As the owner of a small business, you’re in charge of most of the main responsibilities, including handling the financial aspects, designing your first storefront, managing customers, and product advertisement. Marketing your business can seem like a daunting task, but, thankfully, there are a few simple ways to promote your business locally that are either relatively inexpensive or completely cost-free.
To discover some effective ways to promote your local business, keep reading.
Improve Your Physical Presence
This is a traditional, simple, and surefire way to attract local passersby to your store. Improve your storefront’s physical presence by updating its signage and marketing directly outside your store or in local areas with plenty of foot traffic. Your signage and other marketing materials should inform potential customers about who you are, what you sell, and the audience you’re trying to target.
The best way to advertise is to include a clear, concise message and portray your products in a way that makes them seem appealing. Including information about ongoing sales and promotions and directing your customers to popular products are other optimal uses for signage.
People tend to base their first impressions on appearances. By improving your storefront’s physical presence, you’ll be able to catch the eye of people passing by your store. If they like what they see, they’ll be more likely to shop at your store rather than a nearby competitor’s.
Not sure what type of signage to use? This handy guide can help you choose the most effective outdoor marketing materials for your brand.
Market on Social Media
Another way to promote your local business is to market on social media. We live in a highly digital age, and it shows. The average person spends at least a few minutes of their free time scrolling through posts on social media sites such as Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram. By advertising your business on social media, you’ll reach more than just passersby. You’ll be able to market your products and services to other people in your community and even people outside it.
You’ll want to list your business’s location, your hours of operation, positive reviews from past customers, your products and services, and more. The internet is where people go to learn about businesses before they visit them. The more information you can provide online, the better results you’ll achieve.
Advertise your products, announce sales and promotions, and interact with your local customers via social media. Answer their questions, thank them for their positive feedback, and address any concerns they might have. Posting on social media is easy, efficient, and free, but if you want to reach a wider audience, most platforms also have paid advertising options you can use.
Focus on SEO
When people are searching for new places to shop, chances are that they’ll use a search engine to locate relevant businesses in their area. By improving your website’s ranking, your business will pop up more frequently in search engine recommendations.
SEO requires an in-depth understanding of how people search for your products and services. What kind of keywords do people use to find the type of products and services you offer? If you own a small, local floral shop, are customers more likely to search for ‘local florists’ or ‘florists by me’?
Once you discover the type of keywords people are searching for, you can craftily incorporate them into your website’s content. Over time, your website should steadily climb in the rankings.
This is incredibly useful for drawing new customers to your business. If people see your business as a reliable, recommended source, it’s much easier to convert them into loyal, paying customers.
Further reading:
- Protect your business with Cerity Insurance.
- Why you should do what you love.
