In a time dominated by online interactions, local internet marketing has emerged as one of the top marketing strategies. From cafes and retail shops to contractors, everybody can take advantage of local internet marketing.
Local internet marketing is a one of a kind strategy that can bring effective results for both big and small businesses. But SMBs need to take advantage of this dearly. With limited budgets, they can’t hope to compete with corporations. Local internet marketing gives them that edge with its cost-effective techniques that can level the playing field.
This article explores the world of local internet marketing where SMBs can harness the power of the digital world to create strong customer relationships with their community.
But first, what is local internet marketing? Read ahead to find out!
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What Is Local Internet Marketing?
Local internet marketing is a type of digital marketing where the target audience is customers in a specific geographic region. Companies that utilize this type of marketing use different online channels to reach out to their local customer base. These channels can be social media, email, mobile apps, and search engines, among others.
This type of digital marketing is usually employed by businesses that have a physical presence, such as a retail clothing store. Their customers may come in-person to buy products, but where do they find out about these stores? This usually happens online. You open up your phone and search for an item. Google will give you suggestions about where to find it closest to you.
Proximity marketing is a form of local internet marketing. It’s where marketers go much deeper into the location aspect and get hyperlocal. They use technologies such as geofencing, Bluetooth, WiFi, and NFC to target customers at their specific locations.
Why Is It Important?
For businesses that have a physical location, local internet marketing may just be the most important strategy. This is because most of their customer base is from a specific geographic region. But if they’re targeting a wider audience, they’ll miss out on this concentrated audience.
Even if a customer purchases a product two streets away from their home, they’ll still be searching for options on the internet. Businesses that want to capture the maximum audience need to be where the search is happening. And that is in the digital world. It may be on search engines or on social media, so your presence there is necessary for customer acquisition.
Local internet marketing has a great advantage for small businesses. This digital marketing strategy can help level the playing field for SMBs. They won’t have to spend thousands of dollars on advertising and marketing to compete with bigger brands and businesses. They won’t have to spend a significant portion of their budget to place ads on billboards or distribute flyers.
This marketing strategy is cheap, yet it has a high ROI. This is because it’s a very targeted method of advertising. It’s one of the best strategies for small businesses with limited budgets and resources.
Local Internet Marketing: Top Strategies
Here are some of the best local internet marketing strategies for small businesses who want to target their local audience.
Google My Business
The first step to local internet marketing is to get your name out there. And the best way to do so is to get a listing on Google My Business. GMB is a free service by Google that lets users search for and find your business and all the essential information about it. Google is the most popular channel when it comes to marketing. So it’s critical to get your business listed on GMB.
You can customize your listing to show all the relevant information about your business. The more information you have, the better. It makes it easier for consumers to learn about you. Since it’s a free service, there is no investment required except the time you put in to create a stellar listing.
Provide your contact information in your listing so consumers can call you up and inquire about your products and services. Add high-quality images of your products and physical location. You should also add your location to Google Maps so people know exactly where to find you. Review your listing every week to ensure that it’s up-to-date.
Local SEO
Local search engine optimization is another strategy that is geared toward increasing your visibility in Google searches in your geographic area. The aim of local SEO is to rank higher in the SERPs for keywords that are used more frequently in your locality. For example, a hair salon would be better off targeting keywords such as “keratin treatment near me.”
Much of local SEO is the same as regular SEO. The only difference is that you need to look for keywords that matter to the people in your targeted region. The more popular keyword research tools like Moz offer this feature and let you tailor your search according to region. Google Trends is a powerful tool when it comes to zeroing in on a specific region.
There are other tactics for local SEO as well. In your blog and website, you should include your location as well. It should be a vital part of your copy and overall content. For example, instead of writing “the best keratin treatment”, you can write “the best keratin treatment in Los Angeles.”
Another effective strategy is to get local NAP citations. These are all the online resources that mention the name, address, and phone numbers of businesses. These can be business directories or social media profiles. Search engines use these citations to verify if your business information is legitimate. This will increase your chances of appearing higher in the SERPs.
Google’s Local Services Ads
Organic search can only get you so far. You need to invest in paid advertising if you want to maximize your reach and direct more traffic to your website. When it comes to PPC, you can definitely target your local consumers as well. And Google’s Local Services Ads (LSAs) are the best advertising instrument for this.
