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How to Market a Local Business

10 min read

There are a lot of challenges when it comes to getting your brand’s name out there and bringing in new customers. The best target audience, and one that needs a lot of attention for success, is your local community.

Every little bit of marketing counts when you’re starting a new business. You need to be where your potential customers are, which means spending time and money on local advertising. Promoting your business locally can seem daunting, but it doesn’t have to be expensive or time-consuming. There are many creative ways to get your business in front of the people who matter most.

Here are some tips and methods that any business owner can use to target their local business community with their overall marketing approach.

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The Importance of Your Local Community

First and foremost, your business is likely located, and part of, a local community.

A community is a living thing, even in the big cities. Most people shop in their local community, they meet each other and in many cases, know each other. In smaller towns, a local community can be more profound in its activities but don’t underestimate the communities in large cities.

Such communities are sometimes comprised of just a few streets — but that is where the action is.

Local communities have schools, churches, restaurants, and coffee shops — they often have local dentists, vets, a medical group, and of course stores. These are the elements you will deal with in a community and it’s important to know what those elements are and how to interact with them.

Join Local Groups

If you are new to a community and you’ve just opened your business, joining local groups is a great way to get involved in your community and promote your business simultaneously.

Chambers of commerce, business associations, and Rotary Clubs are just a few organizations that can help you connect with other business people and potential customers.

In addition, attending meetings and events and participating in activities can raise awareness of your business and make valuable contacts.

Work with Other Local Businesses

When it comes to marketing your local business, the larger your network the easier targeting your local market will be.

Start by considering all the services your business uses regularly. Look at what companies you use, and if there are some good local alternatives consider switching over to those businesses. After moving over some of your business to utilize other local businesses you will build up contact information and grow your local network.

If you have a physical location, then working with small, up-and-coming local businesses is a great way to gain more customers and get some foot traffic.

Depending on your store and building, you may have the perfect space to allow a new local business to have a pop-up store in your building. This will allow you to grow your local network as well as increase foot traffic into your store.

For instance, if you allow a new local coffee business to set up a small pop-up shop, customers who may have just passed your store might stop in for the coffee and potentially purchase something from you.

When you start engaging and reaching out to other local businesses you would be surprised by the local marketing and promotional opportunities that come up. When you bring consistent business to your own local community, you will also benefit by creating a large local network.

Get Your Local Customers Engaged in Your Business

Getting new customers in the door can be a struggle. There are many marketing tactics businesses use to engage new audiences or people. Here are a couple that you may want to consider when figuring out how to get customers to naturally engage with your business.

Get Your Business into Local Business Listings

If you’re getting started, getting your business listed on local online directories is a great way to promote your business online. This could be a registry, citations, or an online version of the Yellow Pages.

Use Fliers and Pamphlets to Show You’re There

Flyers and pamphlets are another great way to announce your presence in the community and show what you have to offer. You can leave stacks of them in local coffee shops, supermarkets, and restaurants, and other stores may even have a stack ready.

You can use a distribution service to spread your flyers all over the community, on cars, on doorknobs, etc. This low-cost method of promotion typically can do very well in a local community.

Put Your Company Logo on Your Car

Adding your company logo and contact information to your personal & business vehicles effectively promotes your business locally at no cost.

car decal materials

You can customize your logo sticker and contact information in so many ways. .

People who see your car around town will start to recognize your brand. Many removable options are available that won’t damage your car’s paint. Car l