Location-Based Marketing – Tips and Tools
Location-based marketing simply means that your marketing is focused on and around the physical location of your business. Typically, a business that is engaging in location-based marketing uses some tools of the trade, such as a mobile-friendly website. They will also focus on where potential clients are located to draw them to the business.
With the ever-growing use of smartphones, location-based marketing has taken off. It is now one of the main methods used by local businesses to attract customers.
Tips and Tools
If you want to use location-based marketing, here are some tips and tools of the trade:
Website
Make sure your address is clear and add a map where possible to make it easy to find you.
Hyper-Local Content
Everyone knows that a blog and website need content, but if you want to focus on local clients you need hyper-local content to attract your audience. You’ll need to create content with local keywords. If you have a business in Cambridge and want to do business across East Anglia, you should use the words Cambridge and East Anglia in combination with the keywords for your niche.
Locally Focused SEO
Think of your entire website, the URLs, the information on each page and all the aspects of your site, as places where locally focused keywords can be used. For example, if you are a legal firm in Bury St Edmunds, Suffolk, your URL should reflect that for best results in terms of the main site as well as the content you put on the website.
Coupons
Offer coupons through different mediums like social media, such as Facebook, and location-based listing sites, like TheBestof.co.uk. There are also many different marketing software apps that you can use to help you provide coupons to potential customers.
Mobile Marketing
You can use location-based coupons and other information via mobile marketing. There are various technologies that allow your advertisement to be sent to those who are nearby your location or who search for your information.
Local Directories
Complete the free listings in nationally recognised directories like Yahoo! Thomson Local, and others. Also get your business listed in local directories such as your Chamber of Commerce. Other local directories allow you to list your business based on what you offer. Ensure that the directory is legitimate and not a link bait ‘pay for links’ scam.
Get Reviews
Most of the local directories offer the ability for your customers to post reviews. It’s important to ask your customers to give you reviews on these sites. The more genuine reviews you have, especially positive reviews, the higher your business will be in the search results.
Social Media
Most of your audience is likely to be on social media, so engagement with your audience is a must. You can use so many different ways to engage such as offers, check-ins, coupons, and freebies. If you are a restaurant or shop, you need your offer to get them to come through your door.
PPC
Pay per click is another method to get the word out locally about your business. You can place ads on local websites as well as national websites targeted toward local viewers. Before you engage in PPC, try the other methods first and get some training or expert help.
Special Mention – Google My Business
You know the map pin that appears when you do a Google search for, say, a local restaurant? You can get that map pin by completing your business details on Google My Business. As with many Google products, this has appeared under different names over the years, such as Google Places.
I often find businesses either have not listed themselves on Google My Business or haven’t updated their listing. It is well worthwhile taking the time to complete your listing and get reviews on there if possible.
Finally, it’s important that you study the numbers for everything you do to market your business. The metrics will let you know what is working and what is not working when it comes to location-based marketing.
