Community marketing is critical for businesses to form strong relationships with their communities. The only problem is that even experienced marketers can also commit expensive blunders that prevent their success. At best, these missteps can render your campaign far less effective. Want to avoid these pitfalls? Let's take a look at the most common pitfalls companies face and how to overcome them.
Even in our most fervent days of our lives bloggers we can fall victim to committing marketing faux pas, so read on to make sure your strategy is away from these!
Understanding Your Local Audience
Go Beyond Basic Demographics
Are you still defining your target audience by age, gender, and income? Aided by demographics, Demographics are also helping, but this is scratching the surface of getting to know your market. Even the best local marketing strategies go a step further and delve into:
- Interests and hobbies
- Local values and cultural trends
- Specific challenges faced by community members
For instance, if you run a coffee shop in a seaside town, and you know that a significant part of your community values a sustainable lifestyle, this knowledge can influence your decision to serve biodegradable to-go cups to your customers. Customizing your approach is how you accomplish really hitting something deep within your audience.
Optimizing for Local Search
Ensure Business Visibility
Has your business been verified with Google My Business? If not, this is the first thing you should do. An unclaimed listing also means that you're as good as invisible in the local search results. Also, optimize your profile with:
- Your business address, hours, and phone number
- Photos showcasing your products, services, or location
- A concise description highlighting your expertise
Moz Local excels in tools for optimizing these details, streamlining the process for businesses eager to improve their local visibility.
Invest in Local SEM Strategies
You know that organic visibility is excellent, but a paid campaign such as Google Local Ads could take you up a level. BrightLocal provides incredible local SEM (Search Engine Marketing) knowledge as to how you can have buying customers walk right through your door using relevant keywords and geolocation filters.
Build Real Relationships
Your audience is not a number; they are people. Develop authentic relationships by interacting with your community. Go to events, give to local causes, and broadcast your participation on social media. For example, in a recent candy vending youth marketing case study, Candizi demonstrated how they implemented the sweet, innovative approach through supporting local youth sports leagues and, in the process, built strong community relationships. This personal touch forms a bond and creates loyalty, and it builds it all from the ground up.
The Power of Reviews
Positive Customer Reviews Build Trust
Did you know that 93% of customers read reviews before deciding where to shop or dine? Positive reviews don't just help search rankings; they build credibility and increase conversions.
Encourage your customers to leave reviews by:
- Sending a follow-up email post-purchase.
- Providing incentives like discounts or freebies.
- Having friendly signs in-store with a QR code to your review page.
HubSpot integrates these touchpoints seamlessly, allowing businesses to collect and respond to reviews proactively.
Leveraging Local Media and Events
Don't Underestimate Local Media
And here, there's a reason why traditional media is still a crucial part of local marketing. Whether it's a feature in the local paper or some airtime on a community radio station, these outlets can have very engaged audiences. Connect with reporters or pitch a story featuring how your brand is making a one-of-a-kind community impact.
Host and Sponsor Local Events
Being in the community means being in attendance. Whether you're throwing a pop-up event or sponsoring the local annual charity run, events are a great way to show off your brand. It's creating those experiential touchpoints that Yext excels at, making it a connective tissue for an all-in-one local marketing solution.
Social Media Engagement
Connect Personally and Professionally
No longer is a simple Facebook page sufficient. Today, real brand engagement means posting status updates and engaging with users, not just listening for mentions. Respond to comments, participate in local conversation groups, and use local hashtags. Instagram or TikTok, in particular, can provide a strong platform for demonstrating local engagement with posts using compelling video and photography alike.
For many days of our lives, bloggers and similar niche creators do a great job of retaining a real and personal voice online and offer a great baseline example on how to establish a devoted digital community.
Costly Marketing Errors to Avoid:
To ensure your local marketing efforts aren't costing you more than they should, avoid these key mistakes:
- Ignoring the value of local SEO.
- Failing to build genuine customer relationships.
- Opting out of engaging with online reviews.
- Not taking advantage of local PR opportunities.
- Under-investing in hyper-focused ad targeting for geolocal audiences.
Elevate Your Local Marketing Strategy Today
Preventing costly errors in your local marketing strategy will result in a tremendous return in the growth and reach of your business. From boosting local SEO rank to taking advantage of the power of community events, each step gets you closer to stronger customer loyalty and higher sales.
If you're ready to use that to outshine even fierce competitors like (to name a few) HubSpot or BrightLocal, and more, you want to change or use our public relations strategy, we can offer it. With our patent-pending, cutting-edge tools and services, Success is within reach!