Generating revenue from your up-and-coming business can be time-consuming — especially when you want to make a name for yourself locally. Bombarded with choices and options, you may feel confused about what to try first. But over the past several years as mobile app usage has increased, hyperlocal marketing tactics have proven effective for entrepreneurs. So how can you bolster local support, increase sales and define yourself in your niche?
Select a URL
If you already have a URL that you’re happy with, you may want to consider an additional one that includes your location and redirects to your main site. For example, if your plant business in Davenport, Iowa, has the domain name plants.com, you may want to purchase another URL like buyplantsdavenport.com. This way, you can keep your current URL for customers anywhere, and your niche URL will attract locals. This strategy is especially useful for online businesses that cater to customers around the globe but also want to start marketing locally. A new URL gives you the opportunity to associate yourself with your city and eventually rank your local site in Google in a new way.
So if you have more than one area you’d like to rank for, it’s most effective to make your URL as close to your primary domain as possible. For example, using plants.com/chicago is better than plants.com/stores/cities/chicago. In other words, keep your location-based URLs short and simple to ensure the greatest bang for your buck with search engines. To make sure your URL ranks well in Google, choose one keyword that you’ve researched and work it into your URL. It doesn’t have to be exactly in order, but it should include your full keyword. For example, if your keyword is “buy plants in Davenport,” your URL could be plants.com/buydavenport. Ensure that these location-based pages include headers with the same keywords and location-relevant information.
Produce Content for Locals
If you truly want to cater to those in your city, the best move is to start producing content for that audience. For example, you might reference local news or review local products and services that are complementary to your business. By regularly positioning yourself as an active member of your community, local readers will view you as the “go-to” business owner in their area. When your audience needs what you offer, they’ll think of you first over another local competitor. Why? Because you have already established trust and revealed yourself — they know who you are. Try selecting local keywords that are not too competitive. Incorporate them into blog posts and watch locals slowly trickle into your site.
Incentivize Local Support
Of course, locals have a much better reason for following you if you cater to them. This is why creating special offers in your immediate neighborhood can be so powerful. Get creative and brainstorm some fun ways you can set up contests or social media challenges. Avoid complicated giveaways that require a lot of your time, money and energy. You may also research other local brands with whom to partner. This is a quick way to double your audience. Hyperlocal marketing doesn’t have to limit your audience or restrict you from gaining customers in other areas of the world. In fact, even global brands like Walmart and Pepsi rely on hyperlocal marketing tactics.
