Local businesses reliant on the consumer economy must go above and beyond the usual tactics to attract new customers. With a world of products and services at the fingertips of shoppers via the internet, it is becoming increasingly more difficult to connect with consumers at the local level.
This is one major reason why even small businesses in local communities are embracing technology as one way to level the playing field. Using a combination of high-tech marketing solutions, even the tiniest of businesses can attract people in-person while using the power of the internet.
We’ll let you in on three high-tech solutions that can be used to attract local customers to any physical store-front.
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Tap into Live Social Media
An increasing number of local businesses have discovered that there is ample power in connecting with users on social media platforms via live streams. Some examples include Facebook and Snapchat, but brands are becoming even more creative with their streaming and communication strategies.
As reported by mirrordaily.com, even networks such as WhatsApp are adding location services to help users find friends and brands in nearby places. When combining location services with live streams, small businesses can broadcast their messages, events, and promotions directly to mobile users in close proximity. This can help bring attention to business events as they’re unfolding, which can help to draw in more nearby users than traditional forms of digital marketing.
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Target Local Search Results
Search engine optimization remains one of the best ways to passively target relevant customers in a given niche. A specific type of SEO – local SEO – can be used to target less contested search results in a smaller geographic area.
This can be an excellent way to reach mobile users who may search using queries like “[product] near me” or “[service] in [city]”. With a good chunk of these kinds of searches being performed while the user is moving through the area, there is a very good chance that a business can attract the person to come to their store on the same-day.
Because there is less competition at the local level, it is relatively easy for local businesses to target customers who are nearby. Click here to read more about how local SEO works.
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Push for Online Reviews
Brick and mortar businesses may not be aware of the extent that customer feedback can impact their overall number of sales. Even for those companies doing business in the physical realm, online reviews can be a boon for local business.
Many people who shop for new products and services – even when intending to purchase locally – look online first for reviews. Whether it is a restaurant, a toy store or a nail bar, the internet has made consumers more likely to insist on good feedback and online reviews before shopping somewhere.
Local businesses can incentivize online reviews by asking their customers in-person to leave a review on sites such as Yelp or Google, with the trade-off being a discount on their next purchase (be sure to know the rules of incentivizing online reviews). These reviews will also strengthen how search engines view these businesses, which – you guessed it – will bolster the prominence of a business in local search results.
With more competition than ever, local businesses must compete with the entire world for their customers. Thankfully, there are a number of ways to compete online for local customers that aren’t very difficult at all. By encouraging reviews, targeting local search results and tapping into the power of social media, businesses on Main Street can bring in customers both abundantly and reliably.