Not a lot of small businesses become a success. To be blunt, only 25% of businesses across the 15-year mark.

So you search for the “top marketing tips”, and “best content strategies” but end up with lame marketing ideas for small businesses. What if you had a curated local business marketing strategy?

You aren’t selling to someone a thousand miles away on day one. Rather, it would be someone from your city. That means the strategy must focus on a tight and indigenous audience.

Let’s dive right into some of the best local business marketing strategies.

Marketing strategies for local businesses – how do they differ

Being a local business owner, customers reach out to you in one of these three ways:

1. Text you either through a social media page or phone number.
2. They call you directly.
3. Locate your store

Based on how you operate, modern local businesses fall under two categories:

1. Cloud kitchens, personal trainers, home cleaning or web design services that operate without a physical location.
2. Owning a few outlets within the city.

No, we’re not talking about franchises with multiple outlets across the state. This is about you, the small business owner who wants to attract customers from your city.

When I searched for “personal trainers near me”, here are my results:

Google lists all those who are close by. Whether they own a gym or a personal trainer, they have a GMB profile with reviews, addresses and all the details a viewer needs.

But these profiles are targeted to exact locations. That means people living a hundred miles won’t get the same results with the same query.

1. Making the most of Google Local Service Ads

Google has come a long way and has created a ton of ways to help local business owners like you.

Let’s start with Google Business Profile. Not having one is a big mistake for your service business.

 

1. Display a consistent brand image right from day one.
2. Once you set up your profile, create quality content and pay attention to analytics data.
3. If you operate from more than one location, list them as well. This improves your target radius, focusing on a larger audience.

Now it’s time to market yourself. You know that Google is your best friend when it comes to marketing so leverage Google Local Service Ads to your advantage. Here are the things for you to keep in mind:

• Ads must be relevant. Be specific so that visitors know what your business is about.
• Get yourself Google Guaranteed. This helps you stand out from the crowd and Google’s approval draws customers in.
• With Google Local Service Ads you don’t need to focus on keyword optimization. Google does that for you.
• You can set up your budget for each ad, making this a cost-effective and an economic local business marketing strategy.
• Finally, you also have other options to advertise. Create a video for YouTube to get good views from people who watch similar videos. Do you have your own app? Try marketing it on the Google play store. More downloads, more future customers.

2. Leverage the most out of the Facebook Ads

For beginners, setting up a solid Business profile might be a big task. This is why you should start with Facebook Ads.

“Sounds like the same as Google ads. How is this easy and different from it?”

Source: ChainLink Marketing

 

Let’s say you run a car wash business. Your ad will just be another post on Facebook. Here’s the catch. It will be labeled as “sponsored” helping viewers identify that it is an ad.

The above example shows you just that. Notice the “See Menu” button. That is your only call to action button. You create specific posts as ads to allow users to take action. Order food, book an appointment, or even direct them to a signup form.

The above ad is a carousel, meaning you list a collection of images or videos with their own CTA. Apart from carousels, Facebook has other options too but I would recommend focussing the following for four as they are the best for small local business owners:

1. Images – great if you’re on a small budget and with a limited audience in your city.
2. Videos – a good option if you have a little extra cash to spend.
3. Lead Ads – a mini ad that suits mobile users. Great for a signup, contact forms, or direct call CTAs.
4. Story ads – 62% of people say they love story ads. If your audience loves it, why not go for it?

#1 Create your local Facebook Group for better visibility

Data can be of any kind and often unfiltered and unregulated. As a business owner, you want to know what your real customers think, feel and say about your business in your city.

This is where a Facebook group takes over other marketing arenas. These have some unique advantages that other platforms don’t offer like the ones below:

• A private Facebook group consists of authentic customers who buy from you. So every review, opinion, and post offers valuable insight and becomes a testimony to your services.
• You retain customers over a long period of time. When they know that you are still crushing it in your area of expertise, why would they opt for someone else over you? You will always be their first option.

 

Source: Facebook Group Saptarishis Astrology Research Group

Check this Facebook group from Saptarishis Astrology. They have a great following from astrology subject lovers across India,  which in turn helps their services grow. People stay updated through their posts, get to know what they offer and even invite new members to join if their services are good.

All sounds good but you gotta stay consistent to create special and curated content and here are a few tips for that:

1. Keep the groups private to keep spammers and bots away.
2. Once a user joins, invite them with a catalog of rules and steps to get started with the group.
3. Use prompt questions to prevent bots and unknown users from joining.
4. Keep creating content, initiate polls, build conversations and get inputs from users.

3. Key content strategies to follow

In today’s marketing world, words take the second spot. That’s the truth. Even a well-written web copy cannot compete against the effectiveness of an image or a well-directed video.

So what are you doing not taking good quality pictures and videos for your local business?

Video is the most popular of all now with 91% of businesses using them in 2023. Get creative with it, repurpose them into other forms of content, and market them across platforms.

To get a detailed picture of content strategies, here’s my article on content strategy for startups.

4. Build reviews and build your reputation

The first few customers can become messengers. They help you spread the good news. In our case, your city has to know how good your business is.

Step one: Get good reviews from your customers.

Step Two: Highlight them on your website and social media handles.

Source: Google Maps

In the beginning, people want proof that you are good. Established businesses can get away because they have the capital to spend on advertisements.

For local business owners like you, every review in the early days is like extra men working for free.

