There was a time when local businesses would only focus their marketing campaigns on the area where they were based. For instance, a local pizza store would put in some effort to displays signs and banners about their various deals, and they would include advertising leaflets and postcards in the mail to help raise awareness. And while these methods still work to an extent, they are rapidly being overtaken by the importance of online marketing. In fact, some would say that online advertising is the most cost-effective way for local businesses to raise brand awareness, boost sales and build customer loyalty.
Many local businesses look at the work being done by major companies with respect to social media and other online advertising, and they are intrigued by confused. While they can understand the benefits of these marketing strategies, they do not see how such wide ranged strategies would impact a small, local business. But we are here to tell you that the same strategies being used by bigger companies can help your small business, especially when it comes to online marketing and advertising. Simply having an online presence can help a local business in a massive way.
The biggest reasons why an online presence helps is because it allows for a business to engage with two groups of people: individuals who have already frequented the business, and those who may be interested in what the business has to offer. If you build and regularly update your social media profiles, customers who have visited your business in the recent past may look you up, and they would be able to follow your page to keep up to date on any new deals, promotions or products that you are offering. Since they have already frequented your business, and they liked their experience, keeping up with your company online would serve as a friendly reminder for them to come again!
Using a well-crafted and regularly updated website, along with social media profiles, can also help a local business as they look to get new customers. When you want to increase brand awareness, and you want more people frequenting your business on a daily basis, reaching out to them online can help. People may come across your Facebook post or tweet, or they may see your website when they search for a related keyword on Google or another search engine.
For instance, if you have a local pizza restaurant, if someone searches for pizza in your city, they may come across your business website. Or they may see your social media profiles.
In either case, they will get a glimpse into your business. You would have pictures of your interior décor, along with photographs of the food or the general ambiance when customers are having lunch or dinner. These pictures are promotional material at its finest, because it lets the person get a glimpse at what they would experience if they were to come to your business. And now you could have attracted a customer to your business, all through the internet!