Local Marketing Ideas You Need to Try: How to Market for ‘Near Me’

The Internet has been a growing phenomenon since the early 1980s. Many businesses, companies, and individuals have built websites, blogs, and business pages and carved their corners within it. If you are new and want to create your own local space, you are going to have to be creative and innovative to carve out your place.

Local marketing ideas, like the ones listed below, can help you stand out in a sea of local businesses. Keep reading to get some ideas for marketing your local business!

Idea 1: Start an offline strategy that funnels online traffic

Back in the early 2000s, a local band in my area wanted to advertise locally about a gig they were doing. But, they wanted their target audience to go online and buy tickets. They had a very small budget.

So, how did they sell out their show?

They invested a few hundred in clothes pegs. On each peg, they wrote a website link and call-to-action (CTA) for people to go there. For three months prior to their gig, they went to local music shows and clubs that played similar music to them, ensuring they were with the right target audience.

They casually attached their clothes pegs to the individuals at the clubs and shows without them knowing. Those individuals then went home and discovered this unusual item on them and looked it up on their phones and devices.

The link went to a landing page that said, “Have you been pegged?” and followed with details about the band and their gig.

This local marketing strategy was incredibly simple and got people talking. It also worked. How can you apply this to your own business? In what way can you start a physical campaign and then take it online for action?

Having creative local marketing ideas will enable you to start conversations with your community.

Idea 2: Get a back pat from other locals

Backlinks to your website are always a good idea as it helps give your site authority. You often hear about backlink strategies in online marketing as it is a search engine optimization (SEO) ranking factor.

You can get backlinks by asking other businesses or directories to link to your site from theirs. If you have a number of backlinks from reputable, local websites, it will increase your visibility on search engines and also add credibility to your brand.

Idea 3: Encourage word-of-mouth

Individuals will always check online for a business, but if a friend or family member makes a suggestion, they are probably going to search for that business first. This can be especially powerful in a small town or community.

Want to know the word-of-mouth statistics for local marketing ideas?

Here are some statistics on how word-of-mouth impacts consumer behavior:

• 88% of people trust personal recommendations over all other channels worldwide
• 92% of customers will trust a friend over a company’s marketing message
• 70% of consumers will take the word of other consumers’ opinions

There are several ways you can encourage individuals to suggest your business first and foremost:

Customer referral program

Let your clients and customers know that if they can help you, there might be a little something in it for them. You could offer a discount, a free product, or maybe a month of service, depending on your business.

Ask for a review

A customer review is also a great way to get a third party to vouch for you and give your business credibility. Once you have concluded a business with a client, send them a thank-you email and include a request for them to review your business.

Make a connection online

If you know of an influential person in the area you are targeting, reach out to them and see if you can sponsor them or give them a free sample or service to get their review.

You can tap into their already existing local target audience to get your brand out there.

Idea 4: Be relevant to your community

Every area in the world has its own individual inside jokes and quirks. Each space has its own whimsical edge that makes locals smile and know they are home.

It could be the tennis shoes hanging on the pole lines from that Christmas party. It could be the pothole that catches all the tourists on the main road. Or it could be the secret spot that only the locals know about, where you can see the perfect sunset.

Whatever it is, as a local business, you probably know about it as well. Little things that pull a community together and make everyone smile.

Identify these unique qualities about your area and use them in your marketing. Make the locals know that you are one of them —that you understand them and give them a marketing message they can relate to.

Use these anecdotes in your social media to bring communities together. Include it in your website content as well, so potential customers relate to your message.

This is a great low-cost marketing idea, as it is just simply knowing your area.

Nando’s, a fast-food restaurant in South Africa, has a well-established reputation for localizing its content for South Africans by initiating its “local is lekker” campaigns (“lekker” is an Afrikaans word for “great” or “nice.”)

Their adverts make fun of South Africans and the beauty that comes with having a rainbow nation of different cultures all over the country. For decades, their ad campaigns have won awards and made a whole community of South Africans laugh.

Idea 5: Claim your Google Business Profile

Google’s first objective is to help users find what they want. It also wants to give the correct information.

This is why Google encourage small business owners to create a Google Business profile. You will often see it appear in the map section, and it will hold information such as:

• Reviews from customers
• Photos from either the customer or business owner
• Address and contact details
• Website and other social media channel links
• Open/closed times
• Company description

You can get your Google business profile up and going within a matter of few days, making it one of the quickest and easiest ways to get on a local search page.

Idea 6: Localize your Google Ads

Run a local search engine marketing campaign by focusing on your local area. Pay-per-click (PPC) is a great solution if you want to reach people searching for a business in their area.

Targeting the right keywords is key to your local advertising success. Some keywords can be pricey if you go for general terms that have more competition. Targeting specific keywords, like local ones, help you get more from your budget and reach the right people.

If you have a budget, even a small one, it can be a great way to boost your business while waiting for SEO strategy to get crawled and indexed.

Idea 7: Tell your story

If your brand has a story to tell, then tell it! Local communities will want to hear about your positive effect on the area. If you are helping a charity, or are inspired by your own experiences, let them know.

Potential customers will want to support a company they can relate to or that invests in their community. Find ways to relate your story to the region, either through a local paper, online social media groups, or forums.

Idea 8: Use a sign

You might think big billboards are for large companies with huge budgets, and they are. But sidewalk signs are not. A sidewalk sign outside your business can attract potential buyers to stop and walk in.

If you have a sense of humor, even better! How often do you see images on social media pop up of funny sidewalk signs people have snapped? Make sure your business name is there with open/contact details.

This creates an opportunity for your customers to do the advertising for you — if they find your sign humorous, they might share it with friends and family, or through social media, and increase your business’s exposure.

Idea 9: Use the right social media channel

Some parts of the world are really into Facebook. Others prefer Instagram. There is always one social platform that is favored a little more than others in each area. As you localize yourself, you will know which one is the most commonly used.

Use this inside scoop information and channel your business on it. Don’t worry about the others. Advertise on the channel and modify the demographic options to your area.

Idea 10: Get WebFX to help you localize your business

We would love to get on board and help you localize your business. We have teams ready to optimize your site and your local presence and work with you to come up with amazing campaigns and strategies focused on specific areas.

We have a team of over 500 marketing experts, ready and knowledgeable to create optimized content for your area, community, and target audience.

Check out our 1,100 client testimonials from local businesses that have partnered with us to see what they had to say.

If you are ready to reach more local customers, contact us to speak with a strategist about our digital marketing services for local businesses.