Top Tactics and Strategies to Drive Local Business in Competitive Markets

Local search marketing is key for all industries. Whether you own a café or a small barbershop, a cloth store, or an eatery, a proper local search marketing strategy is a great way to attract relevant traffic.

Normally, ranking a business for a local query is easier than traditional SEO. You are competing with a handful of competitors operating in the same vicinity. But when it’s competitive, you can’t rely on general tactics.

If you’re looking for tactics and strategies to drive local business in competitive markets, continue reading this article till the end. You will find a lot of proven stuff to make it happen.

1. Know the Audience

First things first, you must know your audience to paddle your Digital marketing strategy accordingly. What is your product or service and who is the target audience? To stay ahead in the race in the local market you must know the psychology of your target audience.

For instance, not every town has residents addicted to social media. Moreover, they could be the lot that rarely believes in digital ads. Or it could be vice versa — they might be savvy social media users but rarely Google anything.

2. Study Your Competitors

Competitor research sets the base of your marketing strategy. How can you beat several other businesses operating locally in your niche if you don’t even know what they are doing differently?

Every established business has a unique selling proposition, a distinguished way of grabbing attention. What’s yours? 

3. Be Active on Social Media

Whatever the case, whether your target audience is active on social media or rarely logs in, you still need a Facebook page and Instagram account (at least) to drive local business.

Fill in all the essential information about your business on social channels, including your area. This way, if someone searches for a product or service you offer with an area name, you can acquire those warm leads.

4. Create a Google Business Profile

If you want your business to stand out in the local market, your Google Business Profile (previously Google My Business profile) is going to be a lethal weapon in your arsenal. But make sure your profile is accurate, complete, and engaging. 

Each feature in it is for you, and every additional detail helps people and Google to recognize you. Don’t forget to add the working hours, reservations, appointment procedure, menu, and everything in between that matters.

5. Update Your GBP Regularly

Creating a Google Business Profile (GBP) is a one-time task. But you must update it on a regular basis to inform your audience about any changes in the operational hours, add in the menu, appointment fee, etc.

It also lets you add special hours for holidays, events, or during a specific time period. Update these details regularly to keep them accurate and let your audience know that you’re active.

6. Get Involved in the Local Online Community

Another ingenious way to boost your visibility locally is by getting involved in online communities. This can be done through Facebook groups, Quora, and Reddit. 

Get first-hand knowledge of the problems related to the product or service you sell, and improve customer satisfaction by working on those areas. If you mingle with them, they won’t see you as a business but an entity part of their community.

7. Improve Local SEO

No matter how big your aim is, it all starts with local SEO. While creating content, don’t ignore the search terms involving queries associated with a town name, or areas your business covers. Local SEO, when done right, can yield great revenue for you.

By collaborating with SEO service and with a solid local SEO strategy, you won’t have to run paid ads. And yet, you will get significant relevant traffic that’s more likely to convert.

 If you have any doubts about the effectiveness of local SEO, check out bars, restaurants, plumbing services, and even saloon shops near you. You will find plenty of them!

8. Cross-Promote with Established Local Businesses

If you have no idea how cross-promotion works, it’s similar to link exchanges. Two businesses vouch for each other and direct traffic to each other’s website or physical stores — but they shouldn’t be competitors.

For instance, a saloon and massage shop can cross-promote each other; not only will it make sense but someone going for a haircut might also prefer a nice massage after it.

9. Sponsor Local Events

It’s not just about digital promotion, but in the local market, you can acquire intelligent physical means to promote your business. For instance, you can organize an event or sponsor an event to introduce your brand locally. 

If you are operating in a tech or education industry, seminars do wonders. You provide free information to people and most of them have to reciprocate at some point.

Final Words

Normally, local promotion is considered a small part of our marketing strategy. However, if taken seriously, this one area can yield great results. All you need to do is target the right audience, prepare the type of content they crave, and invest in social media and local Google Business Profiles.

 This small effort will save you thousands of bucks in the long run that you’d have to spend on paid ads.