The Guide of How To Market Your Local Business

The Guide of How To Market Your Local Business 1

#31 Tips On How To Market Your Business

Marketing a small business can get a little confusing at times when trying to find the best way to build a brand. You ask yourself if it is best to do offline marketing, or will online marketing be more productive and fast? The questions just keep coming, and those who understand the avenue of how to market and dominate the local competitors are the ones who succeed.

As a small business owner myself, I know that there are tons of information online and if you’re not seasoned on how things work, then it can become overwhelming. The pressure of getting people into your place of business and building footprints to your brand can be a daunting task. Knowing this, I decided to put together a one place stop manual guide of the things you can do free and paid to sky-rocket your brand.

These 31 ways to market your business will come down to you taking action. There is no way to gain any success in life without putting something in motion, and that first step starts by reading strategy #1.

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After reading the top 31 ways to market your business locally, I will suggest you start first with my incredible “Ultimate Local Marketing Domination Guide” that will walk you through how to gain thousands of new customers and clients without a dime an on advertising.

This is five chapters of jammed packed material to help grow your business locally in the community. All this is 100% FREE

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How To Market Your Business Through Online Marketing

1. Getting Your Business #1 in Google for FREE – If you want to grow your business to the masses locally and worldwide, then the likes of using SEO is the best route to go. I can write about this topic all day long because I know from my years of being an SEO consultant that if you can dominate your local market with the right keywords, people will type these words into the search engine, find your services then you can grow massively.

This is the #1 way I will build a business brand online by creating content people want to read and search for.  If you own a real estate company in Shreveport, and you have the ability to do SEO on your website then you have a chance at getting everyone who searches for “Shreveport real estate” This means wonders for your business because those searchers will find your website first and this, in terms will allow you to dominate that current market.

Being #1 for the top local keyword in your industry is the key for success because you have to understand that as a customer we will first search for what we are looking for online and if we come across your website first then guess who gets the business?

2. Press Releases to Thousands – If you can write very well then I will suggest doing a press release which can be sent to your local newspapers such as the Shreveport Times, Bossier Tribune or the Minden Press-Herald if you live here in my current market area. If not, then just go to this website that lists all the newspaper websites.  If you want to get your article posted to thousands at a quicker rate, then try prlog which is a very easy website to use, and I recommend it if you need an easier way to get your press releases out there.

3. Implementing Email Marketing – There is no reason why you should not have some sort of way for visitors to not be able to signup for a newsletter to your business. The #1 way to stay in touch with your customers is through email marketing. There are many email marketing software out there, so do your research on finding the one that suits you. Just to get you started, here is one from Getresponse for free which is one of the top email marketing software companies online today.

Try It For FREE

4. Website Conversion – One way to build a successful small business website is to have a way to convert online visitors into clients. One way of doing that is through a call of action on your website from a bold phone number to call, or by giving them something for free, that will force them to join your mailing list which I listed above.

5. Creating YouTube Videos – YouTube is a great way to get free advertising out to the world if you follow these steps. Create a video of your place of business, upload it to YouTube and post that video on your The Guide of How To Market Your Local Business 2website. This should be like an intro video explaining all elements of your services, and make sure you use the right keywords in the title so that your video will be found through the search engines. I say create informational videos and tutorials of your industry and post them on your YouTube channel which you can customize to your brand.

 

Local Ways To Market Your Business

6. Making a Speech – Speaking is not the strongest part of anyone’s talents, but its something you have to do if you want to grow. Any chance you have to speak in front of an audience then do so but make it 5 minutes or less so you can keep their attention. Doing this allows you to give out your small business website to many people who may or may not be interested in your services.

7. Hit The Radio – If you live in my surrounding cites such as Shreveport, Bossier City, and Minden, then you will know that we have some radio stations. Now obviously there are many kinds of stations from rock, country, r&b, soul, gospel and many more you can choose from. To find these radio stations in your local market, you will have first to Google your city name + radio stations.

Example: Shreveport radio stations

Next, find the radio station you think that will suit your business and contact the appropriate person to set up an interview. Most local talk radio host go out their way to help the local businesses around the city and try to keep their listeners up to date on new businesses in the area. If you’re lucky enough to get some live airtime, make sure you have something that’s 100 times better than a phone number..which is a website of your small business. I say if you don’t have a website, then don’t bother contacting any radio stations because most of them will ask if you have one. If not, then you run the risk of people not remembering the phone number and address you will be giving out.

