Local businesses have a specific goal: attract nearby customers. As a local business, your target customers are the people living, working, and traveling near your location.
You need local marketing ideas to reach them.
Whether you operate a regional franchise or a small independent business, local marketing ideas that include word-of-mouth marketing, targeted digital marketing, and local SEO are essential for connecting with your local community and nearby customers.
To connect with a local audience, here are fifteen local marketing ideas to try.
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1. Develop a business referral network in your local community
One of the benefits of running a local business is the community you can create. As you build relationships with other businesses in your area, you can support one another by developing a referral network.
A referral network—where you send customers to businesses and they send them to you—is mutually beneficial. For example, real estate agents often rely on referrals from people within the community while referring other businesses for lawn care, home insurance, and remodeling.
The industries often overlap, and both parties benefit from the referrals.
To maximize the effectiveness of your referral network, consider implementing a structured referral program that offers incentives for successful referrals. Providing rewards such as discounts, gift cards, or commissions can encourage ongoing participation and strengthen partnerships.
Utilize referral program software to track referrals, manage rewards, and analyze the performance of your network. By making the referral process seamless and rewarding, you ensure that your partners are motivated to actively promote your business.
2. Create a customer referral program
A customer referral program is a powerful tool for local businesses to build trust, reduce customer acquisition costs, and increase revenue. Referrals harness the existing relationships and goodwill of your satisfied customers, turning them into brand advocates who organically promote your business to their friends and family.
Building trust through referrals
Referral programs leverage the trust that customers have in their personal networks. When a customer recommends your business to someone they know, it carries more credibility than traditional advertising.
Cost-effective customer acquisition
One of the most significant advantages of referral programs is their cost-effectiveness. Acquiring customers through referrals typically costs less than traditional marketing channels because it relies on your existing customer base to do the heavy lifting.
Increasing revenue through referrals
Referral programs not only help in acquiring new customers but also contribute to increased revenue. Referred customers tend to have higher lifetime values and are more likely to make repeat purchases.
Improving brand awareness and visibility
Referral programs play a crucial role in enhancing your brand’s presence within the community. As customers share their positive experiences, they increase the visibility of your brand to a broader audience.
This word-of-mouth marketing not only attracts new customers but also reinforces your brand’s reputation as a trusted and preferred choice in the local market.
Diversifying the customer base
By encouraging referrals, you can attract a more diverse customer base. The personal recommendations from different social circles introduce your business to customers from various demographics and backgrounds, enhancing the diversity of your clientele.
Check out our top tips for converting leads into paying customers.
To turn your loyal customers into your biggest brand advocates, make the referral process as easy as possible for them, and stay top-of-mind with compelling referral incentives like free products and significant discounts. Examples include free cash, major discounts, free months of subscription, or customized gifts.
4. Attend networking events
Networking events are one of the best local marketing ideas for business owners who want to connect with other companies in the area and form strong partnerships. If you can’t find a networking group that you like in your area, create one yourself.
Some networking events are informal mixers where attendees mingle at a local restaurant or bar, while others are more structured with local presenters and business lessons. Find what works for your goals and brand needs.
5. Focus on local SEO
If you run a brick-and-mortar business, you don’t necessarily need customers across the country to find you. You don’t need someone in New York City to search and find your dentist’s office located in Miami.
Instead, you want local audiences near your business to find you when searching, which is why local SEO is one of the best local marketing ideas.
Local SEO (search engine optimization) is the process of optimizing your online presence so your brand shows up when nearby customers search for keywords related to your business. Try to find a domain name with a local feel. You can get some domain name suggestions using our domain generator.
6. Maintain updated digital business listings
Another way to get local audiences to find your business through search is by setting up digital business listings. A digital business listing is a profile for your business on an online directory. Directories may be general business listing sites like Yelp, Google My Business, and Apple Maps.
Directories may also be specific to businesses based on their niche or location. For example, Angi is a directory that lists home-service businesses, and TripAdvisor is a directory for travel-based businesses.
Digital business listings help customers get information about your business. They are a powerful source for local reviews. Most importantly, they help customers find your business. Customers searching on directory sites can discover your business, and each listing boosts your local SEO. Sites like Google My Business may even display your business more prominently in search.
A Google My Business listing is the most important digital business listing as it can produce rich search results when customers search for your business name or terms related to your industry and offerings. For more tips on setting up your Google My Business profile, check out Google Business Profile: The tool your small business needs.
As a business owner, maintain updated digital business listings to help potential customers find and choose you.
- Ensure that your business name, address, and phone number are consistent across all profiles.
- Update your hours, menu and contact information regularly.
- Link to your website from all business listings.
- Share professional photos of your location.
- Responding to both positive and negative reviews to show that you are listening.
7. Incentivize customers to engage on social media
Referrals increasingly happen in the digital world. An easy way to tap into word-of-mouth marketing is to engage with fans on social media.
Encourage customers to share their experiences with your brand online. Ask people to check in, leave reviews, or post photos. You can even turn your request into a contest and award prizes through drawings each month.
