Tips for Better Local Business Promotion Online
When you first get started with a small business, one of your best bets at getting some early attention is to promote your business locally.
There are a variety of steps you can take with your digital marketing to make it more likely you’ll get local traffic:
• Optimize your web presence for local search. First and foremost, create your Google My Business account and make sure it is properly optimized for the areas you’re targeting. Having a local business listing with Google will not only help you to show up higher in searches, but it will also give local customers a map of where you’re located, contact information, store hours and more important information all from the search page. Google My Business puts your business info on Search, Maps and Google+ so that customers can find you, no matter what device they're using.
At Viral Solutions, we understand the trials and tribulations that many new owners of small businesses face in the early going. We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
• Get reviews. Companies with more reviews online are more likely to rank highly in searches. Reviews are especially important for local businesses, because customers looking for a company like yours will want to see what other customers have to say before giving you a try. Do whatever you can to get plenty of reviews on Google, Yelp, Urbanspoon and other review sites.
• Social media. Social media marketing is an important part of digital marketing plans for companies of all sizes. In addition to building a following and interacting with customers, you can also purchase locally targeted ads to reach out to more potential customers in your area. Facebook and Twitter each have a variety of ad packages you can look into to use to increase your range.
• Craigslist. If you get creative, there are certainly ways you can use your local area’s Craigslist to get some attention for your company. Airbnb is one of many companies that started getting traction because of the way it used Craigslist in its early days.
• Don’t give up too early. Lots of people new to digital marketing tend to get frustrated early on because they’re not seeing immediate results, but the truth is it can take a while for the results to manifest themselves, especially in search engines. As long as you stay proactive with optimizing your entire web presence for local customers, you will eventually start to see the effects and figure out what does and doesn’t work.
For more tips about local business promotion, contact our team at Viral Solutions today.
by Christine Kelly
CEO and Queen Bee | Viral Solutions LLC
Copyright 2015 Viral Solutions LLC
Prior to joining Viral Solutions, Christine held executive leadership roles at some of the largest small business consulting firms in the USA. Her experience includes leading direct reports of over 130 remote sales agents who generated $38mm in annual revenue. She obtained her Marketing degree from British Columbia Institute of Technology. Bring her C-Suite experience to your small business. Although our company is virtual, and we can work with you wherever you are located, she is located in Denver, Colorado and owns a second home in Vancouver, BC Canada.
Viral Solutions LLC is a Digital Marketer Certified Partner and an Infusionsoft Certified Consultant.
We help overwhelmed small business owners duplicate themselves – so business can be fun again.
At Viral Solutions we are committed to seeing YOU succeed. It is our goal to grow your business with proven digital marketing strategies that will help your business for the long haul.
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