Locating the correct way to advertise your company, whether you are a local community company, non-profit organizations or regional company, can be difficult. Facebook will be the world’s leading social media network that give an astounding amount of opportunities to anyone who needs to promote their enterprise. Among the most well-known is using Facebook business page, however there are many advertising and marketing companies for local businesses that could also enhance your organization’s exposure at little or no cost.
Search engine marketing (SEM)
Cost: Low-cost (you determine the budget)
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a paid option where your listings are featured in sponsored placements (i.e. highly visible) in search engines. Say a popular demographic that likes to frequent your store includes women in their 30s. You can set up ad campaigns to target that demographic and focus your campaign by other criteria, such as ZIP code. Try SEM tools like Google Ads (and similar services from Bing, AOL, and Yahoo!).
Search engine marketing (SEM)
Cost: Low-cost (you determine the budget)
Search engine marketing (SEM) is a paid option where your listings are featured in sponsored placements (i.e. highly visible) in search engines. Say a popular demographic that likes to frequent your store includes women in their 30s. You can set up ad campaigns to target that demographic and focus your campaign by other criteria, such as ZIP code. Try SEM tools like Google Ads (and similar services from Bing, AOL, and Yahoo!).
Use email marketing software to help increase sales
This method is fast, effective, immediate and easy to design. You can also track and understand exactly how your email marketing software is growing your business and see how individual customers respond so you can increase sales over time.
To get full value from your email marketing, ensure that you update and grow your database regularly, and try to get people to opt-in by signing up on your website. There are many self-service email platforms available (such as the brilliant Drip), or you may decide to get help from a specialist agency
Social media
Cost: Free or low-cost (you determine the budget)
Customers can learn important information about your business on social media platforms, including where you’re located, when you’re open, and how other customers have reviewed you. As with Google My Business, it’s free to build business profiles like on Facebook and Instagram. There are paid advertising options to reach your target audience (by demographics, interests, and location) as well.
Consider other social media platforms like Twitter, Snapchat, LinkedIn, YouTube, Pinterest, and Reddit. These platforms are all great for telling your customers about reopening schedules, any changes that have been made to the business, as well as safety precautions that are being followed to make everyone feel safe while visiting your store. There are so many tools out there, so it’s important to prioritize where your customers are spending time online and what makes the most sense for your business.
Host an Event
Your event can be pretty much anything you want it to be. It could be a party, demo, festival, workshop, anniversary sale, charity event, or a webinar. The options are endless and don’t have to cost an arm and a leg.
And, you can adjust your event for right now by holding a virtual event or by creating a social distanced event. Your event could also coincide with a promotion — the first 50 visitors get a free coffee with purchase or 20% off a service or product. It doesn’t take a lot for people to enjoy themselves, and many are looking for creative ways to (safely) get out of the house
Try Local Google Ads
You can target your PPC campaigns locally by enabling location extensions in Google Ads. You can use local search ads to get consumers to call your business, visit your storefront, or help them learn more about your business.
Here’s an example from Google of where a local ad can be seen.
Get more tips to optimize your Google Ads for better ROI here.
Blogging
Cost: Free
Once your website is up and running, a great way to help improve your SEO and connect with the community is to create a blog. For example, if you’re a restaurant owner, feature profiles on your staff, share recipes, and highlight loyal customers on your blog. Strong content helps Google understand your niche, which should result in your business appearing in more results.
Create a brand & logo
Don’t be fooled by how simplistic this first tip may seem. Widespread brand recognition is your ultimate goal, and your business needs to inspire credibility and persuade others to spread the word about your work.
You need to create a brand you can build on from the start. Start by taking inventory of your business’ unique value proposition, its personality, and the values that define it. Then you can start to think about your visual brand.
Hiring a design firm may be costly, but there are popular crowdsourced design services on the web, such as crowdspring, that provide a selection of custom logo designs for your brand, and at an affordable price. Your visual brand may evolve with your business, but you need to start with something on which you can build your business’ reputation.
Get some business stationary
You’ve got your brand, you’ve got your logo – now to get it out there. You want to create the strongest association possible between your logo and branding and your actual business, this is where business stationary comes into play. Print business cards, order letterheads and envelopes – you can even get a franking machine to print your company brand onto all outgoing post.
Make sure you’ve got your website listed on your business card, at the bottom of emails, printed onto all physical advertising copy leaving your office. The best way to get the word out, is to establish mental imagery with your company.
Go Mobile and create an app
An effective online promotion involves more than just a mobile-friendly website. Firms with a mobile app are ahead of the game when it comes to next-level marketing. That’s just to say that mobile apps increase the visibility of your business to customers at all times, improve customer engagement, and turn them into loyal lovers of your product or service!
Get yourself a trusted email marketing platform
Once you’ve got your own email list of leads, go ahead and start sending those enticing emails that will draw customers to your landing page. The best way to do that is to get yourself a reliable email service, along with other access to communication channels like Web Push or SMS to promote your business.
Ask for reviews
Most local and national sites and directories allow customer reviews. Encourage your customers to write reviews about your products or services. Whether good or bad, reviews make your business more credible to future customers and can be lessons learned for you.
You can ask for reviews on the website by leaving a comment section, include a review link in your email marketing or even add a Pop-Up on your website to encourage people to leave feedback. Be sure to record customer feedback somewhere prominent on your site, so that others can find and read the results.
Attend local networking events and build connections
The best way to meet new local contacts (and potential customers) is to get out there and start networking. Make a point of attending events and meet-ups focused on your business topic, and participate in conversations by asking questions or volunteer to speak at a live blog conference.
Don’t know where to find local events? You can search local events by region and town or city on Find Networking Events. You can also look for networking events specifically for women, as well as workshops, seminars and business shows.
Influencers
Cost: Varies
Growing your own social media following can take time. One way to generate interest in your products or services on popular apps like Instagram and Snapchat is to partner with local influencers. While costs vary among different influencers, they may be willing to post about your business in exchange for freebies or VIP experiences.
Supporting local organizations
Cost: Varies
Sponsor a community sports team, place an ad in a local newspaper or school yearbook, or support a charitable event to raise awareness of your company. Gain positive word of mouth as a business that’s looking out for your neighbors’ best interests.
Business cards
Cost: Varies
Like direct mail, business cards haven’t lost their power to make an impact. If you are making connections face-to-face, always have a card on hand. If you want to give them a modern update, be sure to include information like your company’s website and social media handles.
Conclusion
If you want to promote your business through local ads, there are a variety of different options out there. With all of the choices out there, though, it can be difficult to narrow down which advertising methods work best.