What you shouldn’t do is force them to provide reviews. Customers will voluntarily offer their reviews if they find you online. If that isn’t the case, you can request them once your service is done.

9 out of 10 times, they’ll find it hard to say no. This is one of the best local business marketing strategies for small businesses.

5. Promotions and collaborations

When it comes to joining hands to promote your business, you have to find someone with whom you have a common interest or area of expertise.

Running a car wash store? Connect with car retailers and people who buy and sell used cars. Running a salon? Advertise in your local franchise outlets that sell grooming products.

You have to have “THE link” with other businesses to get more eyeballs on you.

Another option? Partner with social media influencers. Every city now has someone sharing reels on Instagram with a decent following.

 

Influencers like WalkWithJai here have a high impression rate and reach a wide audience. They could also become valuable customers and promote you in the long run.

Think about how much it would help your business if you get five-star reviews from local influencers and you can promote them on your social handles.

That’s a simple pro tip right there!

Speaking about loyal customers, you can also give out discounts on referrals. Who said promo codes and coupons are the only way to retain customers?

6. Old-school marketing methods still work

Really? Yes, lets see how you can use these methods to grow your local service businesses.

#1 Advertise in newspaper classifieds

Did you know that more than half (52% to be exact) of users still prefer newspapers to plan their shopping?

Source: Dribbble

 

“Advertising in newspapers is like shooting in the air hoping to hit something” this is the typical argument against classifieds.

This doesn’t apply to local business owners like you. You will stir their curiosity about your company because you are targeting a geographically close audience.

Advertising on billboards and classifieds can be costly, so you must develop good relationships with advertisers. Negotiate for good deals for better coverage in magazines and newspapers.

You also have options to book ads for certain companies like The Hindu. Book online, pay for the package and your ad will be live.

#2 Post on Online Business Listings/classifieds

Locanto, Yelp, JustDial and IndiaMart are a few platforms where you can post online ads for free.

Laundrex is a residential laundry services company operating in Chennai. With tons of outlets in the metropolitan, they have posted a ton of ads on these online classifieds which bring in new customers.

Since most of them are free, you cannot post different copies of ads all at once. Sometimes they have a time limit, an audience range limit or you might have to pay extra cash to promote it.

Source: Opencare

Some classifieds like OpenCare focus on specific areas of expertise. In their case, they focus on connecting the best dentists in North America. So if you are dentists who want new patients from your city, listing your business in a dedicated class is the smarter choice.

Nevertheless, this is an option that small businesses still consider.

#3 Business cards, the simple word-of-mouth tool

Everyone underrates what business cards can do. Let me explain.

Imagine you are at a family gathering, and your local business is introduced. They become curious as you talk to and you see potential customers in them.

What do you do? You hand out your business card. A business card has the address for them to visit and a phone number to call you.

If you calculate the ROI, this is by far the most economical option to market yourself.

#4 Philanthropy and sponsorships

When was the last time you attended a local college cultural event? The first person they would reach out to for sponsorships is local business owners like you.

Setting up a special contact form for organizations for event planning would be the first thing you can do. If you are a newcomer to the city, you can approach popular organizations about sponsorship opportunities. Some of these local events can be any of the following:

• Blood donation camps
• Local sports competitions
• Small business symposiums
• Philanthropic initiatives by NGOs
• Disease awareness campaigns by hospitals

7. Build a top-tier website

Everybody knows the significance of a website for a small business. Here’s how you can leverage the website of your local small business.

#1 Build dedicated landing pages

You need landing pages if you have a small yet stunning product/service range.

Every stunning website has at least one landing page for its top-tier product. Why? Because they offer a 23% conversion rate, the highest ever.

#2 Leverage your contact page

Imagine running a home cleaning service in your town. Your testimonials are fantastic, and clients are eager to contact you.

But you got so many requests pouring in, from houses to offices to outlets, you have to traverse through all of them carefully.

A good contact form comes in handy in these situations. Not all customers would want to talk to you for the first time. Some may have special requirements. Some would like to know more information other than what’s on your website.

A well-designed contact form helps your customer elaborate on their needs and give you time to understand them.

#3 Integrate social media

Today’s successful business owners agree social media marketing has become a powerful weapon.

The stats on social media marketing are clear. A total of $130.5 billion can be expected to be spent on social media marketing using smartphones by 2027!

Source: Vilvah Store

Check out this contact form from Vilvah. It is simple with a name and email address. If you look closely, you see they got all their social media icons.

That way, someone who’s interested can check out their reels on Instagram, their tweets on Twitter and their vlogs on YouTube.

These are different forms of content directed towards an audience, all thanks to the simple contact form on that website.

#4 A good email list comes in handy

Building an email list is a staple in running a business online. The customers you get from all channels are grouped under your email list.

Subscribe to a mailing list service like Mailchimp and start sending out newsletters. This way, your local customers get updates on your services and offers.

What’s next?

We are now at the end. Now you know how to build effective marketing ideas for small businesses and attract more customers near you.

The next step? Getting in touch with a good web development company

And this is where Gyan Devign Tech Services come into the picture. We specialize in building god-tier websites for small business owners like you.

Take a look at the digital and IT services we offer for local service businesses. At financially stressful times like this, we help you navigate to achieve your business goals.

Do you dig the idea of an effective marketing plan  for your local business?Connect with the “helpful, brag-free” Marketing agency in Toronto Canada, and let’s have a sit-down.

 

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