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Go Local: 3 Easy Ways to Create Loyal Customers

By: SmallBizClub

 

Go Local Easy Ways to Create Loyal Customers

Small business owners are becoming savvier about optimizing their brand recognition and conversion rates. One great way to ensure that your small business remains on track to connecting with and converting people is by optimizing your local marketing strategies.

While there are several ways that you can market your brand at the local level, the following techniques can prove particularly useful:

Host a Community Event

One of the best ways for small business owners to market at the local level is by hosting a community event. This marketing strategy is effective for numerous reasons, one of which is that it gives local audiences the opportunity to interact with you and your staff face to face. This “in person” mode of communicating can optimize the relationship-building process that leads to conversion.

There are all kinds of community events you could host, including a “New Product” event in which participants attain free samples of your new shampoo line, coffee products, or whatever your business provides.

To make the most of this technique, make sure that you develop a strategic advertising plan which involves sending out invitations. However, it’s important to send them out at the right time. If you send them too early, people will forget about your event and likely fail to show up on the day of. If you send your flyers too late, you won’t be giving people enough time to arrange their daily schedule so that they can come to the event.

When you think about how to market the event, consider the value of using aesthetically appealing, innovative invitations. You can even use websites that provide specialized software create stunning invitations.

1. Complete a Philanthropic Project

Nothing draws people to your business like demonstrating your genuine concern for the well-being of other individuals. As such, it’s a good idea to do philanthropic work at the local level. This way, people in your local area will see that you are doing things to improve the quality of life for the community.

One great philanthropic project you might complete is the creation of a need-based scholarship. You might also do a canned food drive.

2. Send Out Handwritten Thank You Cards

As many business experts note, customer retention is more important than customer acquisition. This is the case for many reasons, including the fact that attracting new customers costs five times as much as keeping old ones. Since this is the case, your local marketing efforts should include the use of strategies that are designed to retain your current client base.

One great way to make this happen is by sending out handwritten thank you cards. This step is immensely effective because it adds a very personal touch to your mode of interaction with your customers.

3. Local SEO

Local SEO is the process of making your business more visible when people at the local level do a search for the products and/or services you offer. There are several local SEO techniques that a digital marketing company might deploy on your behalf. One is having your brand attain listing in directories.

You can also hire a team of digital marketing experts to implement a cutting edge, customized local SEO campaign on your behalf.

If you’re interested in generating a bigger bottom line based on local sales, now is the time to become strategic in your approach to the marketing process. You can use some or all of the advertising techniques outlined above to ensure that you can connect and convert more people at the local level.

Author: Hannah Whittenly is a freelance writer and mother of two from Sacramento, CA. She enjoys kayaking and reading books by the lake. If you’re interested in making invitations, Hannah recommends using Adobe Spark. Follow them on Facebook and Twitter @adobespark.

Published: February 21, 2017
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SmallBizClub.com is dedicated to providing small businesses and entrepreneurs the information and resources they need to start, run, and grow their businesses. The publication was founded by successful entrepreneur and NFL Hall of Fame QB Fran Tarkenton. We bring you the most insightful thinking from industry leaders, veteran business owners, and fellow entrepreneurs. Follow us on Facebook, Twitter, and LinkedIn.

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