Focusing on Local - By: Maria Elena Duron

National campaigns may be the best way to raise awareness and spread the word about your brand, but successful brands know that focusing on local is the best way to get more customers and clients. Local is where the real action occurs, which is why it is vital for any brand to target their marketing efforts on the local scene.

But how exactly do you do this? More and more brands are utilizing online tools to make sure that people find them. You see, consumers are getting smarter, and nowadays, before they even visit your physical store, they are taking their research online and reading feedback and reviews about your products and services. So most of them didn’t just stumble upon your store by accident – they have carefully done their investigation beforehand.

Surprisingly, the online world of today has made it easier for brands to channel their focus on the local scene. Google’s search engine, for example, shows you local business results whenever you search for specific product keywords. Even social networking sites such as Facebook lets you easily find local business pages through its search function. But the question is, how do you use this to your advantage?

1. Optimize your website for local

An excellent marketing strategy for your brand is to rank highly in the search engines when people search for local keywords, so it’s a great idea to optimize your website for local. Make use of your city’s name, your local neighborhood, and even the nearby surrounding towns in your website. You can start a blog and feature events that are happening in your store and around the area. This way, people searching for local events may be able to stumble upon your site and be curious enough to visit your physical location.

2. Optimize your Google local business listing

No one can deny the power of Google’s search engine, so it’s really important for your business to rank highly in it. One of the ways you can do this is to claim your Google business page and to ensure that your local business listing is optimized by choosing the right category selections and having a keyword-rich business description. Basically, the more information you place there, the more likely your business listing will rank high in Google. Also, always make sure that your business address and phone number is updated so that people will be able to find your store.

3. Update and optimize your business listing on other sites

The more web citations you have from other trusted websites, the better you will rank in the search engines. So make sure that you also update your business listing with other trusted sites such as Yahoo, Bing, Yelp, Citysearch, Yellowpages.com, etc.

4. Get more positive local business reviews

The more positive reviews about your business, the better for your brand. These reviews help you rank better in the search engines, and also give customers an idea of what they can expect from your brand. Of course, if consumers see mostly negative reviews, this may turn them off from your business completely. So the best way to get more positive reviews is to always give your customers the best experience possible when they visit your store and obtain your products and services.

It’s definitely a good idea to encourage your frequent, local customers to write a review about your brand. Most people who enjoyed their experience in your store would be very much willing to write an excellent review for you.

Of course, there are times that you cannot please everyone, and inevitably, you will have the occasional negative feedback and review. The best thing to do is not to ignore the feedback and try to address the issue so that people can see that you’re willing to go the extra mile to please your consumers.

5. Utilize social media

Social media has truly been a game changer for brands, as this is where most people can be found nowadays. So make sure that you put up your company page so that local people will be able to find you and follow you in these social networking sites. Of course, make sure to engage your audience there by interacting with them and offering great content.

Honestly, businesses who don’t focus their marketing efforts on the local scene would find it hard to get local customers to visit their physical store, unless they’re really popular brands that consumers have loved for ages. Beyond the marketing efforts, it’s all about giving your customers the best experience possible. But if you don’t focus on local, however would these people be able to visit your store and experience your brand firsthand? So make sure to utilize these strategies so you can rank high in local search and get those consumers to your store.

About the Author

"Maria Elena Duron, CEO (chief engagement officer), buzz2bucks | a word of mouth marketing firm, is skilled at making networks “work” and harnessing powerful online and offline buzz, she facilitates online visibility services and word of mouth coaching and workshops – taking companies and professionals from buzz-worthy to bucks-worthy, http://buzz2bucks.com."

Article Directory Source: http://www.articlerich.com/profile/Maria-Elena-Duron/164598

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