Local businesses don’t always have to utilize social media marketing and digital ads to obtain new leads. Maybe you’re not seeing traction from social media, or maybe paid ads are too expensive? Here are 5 creative and innovative ways to market your local business in your city and surrounding areas.
1. Community events and pop-ups
Whether you’re a food truck, HVAC provider, or accounting firm, there are undoubtedly local community events in your area. Get your business out there and set up at local events. Hand out flyers, sponsor booths, or simply meet people. Use a unique phone number on printed materials, such as flyers or business cards, to track leads from each event or pop-up.
2. Local business directories
Beyond Yelp or Google My Business, consider exploring your local Chamber of Commerce to get your business featured in local directories. Many towns offer neighborhood guides, local round-up websites, or referral networks, allowing companies to share leads with one another.
3. Retail partnerships
Ask nearby businesses if they’re open to displaying your signage, discount cards, or business cards. Popular coffee shops, restaurants, salons, and boutiques might be open to sharing your business information with their customers. And it’s often free to do!
4. Local influencers
Influencer marketing can be expensive, but local creators are often more likely to accept free services in exchange for posting about your business. For example, host an open house with free services if you’re a salon or boutique, or offer a complimentary meal if they’re willing to tag your social media handles and share their experience.
5. Out-of-home signage
Don’t overlook billboards, printed flyers, magazine stand holders, and physical coupon books at key retailers. Using a specific phone number for each of these locations can help you see what drives traffic and sales. For example, if one highway billboard performs twice as well as others, you might want to consider paying for a larger sign or finding a similar location.
Measure Local Marketing Success with an 800.com Business Phone Number
To measure and compare the success of different marketing campaigns, try adding an additional number to your 800.com account and using it solely for each campaign, for seamless tracking to see which channels drive leads, customers, and conversions. It’s easy to add or purchase another number directly from your dashboard, and set up call forwarding, routing, voicemail, and analytics in just a few minutes.
Consumers want to buy from local, small businesses; the average American shops from small businesses approximately 213 times per year, and 64% occasionally feel guilty after shopping at big chain stores. However, your target customers need to know you exist. That starts with innovative, creative marketing in your local area and using specific phone numbers from 800.com to track, compare, and measure success across different channels, thereby boosting your local presence.
If you don’t have an 800.com account yet, head to 800.com/plans and get started today 🙂