8. Handing Out Business Cards People Will Keep – Whether you know it or not, many business cards are done in a way that just makes a person want to throw them in the trash the second you turn your back. Poor business The Guide of How To Market Your Local Business 3cards are deal breakers no matter how you look at. Just think about a card you got that was done on plain matted paper that consisted of no gloss. The truth is that first impressions do matter, and if you want people to keep that business card in their purse, wallet, desk or on the kitchen refrigerator, then you best think of putting more work in the look and design…if not then your card will become part of a land field.

9. Printing Flyers – More than likely if you have a present business, then you have a printer on hand to print flyers. Now, if you’re not seasoned on doing things like this then don’t panic because many companies allow you to create a customizable flyer. Once you have your flyers,  you can just pass them out on the weekend at an event in your city. If there is a convention going on and thousands of people are there, then ask for permission to hand out flyers as people are leaving.

10. Blogging 2-3 Times a Week – Studies shows that small businesses who blog at least 2-3 times a week increase their clients by 100% over those who don’t. You must have a website and be able to write quality posts in your industry. Make sure that you create good content people will love to read that will turn those visitors into paying customers.

11. Building Online Profiles – The #1 way to protect your reputation online and also build offsite content (which is content not included on your website) that will allow you a place for more branding. There are many websites sites out there where you can list your business locally, and these listing will show up in the search engines.

The profile sites give you a chance to talk about your small business and also gives you an opportunity to include your logo. This is powerful, and if you can get your profile on as many websites as you can, then you increase your chance locally of gaining lots of new clients to your website. This in terms should result in more profits. Here is a list of profiles sites I recommend you signup for.

  1. https://www.worldcat.org/
  2. http://digg.com/
  3. http://www.stumbleupon.com/
  4. http://www.myspace.com/colemanmarketinggroupllc
  5. http://www.flickr.com/people/colemanmarketinggroup/
  6. http://www.naymz.com/antoniocoleman-6mi3l
  7. https://sites.google.com/site/colemanmarketinggroupllc/
  8. https://plus.google.com/104827301273573471070/posts
  9. http://www.corank.com/user/colemanmg
  10. http://www.blogcatalog.com/user/colemanmg
  11. http://www.reddit.com/r/worldnews/comments/1e3pn6/coleman_marketing_group_grows_your_marketing/
  12. http://www.meetup.com/
  13. http://twitterfeed.com/dashboard
  14. http://www.broowaha.com/author/coleman-marketing-gr
  15. http://intensedebate.com/people/colemanmg318
  16. http://disqus.com/colemanmg/
  17. http://bloggersunite.org/user/colemanmg
  18. https://vimeo.com/colemanmarketinggroup
  19. http://colemanmarketinggroup.smugmug.com/
  20. http://colemanmarketing.yelp.com/
  21. http://www.crunchbase.com/user/colemanmg
  22. http://www.zimbio.com/member/colemanmg
  23. http://colemanmg.hubpages.com/
  24. http://pinterest.com/colemanmg/
  25. http://www.peekyou.com/work/seo_consultant_at_coleman_marketing_group_llc
  26. https://app.blinklist.com/users/colemanmg
  27. http://www.blogflux.com/
  28. https://www.diigo.com/profile/colemanmg
  29. http://colemanmg.livejournal.com/profile
  30. http://chime.in/user/Colemanmg318
  31. http://www.metacafe.com/f/channels/colemanmg/
  32. http://quizilla.teennick.com/my/profile
  33. http://www.huffingtonpost.com/social/colemanmg
  34. http://www.crunchbase.com/person/antonio-coleman
  35. https://www.yelp.com/
  36. http://www.myspace.com/colemanmarketinggroupllc
  37. http://www.corank.com/
  38. http://technorati.com/blogs/colemanmg.com
  39. http://www.alexa.com/siteinfo/colemanmg.com
  40. http://community.spiceworks.com/profile/show/myprofile
  41. SuperPages
  42. YellowPages.com
  43. Yahoo! Local
  44. Angie’s List
  45. MerchantCircle

 

12. Post On Schedule – Now I’m going to make this as simple as possible because it is self-explanatory. If you open the doors of your business at a certain time each day, then this is called doing something on schedule. To even be productive with your online marketing you must schedule your posts to go out on time each day you have them the schedule for. This way people can always expect to see new content from you on the date and time that you set.

