Let’s say you are running a massive organization and want to reach potential customers. How would you go about it? Chances are you will use your immense resources to launch a stunning national ad campaign. After all, with your marketing insight, we know you could create an excellent campaign that connects with your target audience, stirs emotions, and influences their buying decisions.
However, what if you are running a small company instead? Do you know how to reach potential customers? You can develop a national campaign, but without the same resources as the larger companies, this approach may not get the same results. As many small companies have discovered, national campaigns can be a wasted investment, as they are costly and may spread too wide for a small company’s marketing efforts.
So, what should a small organization do? As a local business owner, most of your revenue comes from the people who can easily walk or drive to your store. Instead of going wide with your advertising efforts, it makes more sense to use hyperlocal marketing strategies to win over potential customers.
What is Hyperlocal Marketing?
Hyperlocal marketing is an advertising strategy that targets a particular area with localized and relevant promotions. With the rise in mobile device usage worldwide, hyperlocal marketing has become even more important for marketers looking to win over potential customers. According to Google, “shopping near me” searches increased by over 200% from 2016 to 2018. On top of that, a 2022 SafariDigital report discovered that 97% of users searched online to find a local business. With findings like these, it’s no wonder more small businesses are incorporating hyperlocal advertising in their marketing plans. Want to leverage hyperlocal marketing in your promotional efforts this year? Here are 7 key hyperlocal marketing strategies and tips you need to know to reach your target audience more effectively.Tips For Successful Hyperlocal Marketing
1
Optimize Your Business Listings
You haven’t optimized your online business listings yet? Well, get on it! Those listings can influence whether your company appears in the right place when people search for your specific product/service. Make it a priority to update your Google My Business and Yelp listings, and make sure business information on your social media accounts (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) is up to date. As well as your business name, address, phone number, and website, make sure you enter business hours and any other information that helps people decide to stop by. Do you happen to have a business with multiple locations? Here’s a hyperlocal advertising tip! Create a specific landing page for each location! By having designated pages for each business location, you can use them in your business listings for even better hyperlocal targeting!2
Localize Your Content Marketing
Listen up, marketers! Content marketing is an absolute must for any hyperlocal advertising strategy. After all, relevant and high-quality content engages visitors, raises brand awareness, and builds customer trust, leading to more visits and sales online and offline! When crafting copy for hyperlocal ads, make sure you are leveraging the language/terminology most common in your locality. For example, does the consumer in your targeted area say bucket or pail? How about a faucet or a spigot? Pants or trousers? As marketers, you need to know the correct wording and use it in your content! Getting it right makes content much more enticing for your target audience.3
Target Your Search Advertising.
Since you know that your target customers are searching for local information, you need to target your ads accordingly. In case you don’t know, search ads are keyword-based, which means these ads must target the best keywords related to location and product/service. You can also hyper-target your ads to only people in a particular area. For example, if your business is a local pizzeria, you would create a search ad campaign targeting consumers searching for “pizza delivery in [town]”, allowing your business to reach people in that town actively looking for a quick slice. To make hyperlocal ads even more effective, seed relevant and up-to-date copy throughout your channels! Whether it’s a microsite or a business blog, ensure that when people follow your search ads to your desired destination, the page greets visitors with content that relates to them!4
Utilize SMS Marketing
According to the Pew Research Center, 97% of Americans own a cellphone. Why does that matter for your hyperlocal marketing strategy? SMS marketing has become an integral part of hyperlocal advertising efforts! SMS messages have an open rate of 98% compared to 20% in emails, , plus consumers tend to act on them quickly. If you’ve got a local event or offer, using this hyperlocal marketing method,paired with location technology, is a great way to increase foot traffic and sales.5
Send Relevant Email Marketing to Your Users.
Even though we just said SMS messages have a much higher open rate than email, don’t underestimate the potential of email marketing for your 2023 hyperlocal advertising efforts! . Most marketers already use some form of email list segmentation, allowing them to quickly send relevant emails to potential customers. With hyperlocal targeting, you can make your emails even more relevant by sending different offers and promotions depending on your email recipients’ location. The more relevant your emails are, the more likely people will open them and act. For example, if you know a snowstorm is coming to a particular area, it’s a great time to update those customers about winter gear.6
Use Location-Based Advertising & Weather-Based Targeting to Show The Right Ads at The Right Time
Want to take hyperlocal marketing one step further? Use location-based advertising and proximity targeting to serve ads to people based on where they are now, where they have been, or where they will go. For example, if someone walks past a shoe store and sees an ad with the right offer, they might turn back to have a look. Consider combining this hyperlocal advertising tactic with weather-based targeting, as it can further target the right ads to the right people at the right time. In case you’re a bit cloudy on weather-based targeting, it is a digital advertising tool that pushes ads to users based on the weather conditions in their location. Think of it just like the corner stores that put out their umbrella display when the sky turns gray.7
Take Advantage of OOH Advertising
Out of home (OOH) advertising brings businesses full circle back to where advertising started. In some respects, it’s the original location-based ad! In the past, a retailer might pay for an ad on a nearby billboard, or run a promotion near the store. But now, marketing around your locality has gone digital. Today’s OOH advertising uses the power of mobile location technologies to serve up relevant ads in high-traffic local areas. With this hyperlocal targeting strategy you can reach consumers not just in a certain town, but on a particular block. You can even transform your out-of-home idea into a DOOH campaign, increasing local traffic and sales.Conclusion
As you can see, hyperlocal advertising can really help make your product or service much more relevant to your local customers, ultimately driving sales and encouraging repeat business. Now, go forth, marketers! Use these hyperlocal marketing strategies and tips to help your small company be the talk of the town!
Interested in creating an effective hyperlocal marketing campaign? Contact GroundTruth to see how you can better reach local audiences.
