How to promote your business locally? 10 ways to win customers/clients for your local business

Don’t limit your dreams for the business. Even if you want to reach a million, have that belief and I am sure you will be there. But what matters is the right strategy and the right plan. For a successful business, we need patience, persistence, and the right goals. Goals shouldn’t be random but realistic. Once you have that kind of roadmap work towards it and never stop. So, when it comes to how to promote your business locally it is important to have a correct goal setting or a plan for the next 6 to 12 months

What is goal setting for your local business?

Goal setting is an important part of how to promote your business locally. Goal setting in simple words is what to expect from your efforts.

For example

• If you are planning to do something as simple as posting 3 posts in a week, be clear about the quality you will use and the results you are aiming for. Read this post for social media ideas for small business
  Your efforts – 3 posts a week for 3 months with a diverse theme
  Your Target- 50 more followers organically or a minimum of 100 likes on each post by then.
  Approach: Set a target, chase it and never stop.

• Let’s say if you have a target of having 100 clients in the next 6 months. So, make your efforts in line with your target and don’t stop till you achieve that. Click to know the complete guide on how to do online marketing of my business

• For your local business, if you have a target of selling 1000 units then create a plan which focuses on high attraction medium. For more information on how to select the right medium for your business, read this blog.

10 Ways to win clients/customers for your local business

Now, let’s move to the most important part of how to promote your business locally that is

1. Business is not a single person job but the team effort

Believe in partnership & alliances. Explore around and help businesses who can be linked to your product or service. Customers and people have an habit of falling for combos & packages. Audience is more attracted when you provide 360 degree offerings. It is not possible for single business to have everything but what possible is alliances or referrals. If your customer ask for a reference or support in related query be ready with referrals. Always have a approach of growing together

For example, If you have a gym and you think particular customer might need proper diet plan so collaborate with some local dietician and share referral

2. Let your customer story/USP speak

USP : Every business should stand on some USP(Unique selling proposition). If you haven’t decided on that one point it is the time that you should. Having USP or some specializations will help you stand out among competitors and let your customers/clients associate your business with your main selling point. USP can be as simple as the best quality with tempting taste or serving since 1990

Customer Stories: Customer stories are a vital part to entice prospects and clients as people usually look for the influence your brand has on others. So, remember to share customers’ stories on all channels (online + offline).

3. Be part of online groups or offline meetups

Groups, meetups, social gatherings have a great impact on your business and achievements. You are not just open to unique and wonderful ideas but a whole lot of great opportunities. Where Facebook groups & quora spaces are great online platforms to interact with like-minded people, the meetup portal helps you connect with people in real

4. Google radius marketing

We have no doubt that people search for everything on Google before buying a service or any product. They will also look for the best options that are available nearby. Do you know we can run ads on Google and be on the top? (See the image below)

Not just we can show ads for main keywords but we can also target people who are residing in a particular area. For example, if I want to target people who reside in Punjabi bagh, Delhi. I can radius target these people directly.

Why Google ads can be fruitful for the business?

• We have to pay only when somebody clicks on our ads
• We can target people in a particular area in any region
• People can be targeted basis language, interests, etc.
• Ads can be run not just for winning leads but for awareness, inquiry, website traffic and others

There will be seperate blogs on Introduction to adwords & how to run Google ads for your business. So, stay tuned.

5. Facebook radius marketing

Just like Google Ads, Facebook ads offer us the provision to run ads on Facebook. Facebook ads help us in promoting our brands with the following objective

For local businesses, the objective will be lead generation. After selecting the same you can start with ad creation by adding a budget and run your ads. A complete guide on how to run Facebook ads will be shared in another blog.

Facebook advertising tool also allows us to target people in a particular area. For example, I can target people who live in Punjabi bagh easily (See the screenshot below for reference)

6. Instagram radius marketing

Instagram radius marketing can be run from two platforms – Facebook & Instagram. Best thing about Facebook advertising platform is it allows you to run ads on Instagram and helps you gather leads. Instagram ads are mainly run to get more likes on your page posts or for better engagement. Beside this it also helps you select audience basis

• Location
• Interests
• Gender
• Language & others

When it comes to promoting a post for better reach, it is advisable to run ads on Instgram as it gives better reach. On other hand, Facebook platform offers us better control on lead generation ads.

A complete post will be shared on Instagram marketing on Ahead with digital. Subscribe and stay tuned.

7. Word of mouth marketing

There is no marketing technique as effective as word of mouth marketing. Imagine your customer/client or their acquaintances are referring your brand to someone because they are highly impressed by your service. I am sure that someone who is listening will be more convinced to pick your service than anyone else. So, deliver the best service and ask your clients/customers to share their experiences with others.

8. Client testimonials on channels

Client testimonials are important for promoting your brand as they serve as a major deciding factor for your audience
Online: Decide a format for your testimonials and post testimonial every week so that audience can know the impact your brand is creating
Offline: For offline, it is advisable to have some testimonial in print or some format to easily convince walk-in prospects or clients. Also, you can share links of your digital channels for better impact

9. Give Sign up offers

Offers are a good way to entice customers and a really important part of how to promote your business locally. Giving special or customized offers improves decision making for your audience. If your business is new, don’t forget to give sign up offers to your audience. In the beginning, when people buy a service or product it is mainly for trial so if the discount is there they are more convinced to buy it.

10. Get review from each client/customer

Make it a habit and stay with it forever. Any person who visits your store or service center, do ask for a review. It is good if you can take it online but take it anyway. Share on your channels or stores for a better impact. Start with a target of 100 reviews and then take them to as many as possible

Hope you enjoyed reading how to promote your business locally. Subscribe below to get updates on small business promotion.