13. Twitter Search – Twitter is becoming the fastest growing information highway out there. It’s amazing how fast someone can tweet something out, and in less than 2 seconds it’s at your fingertips of your laptop and mobile phone. Here is a little tip that you may not have thought about when it comes to Twitter.

You can use the Twitter Search to find people who tweet out about certain topics. Let’s say you have a law firm in Minden, La and you want to follow people who tweet about any sort of law actions. Such as, I was in an accident, going through a divorce and things of that nature. From here now you can follow with these people and network with them and offer them free advice to what steps they should take.

14. Marketing To Paying Customers – If you want to stop marketing to the people who just want to low ball your business prices then go after the big guys. If you’re running a lawn service and someone comes out and say I can only pay $50 for your services no matter what, then go ahead and move on because they’re not going to be long-time customers.

People have shown that if they’re looking to low ball you off the jump, then doing business with them will turn up devastating. Only work and market to those who are willing to pay a fair price for your services without the hassle.

15. Thank You Cards – I saw this fantastic marketing idea when I was visiting a restaurant in Atlanta, GA on vacation last year. Once me and my wife got up and finished paying for our food, the cashier gave us a simple “thank you card” that just had thanked you on the front, and included come back and see us on the back. I said to my wife, what a remarkable way to appreciate the customers coming through your doors and encouraging them to come back. What made it so amazing is that it only had those words on the it..no address, no website and not even a place for a review. 

16. Fast Pitch – Our attention spans are short as adults, and I will say its even shorter than kids because we have so much more going on. You only have about 5 to 10 seconds to throw a pitch at customers really, and if you don’t get them interested in that length of time, then they’re on to something else. Make that first impression the most stand out impression of your life.

17. Take Pictures – They say a picture speaks a thousand words. If you can, take pictures of your business. The way you do it is to take pictures of the staff and customers as they’re doing  business with you. Take pictures of any events and functions you have going on and post them on Facebook, Pinterest, Instagram, Twitter and your business website. Doing this allows people to share your photos with the share and like buttons…this is called viral marketing.

18. Simply Saying “Hi” – Just getting to know your customers is one way to get repeat business and word of mouth marketing. Asking them questions about how their day is going can go a long way in getting another person to spread your brand.

 

Check Out Some Low Budget Small Business Marketing Tips

19. College Marketing Student – There are many college students these days that are looking to show the world their talents in marketing. If you’re tight on a marketing budget, then think about contacting a college marketing student and ask them for an internship. Now if they can implement some new marketing strategies for you then maybe as your business grows you can hire them full-time.

20. Piggy Back Your Small Business – This is one of my favorite ways to gain free marketing when it comes to growing your business in a metro area. Why not go out and network with other businesses around town who are surrounding your niche. Meaning if you’re in the beauty salon business then you might want to network with other stores such as nail salons, women clothing stores, tanning venues, women book clubs, etc.

From here you can contact all the local businesses in your area such as here in Shreveport, Bossier City, and Minden. I’m using these as an example because this is my local market, but this can still work in your state, city or town just the same. Contact them and set up a place for you guys to meet like the local library and explain to them that you have an excellent way for all you guys to gain more clients by piggybacking off each other.

It comes, down to giving your business card out to all the other local businesses that attend this meeting and have them refer business to you. Plus you will do the same, and before you know it you will start to gain more clients and the best part about it is that it’s all FREE Marketing.

21. Publish Articles – Creating articles around your small business is pretty easy to do if you know you’re marketing inside out. Not to get so much into SEO and the teaching of how to get your website to rank #1 for aThe Guide of How To Market Your Local Business 4 given keyword, but it will be wise to find a keyword that’s center around your local market. By doing this, once the search engines index your article it can have the possibility of being found.

