Local Marketing In A Digital Era: What You Need To Know About Geo-Targeting
While the internet has made things feel more "digital," it's important to note that most customers still only go to businesses that are within five miles of them. If you're a brick-and-mortar business courting a local clientele, the last thing you want to do is advertise to people outside of your range. Here's what you need to know about geo-targeting and local, digital advertising.
There Are Many Platforms for Local Digital Marketing
Social media platforms, as an example, are an excellent option for local marketing because they have data regarding where their users both live and work. On Twitter, Facebook, LinkedIn, and other sites, you can target users through boosted, paid posts and try to interact with the people most likely to stop in. Paid advertising has to be targeted towards those who are close to you and have an interest in your company rather than just those within your biographical demographics.
SEO Needs to Be Local
No one needs to rank first for "plumber." People need to rank first for "plumber in [their area]." When people try to optimize their pages for terms that are too broad, they just end up spending lots of money. The truth is that most people aren't going to go out of their way for a business, so marketing to people outside of your very narrow range is not likely to be effective; it's just money thrown away. Concentrate on terms and locations that are hyper-local to you.
Digital Marketing Can Blend With the Physical
One of the best ways to boost your social media presence isn't through digital media at all. It's by handing out cards and flyers to local businesses. By handing out cards and flyers, you can build a digital presence and encourage people to view your digital materials. From there, you'll experience digital growth, which is much more affordable than physical marketing. But it still starts with some physical marketing first.
Don't Dismiss the Power of Email
Social media has encouraged some digital marketers to look elsewhere, but email actually still remains an effective platform for marketing. Most people check their email at least once a day, sometimes multiple times a day. When they check their email, they are looking for information, deals, and promotions. If you have a good mailing list, you'll be able to connect to your prospective clientele at the touch of a button. This is even more important for the purposes of re-marketing.
Local marketing needs both physical and digital marketing to be truly effective. But once you power up your digital marketing, you can start to have clients come to you, rather than the other way around.
To learn more, contact a digital marketing agency.