When it comes to expanding your business, your local audience should hold special importance in your marketing campaign. After all, even businesses that operate solely online are able to find niches helping out their local community.
Regional markets are often your main driver for qualified leads. Now that the warmer days of spring are here, it’s the perfect opportunity for a new online marketing campaign to drive traffic through your door. In fact, it’s estimated that more than 50 percent of local consumers will perform a local search online before entering a store. When you’re ready to start growing your business’ local traffic, consider trying out these marketing ideas today.
Use long-tail keywords
Long-tail keywords are an essential component to any SEO component. However, they hold special importance for local SEO practices. Long-tail keywords often have less competition compared to their popular keyword counterparts. A simple way to incorporate long-tail keywords into your SEO strategy is by highlighting your location.
For example, a simple Google search for “lawyer” or even “lawyer near me” will yield hundreds of thousands of results to choose from. Instead, you should utilize a long-tail keyword that incorporates a specific location. It may not be as commonly searched for, but that means that your online business will lead in this area of organic SEO content. For example, if you’re a Texas-based law firm, you can use a long-tail keyword like “Austin TX divorce attorney and family counselor” or “Best Austin TX divorce attorney.”
This might not allow you to dominate the market, but it will certainly help you get noticed by the people who need your services the most. Long-tail keywords are essential in turning your leads into sales. If you’re stuck on coming up with keywords on your own, rely on a local SEO service to perform keyword research for you.
Don’t ditch social media
Your social media efforts are essential to growing your local clientele. Instagram alone has more than 800 million monthly users, giving your company ample opportunity to reach new consumers every day.
Consumers love it when you respond to their messages on your social media channels, especially when they have an issue with one of your products. Showing that your company is invested in improving their skills and righting past wrongs proves that you’re willing to take accountability for their actions.
Social media is also a great way to drum up interest in special events and sales. It also gives you the opportunity to partner with other local businesses. By engaging with your local community, both companies and your clientele will see that you have a devotion to your hometown.
Of course, you can’t neglect the use of sponsored and paid ads. Facebook ads have become an increasingly valuable strategy for online and brick-and-mortar businesses alike.
Use Google My Business
The first step local business owners should take in their local SEO journey is claiming and verifying their business on Google My Business (GMB). Google My Business can feature your business on Google Maps, enabling more people to find your business with ease. If you’re really lucky, your company might even show up in the sidebar of the search engine or make it into the much-desired Snack Pack. Optimize this essential feature by creating an account, encouraging reviews, and linking to content featuring local SEO strategies.
Though Google My Business is a free service, it can be a bit tricky to navigate and complete. From including the information needed to show up in a local search to choosing the appropriate category for a business, there are several components that go into establishing a GMB that will help your business show up in a queried search. Local SEO companies can help businesses claim their GMB account and set it up with the information needed for effective local SEO.
These are just some of the countless ways to improve your local SEO strategy this spring. Now, more than ever, it’s vital that you invest in local SEO services to bring more people through your door. When warm weather strikes and more people spend time outside, you’ll want to use every tool in your arsenal to gain more foot traffic to your business.
