As a business owner, you’re probably looking for new ways to reach local customers. By concentrating your efforts in a smaller area, you can focus on the people who are more likely to turn into reach customers. In this post we’ll discuss what hyperlocal marketing and advertising means and how you can implement it to reach new customers for your small business.
What is Hyperlocal Marketing and Advertising?
Hyperlocal marketing and advertising is exactly what it sounds like—marketing in your local geographic area to a narrow set of consumers. That could mean anyone within a 5 mile radius of your brick and mortar or women ages 15-28 working in a certain zip code in your town. It basically allows you to hone your message to a set of individuals with a very specific set of attributes in common. Pretty great, right? No more wasting time or money appealing to a market that truly isn’t in your wheelhouse.
Hyperlocal Advertising
When advertising your business in a hyperlocal realm, using old school mediums such as newspaper ads, local radio spots, or billboards come into play. Since you have the freedom to delegate where and when your ads will run you have more control over who is exposed to them and a better shot at reaching your particular market of interest.
Hyperlocal Marketing and Advertising on Facebook
The digital age, offers some pretty stellar and cost effective options to advertise to your local market. So, what are some of the best ways to go about your hyperlocal marketing? Here are some options for Facebook:
Location on Facebook
One of the easiest ways to use hyperlocal marketing is through your business’s Facebook page. If you have a business Facebook page, and you should by now, make sure your business’s location is listed on the page with a map. Adding your company location to Facebook allows customers in your immediate area to find your organization if searching using your city or town name.
Hyperlocal Targeting
If you’re of the mindset to use Facebook ads, hyperlocal targeting should be the first thin you think of. Use location based targeting through Facebook to reach potential new customers who are physically close to your business. Facebook Advertising tool works twofold: 1) You can pick and choose specific geographic locations in your city or town that you’d like to target and 2) It gives you the ability to not only choose who you market to, but also who you won’t, allows you that much more control, especially if running multiple campaigns.
Facebook Events for Hyperlocal Marketing
Another way to reach people close to your business is through Facebook events. Facebook events use the geographic location of its users to alert other users to nearby events.
You might have seen something on your events page that tells you which of your friends are attending events in a close physical proximity to your location. This is a great example of hyperlocal marketing.
Hyperlocal Marketing and Advertising on Instagram
Similar to Facebook, Instagram uses hyperlocal marketing and advertising as well. Instagram has fewer options in terms of hyperlocal reach but here are some of the ways that you can use this type of marketing:
Local Hashtags
Hashtags make it easy for your business’s photos to be seen by nearby customers…if you use the right ones! Use local hashtags like #boston or #bostonyoga or #bostoneats to get your Boston based yoga studio or restaurant found by users. Check out this post on hashtags for businesses to get started with hashtags for your business.
Location on Instagram
In addition to using local hashtags that can get your found online, you should also use locations for Instagram every time you post a photo at your business. Make sure that you add your company location to your business’s Instagram profile so that anyone enjoying, let’s say a meal at your restaurant, can tag their location while they share pictures of their dinner.
Hyperlocal Marketing with Google Maps
Another way to get found by customers close by is to market your business on Google Maps. Google Maps literally puts your business on the map so that customers can find you.
If you’ve got a brick and mortar store or location, you want Google Maps to direct customers your way, right? Of course you do! Where else do people go to find a “pet store near me”? But, Google or the GPS on your phone can’t do that if you don’t exist online. Google allows businesses to put themselves on Google Maps for free. This is a surefire way to expose yourself to consumers in your immediate area, especially if you’re somewhere with a large transient population.
Safeguard yourself from being lost in the back pages of a Google search by following a few simple rules about staying front and center in the Google rankings, like categorizing your business appropriately, embedding a Google Map on your site, and using a local telephone number.
Events for Hyperlocal Marketing
Events are a terrific way to appeal to your local market. Seeing the face behind new business in town goes miles in establishing trust in that potential repeat customer. The truth is, if someone likes you, they’ll feel good about doing business with you, so get out there and meet the people!
Attending or sponsoring local events is key, as well. Involving yourself in the community solidifies your organization as a part of it and garners even more of that hyperlocal support you’re after. Networking with other local companies which offer complementary services to yours allows you to tap into their established customer base especially by launching a co-branded hyperlocal campaign together.
Make sure you’re targeting that hyperlocal market by using Facebook to promote your event or to give support to others.
Hyperlocal Marketing with Social Media and Hashtags
Create a local business hashtag that people can identify with that also calls out a characteristic of what makes them a target of your hyperlocal campaigning (ex: #dwntwnvegan). People like to feel like they’re a part of a group. Setting up a venue, through social media, for likeminded people with common interests to connect is like establishing your own fan club.
Hyperlocal marketing is highly underrated. The idea that we must be far-reaching to be successful is a fallacy that we’re all ready to put to bed. Focusing on your local consumer is not only more cost effective, but it can also be more personally rewarding. Have you used hyperlocal marketing and advertising for your business? Let us know in the comments below.
