With the rise of social media, marketing has become more about engaging your audience and creating a community instead of just selling. This list will help you find tools that can help you market locally. Local searches with mobile devices are like peanut butter and jelly. Guess what way people use to locate you if you’re a local business? They’re using their mobile devices to seek your company. You’re squandering money if you’re not aware of it or optimizing for it.
Prospective clients may now look for companies in their locations and access relevant information to influence their purchase choices more efficiently than ever before, thanks to smartphones and tablets. For example, “60 percent of American people use smartphones and tablets to look for local product and service information,” according to the report. Furthermore, “50% of customers who made a local search on their smartphone visited a shop within a day, whereas 34% of consumers who searched on a computer/tablet did the same,” according to the study.
Potential clients may discover what products/services a company provides, obtain directions, and receive contact information in seconds. This is something I do all the time. I reside in a large metropolis. There are constantly new locations to visit, and I know I can locate them, see what they have to offer, and learn about their ratings with just a few clicks on my phone. Because of the simplicity and convenience of the local search, clever local firms who take advantage of it should expect more significant sales. In principle, one out of every two people who locate your company using their cellphones will visit you the same day. According to studies, “18% of mobile searches result in a sale within one day.” That’s quite an accomplishment! First, however, we must pose the following question: how can you capitalize on this sales-ready demographic? How can you ensure that your company is front and center in their minds? It does not have to be complicated. You’ll almost certainly reach the top if you employ these four methods. Simply by using these technologies, I’ve seen firms go from having no internet presence to dominating their local marketplaces. But, of course, you can do it as well.
Tools you should use to market your business:
1. Create a Google My Business account
Did you know that local searches account for 46% of all Google searches? That’s correct. Nearly half of the individuals who look for your company on the internet will be from your nearby region.
You’ll need to be active on Google My Business to guarantee that prospects can locate your company. I can’t tell you how many times a week I use Google on my smartphone to look for company information. I’m also increasingly utilizing the “Okay, Google” voice search tool. It’s a snap. It’s simple. It’s a hands-free device.
In most cases, it matches my vocal instructions rather well. So it’s easy to get started with Google My Business. To begin, go to https://www.google.com/business/.
After that, create an account and fill out all necessary company information. I also suggest providing a lot of photographs (at least five) so that potential customers can get a better idea of what your company is about.
You can easily control anything from your dashboard after you’ve set it up.
To be more particular, you can:
- Keep up with the latest consumer feedback.
- Get a better understanding of how people interact (e.g., the number of views and clicks you receive)
- Check the number of people who have asked for driving instructions to your place of business.
- View the total number of visitors that visited your website.
More data, in my opinion, is better. The more data I collect, the simpler it will be for me to recognize patterns and trends and make the appropriate modifications. That is why I am a big fan of this product. It provides me with detailed information so that I may make well-informed judgments. Like the rest of Google’s services, Google My Business is straightforward and user-friendly, so there shouldn’t be much of a learning curve. You may also make changes to your profile as needed to keep your information up to date.
2. Yelp
Yelp, after Google, is the second most crucial tool in my view. Some marketers even go so far as to suggest that having a Yelp listing is more critical than having a website. While I wouldn’t go quite that far, I believe that being listed on Yelp is almost a must these days. Yelp attracted 145 million unique visits each month in March 2016, making it one of the most popular sites for local companies. It is used to locate contact information, company hours, photographs, reviews, and other information. You can bet that if you can achieve a good number of studies and a good rating, your sales will rise, and your brand equity will increase. So declare your company and download the mobile app for business owners from the mobile download site to get started.
Yelp will provide you with a link to manage your page from your mobile device from that page.
This app is fantastic since it allows you to:
- Manage your page with ease.
- Customers should be contacted.
- Keep track of how engaged your visitors are.
- Keep an eye on your leads.
- Respond to customer reviews and comments in general.
