To keep your local businesses going, you must learn how to adapt to the ever-changing marketing trends. If your business is running at a loss or is not improving but stuck to the same age-old income scale, then it is time to modify and mix your current marketing strategy with the modern one. In case your business is already earning a good amount of profit, it is better to be on the safe side and stay a step ahead in the competition for future success. For that, you have to thoroughly assess the current marketing trends. Identify the consumer demands and their buying behavior. Then you need to learn how to work on your existing customers to make the maximum profit out of them.
Sadly, only 33% of the total small businesses pass the 10-year mark (of sustainability) and the rest fail. Well, this portion was not to discourage you. This is just to keep you informed about the current status of the offline local businesses around us.
If you are about to start-up a small business or already have one, then make sure to follow the tips enumerated below. You can use this post as a reference guide to build a solid business foundation and facelift your marketing trends for years to come.
Let’s get started:
Set-up Free Listing of Your Local Business with Google
Gone are the days of relying on word of mouth, posting ads through paper printouts, radio promotions, email advertising, etc. Nowadays, consumers are more active on the Internet searching for local shops or markets to search for even the little requirements.
So, you can make use of this opportunity and do the online free listing of your local business with Google. Positive online reviews from your existing customers is a plus point as there is a greater possibility of getting newer customers into your shop. So, make sure to enlist your business details on Google and make it more accessible to a wider customer base.
Why Google? Well, Google is the primary web search engine that comes to one’s mind for a quick search on the Internet for anything. So, Google listing makes it easier and quicker for the customer to locate your business when searched with the terms matching to your trade.
This is what your Google listing should be like:
- Address
- phone number (both landline and mobile for assured communication)
- opening and closing hours
- directions
- your website link
Note: You can add photos of your local business giving the customers a better view of how your business operates. This is an optional idea though.
Sometimes, apart from simply putting reviews, consumers also upload photos of the shop and the product they bought allowing other people to know how good or bad your local business is. This puts a major impact on your business that can either lift you up to success or sink you down to losing reputation.
You have to learn how to convert more leads indirectly through your existing customers; by telling them to recommend your brand products to their acquaintances. Star rating is also another most important factor that the new customers pay attention to. It has a huge role in deciding whether the newer consumer will avail products from your business or not. About 94% of the people rely on the star-rating of any business.
Start Your Blog Page
As discussed in the previous point, consumers now mostly depend on the Internet to locate local businesses, you can make use of this opportunity by starting your own blog. That means all you have to know is a couple of SEO principles, to rank your blog page at the first page of the search result. Ranking within top 3 of Google search results is even better as it will roughly give you around 47% of clicks or more.
Blogging is the primary step towards building a good number of viewers which you can eventually turn into a customer-base. Here is how your SEO blogging strategy going to work:
More website visitors >> more followers >> more customers >> ultimately more profit
This is a chain process of how you can turn maximum profit out of your blog site by converting your regular viewers to customers. So, make sure to be regular in publishing new blogs on your website, as viewers always like to visit pages that are updated frequently with newer contents. Once you gain a good number of followers, it is time you start promoting your business through that site. Just make sure not to stop blogging as that is what brought you the website traffic initially!
Join a Community of Local Businesses
Local businesses should stay active in a local group or community. Staying connected with the other groups lets you stay in touch with residents and other relevant business dealers.
I would recommend joining a local chamber of commerce. You might have to pay a minimal yearly fee, but it is still worth it. You will have to attend the meetings and events regularly; it is a good thing as it will allow you to showcase your business to other big business owners.
It is also possible that your competitors also take part in that group and try to promote their business just like you. But, you have more important reasons to be there. Here is how: suppose you have a local paperback copy manufacturing company. Another local business might be hosting an inaugural event locally in the town and it requires customized writing pads for its guests. So, instead of ordering online, that business owner might be more interested to use your product if you too belong to the same local business community that he/she does.
Well, that’s the ultimate idea behind joining a group like so. Here, the businesses make use of each other’s services, thereby supporting the local companies/brands.
Amazon Franchise
You can now promote your local business by setting up an Amazon business account. Simply go to the Amazon seller app, complete the registration process and other formalities as instructed and you are good to go!
Just make sure to supply quality goods followed by a high-quality packaging. Amazon always pays heed to the product packaging so as to avoid customer pushback. This also heightens the brand reputation of that dedicated local business, if things are up to customer’s expectations.
You can also go for other e-commerce sites like Flipkart, Myntra, or such franchises.
There are many other tips but these are some of the most effective ones that might add more value and efficiency to your local business strategy.