Enhance visibility with local hashtags and location tags
To further increase your business’s visibility on social media, encourage the use of local hashtags and location tags. Local hashtags help your posts reach a geographically targeted audience, making it easier for nearby customers to discover your business.
Similarly, using location tags on your posts allows users to find your business when they search for places in specific areas.
Incorporating these social media strategies can amplify your word-of-mouth marketing efforts and attract more local customers.
8. Target local customers with paid ads
While organic search and social media can drive customers to your business, you can attract even more attention by using paid ads to reach nearby audiences. Paid social media and search ads offer location-based hyper-targeting options that allow you to reach customers based on their location.
9. Become a resource for local content
You can rely on paid media and public relations to promote your business, or you can build up a reputation where the media calls you. One of the often-ignored local marketing ideas is becoming a go-to resource for media outlets.
Position your business as an authority in your industry who can share valuable insights and information.
For example, a pediatrics office could be known as a leader in providing information on how kids can stay healthy while going back to school, or a wellness center could be the authority on tips for maintaining mental health during stressful times.
To become a resource for local content, share helpful, valuable content through social media, blog posts, and newsletters. Reach out to local news outlets and journalists, share your resources, and offer to be an expert when they have stories related to your niche and expertise.
10. Sponsor local causes
If you want to connect with customers in your community, then you need to be a part of your local community. Local sponsorships and branded volunteer days are great ways to get your brand in front of local audiences while also supporting initiatives, causes, and organizations in your area.
Support local causes, events, and sports teams, and genuinely involve your business because you care. People can tell when a company is authentic and cares about the community. If you walk the walk and help others around you, then your customers will be more likely to walk through your doors.
11. Connect with local influencers to expand brand reach and enhance credibility
Local influencers have established trust and credibility within your community, making them valuable partners for expanding your brand’s reach. Collaborate with these influencers by integrating them into your referral network. Offer incentives such as discounts, exclusive products, or commissions for every new customer they bring to your business.
12. Create custom landing pages for each marketing campaign
To improve conversion tracking for each of your marketing campaigns, create custom landing pages tailored to each initiative. Custom landing pages allow you to measure the effectiveness of your marketing efforts accurately and optimize your strategies based on real data.
With the GoDaddy Website Builder, you can easily design and customize landing pages that align with your campaign goals, ensuring a seamless and professional online presence.
13. Utilize remarketing to encourage customer reviews and enhance online reputation
Enhancing your online reputation is crucial for local businesses, and one effective way to achieve this is by encouraging customer reviews through remarketing strategies. Leverage your existing customer base by implementing referral programs that incentivize reviews.
14. Distribute business cards, brochures, and flyers in high-traffic local areas
Enhancing brand awareness can be effectively achieved by distributing business cards, brochures, and flyers in areas with high foot traffic. To maximize the impact, incorporate referral incentives into these physical materials. For example, include a unique referral code or link that rewards recipients who refer friends or family members.
15. Attend local farmer’s markets and trade shows to engage with potential customers
Attending local farmer’s markets and trade shows offers a unique opportunity to engage directly with your community and potential customers. These events are ideal for showcasing your products or services, building brand awareness, and establishing personal connections with your audience.
For example, set up a booth where customers can sign up for your referral program, receive a unique referral code, and instantly share it with others. Offer immediate rewards for referrals made during the event, such as a small discount on their current purchase or a free sample of a new product.
This not only increases the likelihood of immediate conversions but also fosters long-term customer loyalty as participants feel valued and rewarded for their advocacy.
Examples of successful referral programs from top brands
Referral programs that incentivize existing customers to recommend products to friends have proven highly effective for today’s top brands. By offering rewards for referrals that drive new sales, these companies have leveraged word-of-mouth at scale to acquire customers and boost growth.
ReferralCandy
ReferralCandy offers a robust referral program that rewards customers for referring friends and family to your business. When a referred friend makes a purchase, both the referrer and the referee receive rewards such as discounts or gift cards.
ReferralCandy’s software automates the tracking and payout process, making it easy to manage and scale your referral program. Their platform also includes features to prevent fraudulent referrals and provide detailed reporting on referral activities.
Direct-to-consumer brands
A direct-to-consumer brand has utilized a straightforward referral program to fuel its growth. When customers make a purchase, they receive a confirmation email with a referral link. By sharing this link, customers can earn rewards such as gift cards in exchange for referring new customers.
This approach emphasizes ease of sharing and valuable rewards, making it simple for satisfied customers to advocate for the brand.
SaaS companies
A SaaS company’s referral program is a classic example of how referral marketing can drive exponential growth. By offering additional features or credits to both the referrer and the referred friend, the company incentivized users to share the platform with others.
This simple yet effective strategy resulted in a significant increase in growth, demonstrating the power of aligning incentives with the product’s value proposition.
Use local marketing ideas to grow your business
Local marketing isn’t about connecting with the largest audience. It’s about connecting with the right audience. Use these local marketing ideas to connect with the people living, working, and traveling near your business. Promote your business to the customers who are most likely to visit, and you will drive more foot traffic, sales, and customer loyalty.