These are paid ads that are displayed at the top of the search results whenever you search for a local service. These paid ads are specifically targeted toward service businesses. And their working model is also different from other paid ads.
LSAs work on a PPL model. This is pay-per-lead, so you only have to pay whenever a user clicks on your ad and then proceeds to contact you. Since the customer has already contacted you, their interest in your service is piqued, and they will likely employ your services. This means that your advertising budget is only being used to pay for the most qualified leads.
The benefit of investing in Google’s LSAs is that they appear at the very top of the SERPs. These ads appear above other PPC ads, GMB profiles, and organic search results. So LSAs mean that you get the maximum visibility that Google has to offer. You don’t want to lose this type of exposure to your competitors.
Social Media Channels
Social media platforms have become an integral part of digital marketing in the modern age. These platforms have billions of monthly active users. The probability that people in your area aren’t using social media is going to be very low. So you can rest assured that your local audience can be targeted on social media.
There are many ways you can target your local audience on social media. A very simple way is to post localized content. Talk about trends in your locality and relate them to your business. Or, hold a contest for your followers and set prizes, such as tickets to your local cinema or a discount coupon for a local cafe.
Some social media channels let you localize the content you post. For example, you can add your location to any post you make on Instagram. It shows up under your account handle at the top of the post. This is a great way to advertise where you’re located to your followers.
These platforms also allow you to target specific regions with your ads. If you set a specific area, your social media ads will only appear in front of users there. This can be a powerful tool to boost your paid search ads.
Collect Social Proof
When it comes to local internet marketing, trust is an essential value you need to build. People can get products delivered from anywhere in the world, so why would they go out to shop at your business? Trust in a brand is a powerful element that can push them out of their comfort zone and make them buy from you.
To build consumer trust, a very effective strategy is to encourage your customers to leave reviews. Social proof is one of the most important factors in the buying process. People tend to trust those like them. If a regular customer just like them praises a brand, they’re far more likely to agree with them.
You need to get your regular customers to leave good reviews online. Most consumers are very busy people, and leaving reviews isn’t their first priority. So you have to be proactive and nudge them to leave a review.
Once your customers start leaving reviews, pick out the best ones. You can display this social proof wherever you have an online presence. The best places are your website and social media. Create a distinct section on your landing pages for reviews. On social media, you can set them as pinned posts or Highlights on Instagram.
Mobile-Friendly Website
If you’re targeting online customers from anywhere, you need to think about their journey. The more convenient it is for consumers to shop at your business, the more likely they are to return and buy more. Since your website is where they’re buying from you, it’s the first place you need to improve.
Mobile commerce will increase to $510 billion in 2023, which shows how important it is to focus on mcommerce. To cater to these shoppers, make your website more mobile-friendly. Doing so will help reduce any problems your customers are facing. As a result, they’ll buy more products and keep coming back.
A mobile-friendly website is also a ranking factor for search engines. So if you focus on mobile responsiveness, your website will jump ranks in the SERPs. Consider improving navigation on your mobile website. Make your CTAs and buttons bigger, with more space between them. Since the screen is now smaller, your elements need to be bigger so they’re easily visible.
Audit your website before you go live. You have to test your website for mobile friendliness so you can identify gaps and flaws. Try Google’s Mobile-Friendly Test, which is free and very accurate.
Local Email Marketing
Even though email marketing is considered a part of traditional digital marketing, it can be a great strategy for local internet marketing as well. Email marketing for local businesses is similar to traditional email marketing. The only difference is that your emails and content are targeted at a small local audience.
You first need to build a local email list so you know who to target. Start off by segmenting your current customer base according to their location. If you don’t have their exact locations, ask for them in your signup form. Divide your list into even smaller areas. A one size fits all approach won’t be as effective in local email marketing.
When you’ve built your local list, it’s time to personalize your email content. Personalization is a very effective email strategy. But it isn’t just limited to addressing your leads by their names. Create content in a way that appeals to your lead’s interests. The subject line should target the local area.
Include a promotion in your emails. Discounts and rewards are an excellent way to get people to do what you want. Add a gift for signing up or a discount on their next purchase to your emails. You’ll see a much higher conversion rate than before.
Get Backlinks
Backlinks are one of the most powerful ranking signals in search engine optimization. You can use a backlinking strategy to rank higher in SERPs without using too much of your marketing budget. This makes it a very effective strategy, both in terms of cost and results.