Now let’s say your small business is a car dealership and is located in Bossier City. What you will want to do so you have a better chance of getting local traffic from the search engines is to use a local keyword such as…”Bossier City Car Dealership”..all you have to do is write a 500 word or more article of your industry. Next, you will need to submit it to the #1 article directory which is EzineArticles, and once it gets accepted you can submit the same one to the following…

ArticleBase

GoArticles

Amazines.com

22. Give Back To Customers – People always love to get something for free, so one of the ways you can implement this to your advantage is by creating these reward type cards. Meaning, like a snow cone, stand here located in Minden where they have reward cards that they give you which has six open spots on it. Every time you purchase a snow cone from them, they will punch out a hole. After your sixth purchase, you will be able to get a large size snow cone for free…how awesome is that.

23. Friends – They say you can never have enough friends in your life, so if you’re like me then put them to use. All of our friends have jobs, so you can use them to offer your business cards to the other employees.  If you have ten close friends and you give them all twenty business cards each, and they give them all away then you have just been able to get in front of 200 people without that much effort.

Remember: As I said before, make sure that your business card is eye appealing and attractive enough for people to hold on to.

24. Networking Events – Get out and attend these local networking events in your city. Meaning, if you’re a real estate investor, then think about joining a home builders group, appraisal group or realtor group. These people are in your niche, so if you want to come and speak or mingle, then you’re in the right place to grow your small business.

25. Help a Reporter – Can’t tell you how many reporters are out there, but if I had to guess it has to be in the thousands. Many of them are looking for stories from new businesses being opened to even educational advice for the local community. If you have something to say and want to help a reporter out by giving your expertise, then this can be the free publicity you need.

26. Social Media Advertisings – I’m not a big fan of advertising locally on Facebook and Twitter but if you have a little money to spend then do it. They have great ways for you to target those in your local market to people who will most likely buy from you or use the services you offer. I call it the quick way to market because all you’re doing is spending money so people can see you faster rather than later.

27. Using Google Adwords – I was one of the first people to start using Google Adwords back in the early 2000’s. I made my first sale from an ad that I was running on Google back in those days and continued to use it for years after that. I don’t use Google Adwords anymore because I know how to get free traffic now from Google by doing seo.

I do understand for those of you who don’t want SEO implemented on your website at this time to push it up to #1 for your local market keyword, then using Google Adwords will be the best start for you. To explain it in simple terms you will have to pay every time someone clicks on your ad located to the right of all the organic searches in Google. This cost can range anywhere from 5 cents to $10 per click so if you have the money and you need customer eyeballs on your website now then this is your best offer.

28. Sponsor a Little League Team – Personally, if you want to get that ball rolling and get eyeballs on your brand, then I will say let’s get your logo and business name on as many shirts or jerseys as possible. By sponsoring a team, your brand will be blasted in front of thousands of people because kids are wearing your brand at the park, stores, school and just out and about.

29. Merchandise Giveaway – If you have it to spend then go out and put your brand on any sort of item you can. From T-shirts, coffee mugs, pens, calendars and more. This is something I do all the time in my local market to reach down in my budget and create free items I want to giveaway. Doing this continually is powerful, because people start to recognize your brand and is encouraged to learn more about your business.

30. Have a BBQ – I don’t care where in the world you live no one can tell you that they don’t like BBQ. People are suckers for great food if it’s done right and to the liking of the masses.  You can get someone to cater your BBQ and have a booth set up for you to pretty much gives away free BBQ plates. You may be asking why in the world would I want to do something of this nature because there is no way that I can pay it.

Think about this? This is about all the free publicity you will get from your local newspapers such as the Shreveport Times, Bossier Tribune and Minden Press Herald if you live in my local market. Not only that, here comes the local radio station talking about it. This sort of buzz will blast your business all over the city, state, and even the country if you’re lucky. To pull this off, all you have to do find local businesses who will love to sponsor this event in the form of them having billboards placed up all over the free BBQ event.

Plus the sponsors will get t-shirts made with the logos of all the sponsors including the saying of ( Free BBQ Giveaway Day Sponsored by……) by doing this now you have hundreds or thousands of people promoting your brand which in terms will be seen on the local news broadcast and local papers. Also, imagine this story getting picked up by the national news media?

31. Contest – Holding a contest in your place of business is pretty easy to do if you make it something related to your business. I say think of something that will make your customers participate and worth their while. If you do this then they will go out and tell more friends about it which will bring more potential clients through your doors.

 

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2 thoughts on “The Guide of How To Market Your Local Business

  1. Hey I like this article and I think this will really benefit me for my business, and thanks for the post Antonio, I will keep in contact with you to!

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