How to Win in [location] with Targeted Local Digital Marketing

Digital Marketing Works Best When Localized

For building a digital marketing strategy for your local business, it may differ greatly from what you’ve been used to in the past. Local digital marketing works best when it helps local customers find what, when, and how to get what they need quickly.

“Near Me, Now”

Google trends is an invaluable tool when looking at changes in real-time and over time. This graph is an example of how consumer behavior has changed. As you can see, the interest in location, ‘near me’ has jumped 4 fold in google searches over the past 5 years.

However, “near me” alone is not enough. 

There has been a 3-fold increase in the desire to find solutions that are not only ‘near me’ but also, ‘near me, now’. Your target audience is looking for solutions that are readily available. Potential customers do not want to wait. 

This trend makes it not only important to have your name, address, phone number, and products/services listed, but also your hours of operation. If you just solved for ‘near me’, with the common advice of consistent name, address, and phone, you would have missed those that were looking to see if you were open now. 

Maybe a consumer would dig deeper to find your hours, but more likely, he or she would just go to the next listing. 

Easy to Reach You

Having multiple contact methods is another way to make it simple for the local searcher to reach you. Having a listing with multiple options makes it easy for the consumer to choose how they wish to interact. Email and phone are reliable standbys, but newer methods like chatbots and texting are also a way to extend your service differentiation before the sale.

If Target Customers Are Searching on Mobile, They are Ready to Buy.

This is a somewhat dated study from Google (2017), but the data are still relevant even if the numbers may have changed. 

In their study, they found that 7 out of 10 mobile searchers purchased something in store after researching it on their phone. For example, if you are a restaurant owner, these data suggest that 70% of your customers probably read your menu, reviews, etc. before they even stepped foot in your place.

This same study showed that over 90% of those who searched for a solution on their phone followed through with a purchase. This is a powerful signal of purchase intent. Therefore, you want your small business to show up when that decision is being made. 

Pictures Really Do Say a Thousand Words :

According to Search Engine Journal, there is a positive correlation between images and views on Google My Business Pages. They state that “Having more images in a Google My Business listing correlates positively with receiving more views.”

Why You Should Leverage Local Digital Marketing

Hopefully, I’ve convinced you that the benefits of local digital marketing are worth your attention.  

1. “Near Me, Now”: Consumers are looking for solutions in their local market that can solve their needs immediately.
2. Those searchers are ready to buy. All you need to do is to show them how.
3. Images increase the likelihood of making that ultimate step.