Local Marketing Ideas for Small Business (+amazing examples)

Local business is the name of the game.

After all, local business is what drives the local economy, jobs and community.

You know this already.

But you may not know the most important marketing ideas that will drive more customers to your local business and increase your sales, starting today.

In fact, local business is an extremely important component of Your Strategic Marketing Partners marketing plan and is a core component of our valued client base. And if you need help in executing these ideas, we’d be delighted to help.

Onward.

Local Marketing Ideas for Small Business
Local marketing ideas for small businesses start with clearly thinking about your customer. Once you have a basic customer persona you can develop your local marketing plan. Marketing ideas include the use of direct mail, 4-wall marketing, print advertising, online advertising, Google Ads, Google My Business, press releases and community engagement.

Let’s now dig deep into some marketing ideas, strategies and tactics that can market your business locally.

How Can I Promote My Business Locally?

Promoting your business locally is actually a lot of fun. Think of it as a white board that you get to be creative in how your develop your plan of activities.

But, first, it's always critical that these three items are already underway:

1. You know exactly who your customer is because you’ve done your research. Either you have a customer base or you don't. If you don’t have a customer base, do your research and get a basic understanding of their demographics and psychographics. Start here.
2. If you have a base of customers, learn to survey them here and find out how to create promotions to attract more great customers like them.
3. Get a handle on your customer value proposition. This is truly your secret to creating more value and gaining more customers. Go here to learn about creating your unique selling proposition and your customer value proposition.

Ok, now that you have your customer profile and your value proposition worked out, you can get to work on building your local marketing plan. As you go through this very important list of local marketing ideas below, be sure you are familiar with the Marketing Mix, a.k.a the 4 P’s. One very important core factor, which is also one of the 4 P’s, is to be constantly testing your pricing strategy.

Here’s 20 proven marketing ideas you can use to promote your business locally

1. Focus on dominating your ideal target market with multiple impressions using these local marketing tactics.

2. Use Google My Business starting immediately and keep it current at all times. If you haven't posted new content there in a while, please do that now. Be sure to post items 7 and 8 below to your Google My Business local marketing account.

3. Make your website for mobile and make your website fast and secure while you are at it. Here’s how to boost your website conversion rates:

4. Hire a graphics design professional to help you create an extra large postcard and send it using the targeted direct mail marketing strategies found here. (HINT: 1) List, 2) copy, 3) offer - in this order of importance)

5. Print 1,000 door hangers using the professional that made your postcard and use 500 of them to blanket your target market business and residences.

6. Start a Google Ads campaign focused on your customer’s demographics.

7. Start using YouTube #shorts videos made for mobile. Here's an example:

8. Make a video and push it out to all your social media outlets with a special offer for all new customers.

9. Use remarketing with a special offer just for those that did not purchase the first time.

10. Use local vendors that can send you customers, such as online ordering and delivery (for restaurants) or lead aggregators that can send you new business.

11. Provide assistance, or do a joint venture agreement, and build a relationship with other local synergistic businesses who have customers that fit your ideal customer profile.

12. Use the other 500 door hangers and make a deal with your local dry cleaners to hang them on outgoing coat hangers. Pay them a fair referral fee for every new customer you gain.

13. Use guerrilla marketing strategies to be fun, creative, engaging and widely known in the community.

14. Submit a press release to your local newspaper (find the contact person and build a relationship with them at the paper) about the “10 Reasons Customers Choose to Buy from XYZ Company in Your Town” or a human interest story on “How Your Best ‘Yourtown” Customer Enjoys Your Product”.

15. Do a community event in the name of a holiday or any special reason (your birthday) and invite your customers and tell them to bring friends and family. Do a giveaway and joint venture with other local businesses.

16. Segment your customers using a recency, frequency, money (RFM) analysis. Make 3 three new offers to these segments.

17. Send an email to your customers with a special offer … If you don't have an email list, start building it immediately.

18. Send a simple thank you letter in the mail to all your best customers identified in your RFM analysis. Start with the top 20% based on sales revenue.

19. Set up Google Tag manager so you can track everything.

20. Track your marketing Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) so you know what is working and what is not.

About Your Strategic Marketing Partner
Sam Hirschberg, MBA, is Your Strategic Marketing Partner in Arizona. Always professional and a delight to work with, Sam is not your typical “marketing consultant”. Unlike most consultants who tell you there is a problem and say, “See you later and good luck!” Your Strategic Marketing Partner knows how to find solutions, execute programs, test and measure campaigns, and how-and-when it’s time to roll-out big! You are invited to call (602) 892-0777 to learn more about Sam’s background on his FREE 9-minute recorded message.  For more information about Sam, please visit https://strategicmarketingpartner.com.