The websites you’ll be targeting for local internet marketing will be different, though. Global websites and publications won’t be as effective now. So you must target local websites that your small customer base frequents. The official town website is a great place to start. These government websites often have a page that lists local businesses. Request that they include your business too. This is a strong backlink that you can get for free.
Another great local backlink strategy is partnering with other businesses. You can collaborate with other popular businesses in your region to give each other a backlink. This way, you’ll earn a backlink and show your audience that you are a friendly business working with others.
Analyze your competitor’s backlink strategy to find websites that you can also target. You can use tools like Ahrefs to do a complete competitor analysis. These backlinks may not have an effect on their own. But several backlinks from reliable sources can significantly boost your ranking.
Claim Local Listings
On the internet, you’ll find many third-party websites that provide listings of businesses in a certain geographic area. These and other review websites are very popular in their respective areas because they help consumers find places to shop around them.
Local businesses that rely on foot and online traffic shouldn’t miss out on this opportunity. Getting your business listed on these third-party websites can get you immense traffic, both online and in-store. They can also help improve your brand reputation. When consumers see your business on listings and review sites, they will believe that it is legitimate.
Some popular websites that you would want to get your business listed on are Yelp, Better Business Bureau, and Yellow Pages. These are some of the most popular review websites, and a tool like Moz Local can automate the process for you.
These listings also work as backlinks to your website. So they can greatly improve your search engine ranking as well.
Local Influencers
Influencer marketing is the talk of the town these days. This marketing strategy has become very popular due to the rise of social media. Local businesses can also partner with influencers to promote their brands and increase their reach.
Local businesses can’t work with influencers who have an audience on a global scale. It won’t be effective at all because their audience won’t match yours. So you need to find influencers whose audience is the same as yours. Such influencers are difficult to find, as Google will only show you the most popular influencers.
You need to use a powerful influencer marketing tool that can get hyperlocal to find the right influencer for your strategy. Tools like Influencity and Upfluence can analyze the audience of influencers to find those that are active in your locality.
These will likely be nano- and micro-influencers that have a follower count of up to a hundred thousand. These influencers are highly engaged with their followers and can help boost your reach and thus, sales.
Invite influencers to your store, give them a tour of your location, and let them try your products. They can livestream the entire event to their followers, or they can create individual posts to promote your products.
Engage Your Audience
Regardless of who your audience is, engaging with them is one of the most important things you need to do. To get customers to keep coming back to your store, you need to build a relationship with them. Engaging them can build trust and loyalty and humanize your brand.
The easiest way to engage your customers is to reply to their reviews. If a customer leaves a positive review, thank them for using your products and leaving a review. Don’t delete negative reviews. Instead, show empathy for the customer’s bad experience and assure them that you’ll work on their feedback for a better experience next time.
You also need to engage your audience on social media platforms. But people won’t always talk about you under your posts. So you have to find out where your audience is talking about you. A social listening tool is the best way to do this.
A powerful tool like Sprout Social will scan social media platforms to find unbranded mentions. You can reply to these mentions and show your audience that you care about them. Social listening can also identify popular trends in your area, so you can jump on the bandwagon and increase your reach and brand awareness.
Create Local Content
We’ve already discussed how powerful local SEO is for targeting a specific audience in your geographic area. But most businesses that engage in local SEO only focus on their website. They’ll add keywords to their titles and copy and think they’re done. But that isn’t sufficient at all.
If you want to target your local internet audience better, you need to create local content for them. This means you need to have a blog that focuses on your specific region. Local content can be a powerful driver of traffic to your website and even your physical store.
Start by researching trends and popular topics in your area. Google Trends is a very helpful tool that lets you go hyperlocal to find related keywords. Use these keywords in your blog posts and publish content that your audience will find helpful and relate to.
You can even share this local content on your social media and any email campaigns you’ve started.
Get Local With Your Marketing
In today’s business world, local digital marketing is a must for growth. Businesses can increase their reach and become more visible in their community by utilizing strategies like SEO, social media, influencer marketing, and online reviews.
In a world where the internet shapes how people shop, these strategies help build strong customer relationships. Local digital marketing isn’t just important – it’s essential for success. It lets businesses shine in their locality and go beyond.
Have you used any of the local internet marketing strategies listed above? Tell us in the comments below!
