It can be frustrating to try to compete in the local market today. But the fact of the matter is many people crave having their own retail or physical location for their business. The entrepreneurial spirit is still strong today.
Because of that, you have to be creative and extremely consistent in marketing your retail local establishment.
If you are looking for something different or inspiring, check out five local marketing strategies for small businesses that you can use and develop to make a difference in today’s marketplace.
Local Marketing Strategies for Small Business
1. Use Google Business Profile and Bing Places Profile
These two sites are pretty much non-optional if you have a physical location. Many times I see small businesses neglect to set up and/or claim their business on Google. The ability to develop your business profile on Google and Bing can be a game changer.
You can collect reviews which is huge for pushing traffic. You can be found on maps. You can update hours of operation and the categories that you are serving to dial in on your ideal client. And so much more.
Many times when a business with a retail establishment has Google Business Profile, they do not have Bing Business Profile.
What is the difference?
The difference is Bing serves different search engines than Google. Google is its search engine. It just happens to be the biggest in America. But there are others such as Yahoo, DuckDuckGo, plus all the mobile search engines, such as Safari, etc. So you can see why it’s important to develop these two sites.
2. Create a Referral System
This is a two-part strategy.
A referral system is huge when it comes to networking and getting to know other business owners in your community. You will then feel comfortable referring your customers to people you trust.
The second part of the referral system is having a referral program where you can reward your customer for referring somebody else to you. Offering a discount or something similar, like punch cards, etc., allows you to develop that client or customer for long-term engagement.
3. Use SMS Text Marketing Systems
These are popular right now because of the fact, you can reward customers or potential customers with discounts or let them know about new products, sales, or just a joke of the day. Lol.
Another use of this would be for someone with a food truck or mobile-style business to let people know when you’re going to be at a location. Food for thought.
4. Join Forces with Other Professionals
This is a little bit different than the referral system in number two. What I mean here is that you work together to plan events. Support each other with liking and sharing on Facebook, Instagram, or other social platforms. Tag each other on different platforms and be a supportive partner with others retail businesses.
What this does is bring the power of networking to its full fruition. It also allows for the growth and development of multiple businesses together
5. Request Referrals and Reviews from Existing Customers.
Sometimes we forget to ask and that is a huge thing when it’s so easy. If you have a happy client or customer, just ask for a referral or review.
Facebook reviews, along with Google and Bing reviews are huge in terms of pushing business growth. Never be afraid of the ask.
I hope these local marketing ideas for your small business will help inspire you to try something different or new. There are so many ways to be creative in our marketing that this is just scratching the top.
I’ll share some additional ideas in a future post so make sure that you are on my email list.
0 Comments