Marketing

The best digital marketing strategies for local companies

Digital marketing is one of the most powerful tools for local companies to promote their products and services. With the growing dependence of consumers on technology, it is crucial that local companies implement digital marketing strategies to reach their target audience that can become a customer.

March 23, 2023 · Dudu Gentil · 8 min read

The best digital marketing strategies for local companies

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The importance of local enterprises

Even with the advance of e-commerce, many products or services may have eager buyers to be conquered very close to your home or neighborhood.

Data from Sebrae indicate that small businesses represent more than 98% of registered companies and more than 50% of formal jobs. Consuming local companies contributes above all to the economic growth of the city, stimulating new businesses and generating more jobs.

Local businesses are considered the fuel of the entire economy, and promoting this type of consumption brings gains to the whole region, as it helps establish a fairer trade, making money circulate through its neighborhood, which provides more local development.

In this group of local entrepreneurs come many MEIs (Micro Individual Entrepreneurs) who today strengthen the economy with their production and are also local business buyers.

Local business also needs marketing

Start with the setting of the company profile on Google (old My Business). Most companies have already created profiles on Google, but if you don't have them yet, try to do it as quickly as possible. We've talked about this before in the Blog in the article Google My Business is now Company Profile: look what has changed!.

And remember: it is not enough to have a created company profile, it is necessary to constantly update and interact with users, which scares many people.

Google Local Guides that live in your area are nearby and love to contribute to the reviews that bring authority to your brand. Having five stars is the goal!

An example I like to use, are companies that post business photos and forget to update even when they make renovations or extensions that change the characteristics of the site. The user is impacted not only by information, but also by other elements such as the local business images.

Today digital marketing brings brands and consumers closer together and if you can't even get the customers in the neighborhood, it's time to get to know some digital marketing strategies for local companies:

Local SEO what it is and how to do

If you are still new in the acronym SEO (Search Engine Optimization), I recommend accessing HERE some articles on the subject that can help in your understanding.

Optimization for search engines (SEO) is fundamental for local companies that want to be found by consumers in their area. Make sure your site has a good SEO optimization, including relevant keywords and accurate and up-to-date information about your company and its services.

A store that sells batteries, for example, should work with the keyword BATTERY [NAME OF BAIRRO OR CITY] in its organic optimizations and also in links sponsored by Google Ads. Create variations and use intelligently, always targeting the local search, imagining what your client would type into the search platform to find what they need.

Optimizing the site with everything SEO is capable of, ensures it is mainly found and the content you deliver or ad is going to make a difference at the time of sale.

Social networks can't be missed

Social platforms are a great way to interact with the local audience and promote your company. Create an active presence on social networks by posting relevant content and interacting with your followers.

Have a profile of your company on Instagram, Facebook and Youtube (if applicable). Talk about your business, show your products and services, make promotions and post interesting and local content, to proactively attract customers and interested parties.

Use audience targeting tools to reach your specific target audience. Even if your business doesn't have a website yet (what I recommend), it's in the networks that you can show your presence and if you use creativity and planned strategy, everything gets easier.

Content marketing

Content marketing is an effective strategy for local companies. Create relevant and informative content that helps customers solve their problems and inform about their services. Make sure your content is optimized for SEO and includes information about your company and especially what you do or sell.

A good tip is to use videos with a guide from the neighborhood, to promote local commerce, seeking to unite the attractions of the place or sights with the interest of the brand. Real estate companies often use this content successfully, often being named “the map of the neighborhood”.

We have already talked about the importance of content to nourish leads in a buying journey, offering digital baits according to the funnel stage. What's it all got to do with the next tip:

Email marketing is efficient

Email marketing is a great way to communicate directly with your customers and keep them informed about your offers and promotions. Make sure your messages are customized and relevant to the target audience.

Seek to create targeted contact lists for targeted email campaigns, for example for local promotions on certain commemorative dates. The city's anniversary, for example, is a good hook to send that email to your leads with a discount coupon for purchase.

There are many tools in the market for creating, sending and automation of email marketing, which make life very easy for the entrepreneur. Do a survey to choose the one that most represents a good cost benefit to your business.

Local advertising

Local advertising is a great way to promote your business in the community. Consider putting your adverts on local news sites and experimenting with a new mode of ads in news or articles format, the so-called publieditorial.

And here again we hit the key: make sure your message is relevant and attractive to your target audience. Outdoors are still efficient for street advertising, as well as giant screen panels displaying advertisements at all times.

Some local radio stations (much more common than TV stations) partner to conduct live programs, direct from the company, promoting products and services, promoting and interacting with the public.

But don't bet all your chips on it: never forget to invest in the digital.

Marketing of local influence

I know that many businesses still have difficulties or are resistant to working with influencers, but influence marketing is an increasingly popular technique for local companies. But don't go around hiring the first youtuber you can find.

The first step is to identify local influencers in your area and work with them to promote your company and its services. And here's a gold tip: make sure the influencer is aligned with your values and goals.

Events for the community

In this regard, nothing better than an example of home to illustrate: one of our customers from Nvx Digital, is selling lots in a closed condominium and after discovering that the biggest interested are the local residents themselves, decided to promote an event with craft fair, local artistic presentations and play for children, on a weekend.

The event was announced in advance and brought together many interested parties, some of whom became customers. In this case, the focus of digital marketing was to attract interested parties and register new ones during the event, for inclusion in the sales funnel.

Conclusion

See also:

By implementing these digital marketing strategies, local companies can increase their visibility and attract more customers in their community. Many companies want to open up to the world, but forget to value their own neighborhood.

Last and not least, remember to regularly evaluate your results and adjust strategies according to the needs of your customers and the local market. Search, plan, test, measure results, change, adjust, apply goals.

Dudu Gentil · Nacionalvox

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