reach as many customers as they can. However, there is a saying— try to reach everyone, and you reach no one. To be effective in reaching your local audience, you need to know who your ideal customers are, where they are searching and hanging out online, the words they use, and what they want.
You can survey your current customers, hire out some market research, or search through local forums to see what potential customers are asking and needing.
Getting active in your local community can help you meet new people and learn more about your ideal customers.
A potential customer can go on Google and search for the business or service they are looking for with the name of the city or area. The more information you have available about your business, the more likely you are to rank and be found by that potential customer. Make it easy for searchers to find and contact you.
Include your:
The more information that you can provide, the more trustworthy you appear and the easier you make it for potential customers to learn about and support you.
If you need help optimizing your local business online, then check out Fiverr’s local SEO services.
The major search engines can support you here. You can optimize your business through Google My Business, Bing Places, and Yahoo Local.
The best part is that these resources are free to use.
You will also want to optimize your website and social media profiles to the areas that you serve through tags and keywords and by placing a map on your site and profiles.
Many searchers use smartphones to find local businesses. This makes it very important that your website is mobile-friendly. You want your website to be more minimal so it loads fast. You will also want to make any text easy to read on smaller mobile devices.
Local marketing is important even if you have an online presence or delivery service because people trust people. Word of mouth referrals, genuine reviews, and an abundance of information shows that your business is serious and professional.
Which would you trust more when searching for Chinese takeout: a restaurant listing with only a phone number or one with the address, reviews with beautiful pictures, and optimized social media profiles?
Some ways freelancers can help you optimize your business through local marketing are by:
Paid advertising campaigns can help you reach new people that are local to your business rather than just your current audience. The Fiverr community provides professional freelancers to help you in all these areas.
Make sure you optimize your physical location, too, with a sign out front with your phone number and info.
A little effort can go a long way in helping you reach the community around your business.