Just keep in mind that you should fill up your profile thoroughly and include enough information to address any frequent inquiries clients could have. I propose incorporating a lot of photographs once again.
3. Manager of Facebook Pages
The fact that I mentioned Facebook probably didn’t surprise you. Because Facebook is such a big thing, it’s only natural that you’d want to utilize Facebook Pages Manager. To get the app, go to this page. Then, simply download the app for your iOS or Android smartphone, and you’ll have complete control and efficiency over your company’s Facebook presence.
Use it to do the following tasks:
- Updates, images, and videos should be posted.
- React to comments left on your page.
- Check your messages and respond to them.
- Get updates for page activity, tips, and reminders through push notifications.
- Check out your Page Insights.
- Finally, manage your page responsibilities and settings.
This software allows you to manage your Facebook account from your mobile device and keep in touch with your consumers more efficiently. I enjoy it because it will enable me to remain on top of things no matter where I am in the nation. It’s essential to have a presence on Facebook and advertise on Facebook. People trust Facebook, for better or worse. People use Facebook to make new friends, keep up with the news, contact relatives, and, of course, find unique places to eat, drink, shop, and play. Not being on Facebook is like not being in the phone book in the 1980s. So when I suggest that your company be on Facebook, I’m not exaggerating.
4. Bing Business Locations
So, Bing isn’t as famous as Google or Facebook. That is correct. But it doesn’t rule out the possibility of using it to promote your company locally. Bing uses the same fundamental concept as Google My Business. However, it does it via the Bing search engine. It’s easy to despise Bing or ignore it entirely. That is something I understand. But consider this: Bing has 33% of the search market! A third of all search engine users is not an insignificant percentage, in my view. It’s pretty simple to get everything set up. For business, go to Bing Places.
First, you must claim your listing. After that, complete your profile and double-check your listing.
Consider it this way: Many of your rivals are likely to be so focused on Google that they neglect Bing. You could have even considered ignoring Bing. However, it just takes a few minutes to sign up with Bing, providing you an edge over your competitors. In addition, you may attract a more significant portion of your target market and acquire their business by taking the time to set up your profile.
5. YP for Business
Remember when people used to go through the Yellow Pages directory by hand to gather information about local businesses? Those days are long gone. However, the Yellow Pages, like other enterprises with a lengthy history, has been savvy enough to reinvent itself such that it is still valuable for today’s world. For example, you may now list your company for free on the YP for Business app. In addition, “60 million people search YP for local companies every month,” which is nothing to scoff at.
Here are some more stats to consider:
- Over 15 million people have downloaded the YP app.
- In addition, the YP app and mobile web generate more than three calls to a local company every second.
I strongly advise you to advertise your company there to fill out your local marketing efforts and reach the maximum proportion of your target population. It simply takes a few minutes, which may significantly increase your reach. The ability to track the number of impressions, clicks, and leads you to produce is one of the additional advantages of utilizing Yellow Pages. You may also keep track of your web presence, online reviews, and social engagement from a centralized location. I assume that the YP for the Business app would be an excellent way to reach out to the older generation of Gen Xers and Baby Boomers, who remember the original Yellow Pages well.
Conclusion
You must have a presence on several essential sites to bring your company in front of prospective clients. Because so many individuals use these sites, taking the effort to register your company and complete your profile in full might pay off in the long run. Don’t forget about the crucial figures, related searches, and sales. Remember that 78% of local mobile searches lead to offline sales.
That’s enormous! If you’re a traditional brick-and-mortar company, you may make a lot of money by putting your business in the appropriate locations online. The basic fact is that individuals increasingly utilize their mobile devices to do local business searches. Being active on these five online platforms not only makes you more competitive and helps you to claim your piece of the pie, but it may also help your company thrive in the long run.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the best tool to advertise your business?
A: The best advertising tool for your business is making sure every customer has a good experience with you. To do this, it’s essential to have an effective marketing campaign that includes both online and offline efforts.
What is the most successful marketing tool for small businesses?
A: A website.
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