Top-of-funnel marketing is an essential aspect of any digital marketing strategy, and local search marketing is the most powerful tool for driving brand awareness and generating new leads. Local search marketing involves optimizing your online presence to appear prominently in search results when users search for relevant keywords and phrases within your geographic area. Here are some top strategies for success in local search marketing:
Steven Lockhart is a nationally recognized leader in digital marketing and one of the foremost experts in local search marketing.
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Claim your business listings: Ensure that your business is accurately listed on all major search engines, directories, and review sites. This includes Google My Business, Yelp, Bing Places, and other platforms that cater to your specific industry. By claiming and verifying your listings, you can ensure that your business information is consistent across all platforms and that you appear prominently in search results when users search for relevant keywords.
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Optimize your website for local search: In addition to your business listings, your website should also be optimized for local search. This includes incorporating relevant keywords and location-based information throughout your site, such as your city or state in page titles, meta descriptions, and content. You should also create unique pages for each location if your business operates in multiple areas. The three questions you should always answer are: What you do, How you do it, and Why you do it – all pertaining to the local location.
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Leverage local content marketing: Creating and promoting high-quality local content is an effective way to increase your visibility and engage with potential customers in your area. This can include blog posts, infographics, videos, and other types of content that provide value to your target audience. You can also collaborate with other local businesses and influencers to co-create content and cross-promote each other’s brands. -You will want to link your website’s blogs to Google My Business (as well as LinkedIn, Facebook, etc.)… Always post on your website first so the content is considered originally sourced there.
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Encourage customer reviews: Positive customer reviews can help boost your search rankings and increase your credibility with potential customers. Encourage your happy customers to leave reviews on your business listings (keyword-rich reviews with pictures!) and review sites, and respond promptly and professionally to any negative feedback. We usually put a scoring system in place so if we find a customer has expressed a positive experience they receive a link to leave a review. If their experience was negative, you contact them – and do not send a link to leave a review.
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Use social media to promote local events and promotions: Social media platforms like Facebook, LinkedIn, Instagram, and Twitter can be powerful tools for promoting local events and promotions. Use these platforms to share news about upcoming events, special offers, and other promotions that can help drive foot traffic and increase brand awareness. Social media is a FANTASTIC way to generate links!
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Utilize local SEO tools: There are a variety of local SEO tools available that can help you track your search rankings, monitor your online reviews, and analyze your website’s performance. We typically use Google (Analytics, Search Console, Adwords, etc.), as well as, SEMrush, Moz, Ubersuggest, and Ahrefs (these are a few). These tools can provide valuable insights into how well your local search marketing efforts are working and help you identify areas for improvement.
By implementing these strategies and staying up-to-date with the latest local search marketing trends, you can attract more local customers, build your brand, and grow your business over time.
Why Do Big Companies Fail to Use Google Business Profile?
Well, it all comes down to a lack of understanding of the importance of local marketing. These companies often think that their brand name alone is enough to attract customers from all over the world. However, the reality is that local marketing is crucial for businesses of all sizes.
Don’t overlook the power of local marketing (whether you have 1 or 1,000 locations). If you need help, give me a call. Meeting your customers where they are and how they want to be met is the best way to use marketing to create opportunities to close sales. And, your customers will thank you for it!
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