Local businesses have witnessed an outpouring of support from their surrounding markets over the last few years: in an effort to attempt to boost the economy, many people have become increasingly passionate about shopping at local, “mom-and-pop” businesses in order to stimulate the market. Marketers have picked up on this fantastic trend, and have also begun looking into new strategies for advertising that target local client bases, drawing new patrons from nearby geographical areas to their business. Things aren’t as they used to be – even local businesses need an SEO boost to grab the attention of potential clients, even if they live around the corner. Without a doubt, localization is a very important trend in 2013, and businesses should aim to continue developing their local PPC advertising strategies in terms of search engine optimization.
What does Localized Marketing Mean?
When advertising for a business, it is increasingly important to strategize in terms of your surroundings. A geographically-based marketing scheme might take additional research efforts, but it can serve to save some of your advertising budget and increase your profits exponentially, as they target the clients who are most likely to use or purchase your services. Small businesses especially benefit from this marketing methodology as they are able to target within small metro regions and encourage more face-to-face business with those more likely to develop a long term customer relationship with their company.
Tips for Pay-Per-Click Advertising That Target Locations
An entire advertising campaign can be designed around one location alone: targeting a particular service area is relatively simple in terms of search engine optimization management, and custom dashboards within Google Analytics can be created to monitor this particular localized effort. But how do you find these particular clients through web-based outreach? A big part of the research process is based in language alone. Though not all of your clients may boast about living in a particular location, they surely will be posting, writing, and talking about it on websites and forums. Select keywords for nearby attractions or neighborhood names, instead of simply city-based or state-based geographical areas. Think about setting: who or what companies in your particular area would be searching for information about a service you provide? When drafting a PPC advertising campaign, design a few mock clients who would search for local businesses to help them with a relatively urgent problem, and research what search methods they might use and forums they might consult in order to arrive at the results they need.
It is possible to target your Google AdWords to meet potential customers within a particular radius – yet this should be carefully researched in terms of how willing your local client base would be willing to travel to your offices or storefront. When in doubt, choose a larger customer radius rather than a smaller one so that you cover more potential clients. A locally-based SEO company – or a larger, international company that specializes in localization in search engine marketing techniques – might provide additional PPC tips for you and your company to use upon consultation.
Supplementing Online with Analog Marketing: Maintaining Control of Marketing with Strategies that Still Work Today
Surely, there are several methods of reaching a specific client target location through a geographically-based marketing scheme. Some “analog” methods are fantastic as a supplement to online marketing – including local newspaper and magazine advertisements, visibility signs throughout a neighborhood, and locally-based giveaways and sales that are targeted to clients in your backyard. Advertisements can also be printed in booklets and playbills for local community theater projects, and advertisements can also be crafted in support of other local artists or musicians through their websites or at their performance venues. These methods will help to bolster your company’s reputation as an integral part of the surrounding community.
