5 Simple Ways to Reach Local Customers

• Location-based marketing targets local customers within a specific radius of the physical location of your business. 
• These days, more and more buyers are using the internet to find local businesses. 
• Zadinga provides you with state-of-the-art shop management solutions and marketing tools to reach out to local customers.

To survive and grow your business, you need customers to keep coming back to your shop. The ones who revisit your store become loyal customers and can help spread the word about your shop and the great products you offer.

Hence, it is essential to attract local customers, especially if your shop is in a small town or colony. 

Let’s look at clear and proven ways on how to get local customers in your area.

Location-based marketing is a strategy that targets local customers within a specific radius (usually a few kilometres) of the physical location of your business. It is also known as ‘local store marketing’ or ‘neighbourhood marketing’.

If you have a physical shop or offer local-based services, you need to invite people within your area with the help of this strategy.

As a small or medium-sized business, the survival of your shop depends on people visiting and buying from your store.

These days, more and more buyers are using the internet to find local businesses. Let’s look at five important ways to promote your business in your area.

1. Implement a local SEO strategy

Search Engine Optimisation (SEO) plays a vital role in telling local customers about your brand. SEO means the process of updating your online presence and making it more valuable for visitors.

It makes your website appear higher on search results. Making use of local SEO can optimise your business for local searches.

The right way to establish a regional SEO strategy is to create a website and also list your shop on the Google My Business (GMB) page.

Some important things you must mention on your GMB page are:

• Name of your business
• Business hours
• Phone number
• Images of your business
• Promotions, events or offers from your business

Your customers will rate and review your business on GMB which will also impact your rank. 

2. Use social media platforms

A good way of getting local customers is to use social media. By making good use of social media, you will see more people following your business, thus building a community of loyal online customers.

To make sure you have a strong local following, post relevant and engaging content. For example, you can write about: 

• Tips on how to use the services or products you sell
• Basic information regarding your industry
• Local events or sales you plan to have
• Any ongoing promotional campaigns
• Content that can make people’s lives easy

Decide the kind of social media channels you wish to set up, depending upon your business, and arrive at a smart social media content plan. Make a calendar of what you want to post, when to post it, and start tracking the results.   

3. Make use of paid advertising

An important way to get online local customers is through paid advertising. Choose from display ads, social ads and search ads as per your preferences.  

• Search ads are advertisements displayed on top of the search page. For example, if you search “kitchen knife”, you will see advertisements on the top for businesses that sell kitchen knives. These companies pay to be in the first slot of the search page when a particular keyword is entered.
• Display ads appear on videos, websites and other ads that tell people about your business or services. You can set up display ads on social media platforms and search engines to target local customers who have recently visited your website.
• Social ads appear on social media platforms. These ads target people who may have purchased from your online store or help attract new customers.

4. Do events and sponsorships 

A good way of getting local customers is to bring the community together through local events or sponsorships.

For example, you may sponsor Holi or Dussehra celebrations in your block or colony. It can boost brand awareness and help you generate new leads.

5. Enter into local partnerships

Associating with local complementary businesses can help you build new relationships and reach new customers.

For example, if you own a medical store, you can reach out to doctors in your area and let them know about your shop.

Partnering with local businesses can build a positive brand presence and allow more people to do business with you.

There are several ways to get local customers for your business. But it is important to find the right strategy that works for your shop.

Make sure that you customise the plan based on your budget, requirements, targets and timeframe. Understand what works for your store and capitalise on it to build growth.

If you’re a new business in your neighbourhood and just getting started, it’s time to take the right steps to operate in your locality.

Spend time reaching out to new customers while Zadinga takes care of your day-to-day shop operation through its one-stop shop management app on your smartphone. 

As a cost-effective, mobile-based operational tool, Zadinga provides you with state-of-the-art shop management solutions and marketing tools to help you reach out to local customers and grow your business quickly.

Contact Zadinga today to find out how you can make your business prosper, develop and succeed in all areas.