7 Ways To Expand Your Local Business Using Digital Marketing

It’s essential for local businesses to use digital marketing to draw more local clients. Many local business owners mistakingly think that online ads and other digital marketing methods can only be used if they do business outside their immediate community. But nowadays, with online advertising capabilities, it’s easier than ever to reach customers in your local area and help them learn about your brand. That being said, there are unique digital marketing activities that should be included in a local business marketing plan, and others that should be avoided. It should be a top priority for your local business to lock down strategies to target those in your area. Here are seven ways to expand your local business using digital marketing.

Expand Your Local Business Using Digital Marketing

1. 1. Facebook Ads: Since building a target audience in Facebook advertising by location is surprisingly simple, many local businesses use Facebook ads. However, I want to emphasize that the sales funnel connected to the ads needs to be optimized for conversions. Facebook Ads can’t fix a lousy funnel or offer – they will only magnify the results you already have. If your sales funnel doesn’t convert visitors, you’ll only be wasting your money. Test various funnels on smaller groups, then make corrections before spending your entire marketing budget.
   2. YouTube Ads will attract your target audience, as well. YouTube Ads are probably the most effective form of paid traffic advertising since it uses the user’s search engine history using Google AI. YouTube Ads are recommended over Google because the AI generates the message to a warm audience for much less than the cost of Google Ads. That means a higher return on investment for your business.
   3. Instagram: Another excellent way to communicate with customers near you is Instagram, using features like location tags and hashtags for your city or state. From there, you can message prospective clients with massive followings and offer a free product or service in trade for an Instagram post or story. Several top marketers suggest using Instagram to connect with and support other local businesses. Yes, it’s social media, but we need to ground social media back into the human experience. Being authentic and connecting with other companies on social media will help build a genuine community. To begin, type your city in the ‘locations’ tab and see which small businesses appear.
   4. SEO: Engaging on social media through the above three forms of ads definitely helps with SEO, but build up your business’s web presence even more by optimizing your website. Post your Google My Business page regularly, and complete the information section inside your Google My Business dashboard. In addition to putting a Google review strategy in place, these two simple actions can position your business on the first Google results page. The higher your site ranks on Google’s results page, the greater the likelihood local customers will find out about your company.
   5. Content Marketing: Content marketing can further help your local business website by improving your SEO ranking. Content added to blog posts to your company’s website to rank higher is an excellent place to attract your local customers. For example, if you run a San Antonio-based skincare clinic, develop your content towards protecting your skin in the San Antonio sun. This way, keywords around skincare, San Antonio, and Texas will position you higher in the search results. Come up blog topics that directly address the concerns and questions of your target customer. Creating content without knowing what works for your audience and your local business is a misuse of time and resources.
   6. Email Marketing: Finally, using email marketing is an excellent way to keep your existing customers coming back. There are several creative ways to build a customer email list. Suppose your local business is a brick and mortar store. In that case, we recommend having a tablet for customers to type their email instead of a signup sheet to handle any hard-to-read handwriting. Another suggestion is to host events in your community and add your guests’ emails to your mailing list or ask to send their receipt rather than print it out.
   7. ADA Website Compliance: The Internet is the ever-expanding marketplace for local businesses. It’s crucial to have your products, services, and/or information accessible for possible customers on their devices. Your local business must also make digital assets and content available for the portions of your audience that live with disabilities or impairments. Having an ADA compliant website isn’t just about implementing legal policies. It’s about doing what’s right. From a local business point of view, ADA website compliance is also a no-brainer. Making sure your website is disabled-friendly further extends your brand’s reach. It can do this by providing access to anybody and everybody who otherwise couldn’t – from visually impaired customers to home-bound seniors. Digital connectivity is essential for daily life as the 21st century continues to unfold, including interpersonal communications, shopping, and paying bills.

Concentrating your local business marketing efforts on these seven areas will bring more customers through your front door – or onto your website’s landing page – in practically no time.