Did you know that there are 31.7 million small businesses in the U.S? Very few things in the world are as rewarding as building a successful business from the ground up. Not only is it a great way to improve and contribute to your community, but it’s also an awesome way to make some money.
But instead of selling and shipping your products to faceless customers’ addresses and names across the country, you will be seeing your customers’ smiling, enjoying your products, and giving you compliments.
Local lead generation is quite similar to its global model. However, the two have numerous differences. As a business owner, it’s your job to take advantage of these differences to create a successful local business.
If you’re just launching your small business and you need a local lead generation strategy, this guide will help you understand more about this topic.
The Definition of Local Lead Generation
Most first-time business owners and marketers don’t know what local lead generation is. It’s defined as the process of identifying potential customers within a specified geographic area. The area is often in proximity to your business’s location.
Companies use local lead generation marketing to focus their efforts on their surrounding geographic location to find high intent leads in the community then turn them into new customers.
If you use local lead generation, your objective will be to find interested customers and turn them into loyal patrons. It’s also a great way to encourage return business.
An example of businesses that use this type of marketing includes mom-and-pop stores, restaurants, realtors, and grocery stores. That’s because these businesses heavily rely on the community for their sales.
How to Generate Local Traffic
If your objective is to find potential customers in your local area, you will need local lead generation. But how can you generate leads within the community? Below are three traffic sources you should consider using:
Search Engine Optimization (SEO)
One of the best ways to generate traffic for your business is SEO. That’s because you can create an SEO strategy that best matches your needs and easily localize it.
For example, if you own a restaurant in Seattle, Washington, you could ensure your SEO strategy focuses on this area. This means writing and posting blog posts with localized industry-related keywords such as “The best restaurant in Seattle, Washington” Or “food delivery in Seattle, Washington.”
Creating content that shows potential customers that your business is local will increase your sales. It also enhances the likelihood of a customer clicking on your site, buying your products, or even filling up your online forms. If you’re looking for Local SEO Services, check out this agency.
Use Social Media
Does your business have social media accounts? Have you thought about joining different platforms, but you’re unsure? Many businesses can now connect with their existing and potential customers using social media directly.
It also gives you a more personalized touch away from sales and marketing efforts. It’s easy to use social media to your business’s advantage and create a lasting relationship with your customers.
The fact that your business is locally based will attract many people from the community. They will also know that your business is involved in different activities within the community, and they will start paying attention to your products and services. This also means increased trust and loyalty.
Online Advertisements
Using local lead generation advertisements on the internet is one of the most effective ways to attract customers. That’s because you will be targeting people within a specific geographic location. Microsoft Ads and Google Ads offer businesses a way to advertise and create local ads targeting people in specific areas.
This is a great way to save some money on marketing. That’s because you will only be spending your marketing budget on local customers who can realistically buy from your business. The last thing you need is paying for marketing campaigns your business doesn’t need.
Benefits of Local Lead Generation
Most businesses don’t care much about localized marketing strategies. This is especially true for businesses targeting a more global market.
So why should you care about local lead generation? If you’re on the fence, below are essential benefits of local lead marketing to help you understand the value of their approach:
It’s a More Targeted Marketing Approach
Local lead generation marketing requires a targeted approach. This means targeting people you can meet and talk to face-to-face. Creating a bond with current and potential customers is easier when you’re inviting them out for coffee and meeting them for business lunches rather than communicating over the phone and email between different time zones.
Have you ever wondered why community-based businesses have a lot of loyal customers? That’s because the businesses are a recognizable part of the community, leading to a familiarity that builds trust. The primary objective of any targeted marketing approach is to build trust in your brand.
This is more efficient and cost-effective than reaching a broader or global market. You can also use lead scoring to help you refine your approach and create more accurate customer profiles.
Increased Brand Awareness
With a great marketing strategy, your customers can connect your brand with your business name or logo. However, it’s a completely different feeling when there is a face and voice behind the brand. Local lead generation helps you connect with the local communities.
This means you will be directly communicating and connecting with your customers. The people will associate your products and services with your brand and your employees, making them more likely to purchase from you.
There are other ways you can drive brand awareness and recognition. For example, your business can become an active community member and support other locally-based businesses. This is a great strategy, especially if your company depends on local sales.
Increased ROI
Through local lead generation, you become a valuable member of the community. This way, your customers will likely market your business to their loved ones and friends through word of mouth. Getting this type of referral can be quite challenging, especially if you don’t work in a localized setting.
Therefore, you will spend very little time on lead qualification, increasing your return on investment as a result. Local lead generation involves spending more of your time developing a rapport and a strong relationship with your local customers. Hence, you will spend less money on marketing.
When your marketing efforts require less financial investment and your business’s conversion rate keeps going up, your revenues will increase, and your business will succeed as a result.
Lead Generation Tools to Use
There are numerous tools in the market to help you generate leads at a local level. However, you should only choose the best tools for your business to avoid spending money, time, and other company resources on lead generation tools that don’t work.
Below are several lead generation tools you should consider:
Research
When creating local lead generation strategies, you should rely on your research. Nothing can help you better understand the market than research.
What does the local community need? What do people look for online? How is the local market in your industry evolving?
Doing research involves more than just understanding the market conditions. You also need to talk to the local people and find out the kind of people they are, their needs and wants. Check for any popular products in your industry within the area and find a way to improve and add value to them.
Conduct Demonstrations
Because your business is local, it will be easier to conduct product demonstrations. Use this opportunity to showcase your brand, its values and share some knowledge with potential customers. For example, you can show people how to fix a leaky faucet without damaging it if you run a plumbing business.
While most businesses consider that this will take away the community’s need for them, however, that is the wrong impression. Sharing knowledge with target customers will only increase your brand’s trust and loyalty. This is why local businesses need to be proactive in teaching customers more about their products and services.
Use Email Lists
Do you have an email list for your business? If you do, you probably know how powerful email marketing is. You can use your existing email list to generate leads for your business.
If you don’t have an email list, consider building one. You can start by attracting your customers and inviting them to join your list. Remember that you shouldn’t start selling your products and services yet. You should start by sharing important information and teaching customers about your services or products.
This approach helps you develop a lasting relationship with your customers, resulting in a higher conversion rate.
Are You Ready to Generate Local Leads?
Local lead generation requires a lot of hard work. You must take the time, energy, and effort needed to build a strong relationship with the local community. This could mean making your business an essential part of the community through attending events, talking to existing and potential local clients, and creating a localized marketing strategy.
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