Having a strong local presence is important to the success of every retail store. With customers spending less time shopping in stores and more time online, many retailers are struggling to maintain a meaningful relationship with their customers and strong brands in their communities.
When you have a strong local presence, people are more likely to think about you when they need your products. That means they’re more likely to actually visit your store — and they’re more likely to buy from you.
In order for a retail store to build a strong local presence, it is important to implement a variety of local retail marketing strategies. Below are seven local marketing tips for retail stores:
1. Create a localized website
One of the best ways to market a retail store to a local audience is to create a localized website. This can be done by including local keywords in the website’s content, as well as featuring prominently the store’s address, phone number and other local information.
You can also help to optimize your retail website for local searches by embedding a map of your location on the website. As a bonus, this will also make it easier for your website visitors to actually find you, so they can become paying customers.
2. Optimize your local listings
Your local listings are the online listings for your retail store that appear when people search for local businesses like yours on local sites, directories and apps, like Google Business Profile and Top Rated Local®. It is important to make sure that your local listings are accurate and up-to-date, as this can help you to attract more customers.
To do this, you will need to claim and verify your listing on each local directory and site where it appears. Once you have claimed your listing, you can then update it with your store’s latest information, such as your address, phone number, hours of operation and website URL.
Be sure to keep your contact information accurate and consistent across your listings. This will help you to avoid confusion and ensure that potential customers can easily get in touch with you.
3. Start a blog
Starting a blog is another great way to market your retail store to a local audience. When you blog about topics that are relevant to your store and your location, you can help to improve your retail SEO and attract local readers who may be interested in what you have to offer.
Try to blog about topics that are timely and relevant to your store, such as new products, upcoming sales or events, or helpful tips for using your products. You can also use your blog to share news and updates about your store, such as new store hours or changes to your product selection.
Make it a point to use local keywords in your blogs, and try to focus on blog topics that are relevant to your local audience. You can also promote your blog posts on your social media channels and in your email marketing campaigns to reach even more local readers.
4. Get connected on social media
Social media is another great way to connect with potential customers in your local community. When you create social media profiles for your business and stay active on them, you can reach a large number of people who live near your store.
Be sure to post regularly on your social media channels, and try to post content that is relevant to your store and your location. You can share blog posts, photos, store updates and special offers on your social media channels to attract new customers and keep your existing customers updated on what’s going on at your store.
You can also use local hashtags and keywords to reach even more people who live near your store. And, you can also join relevant local community groups on social media and participate in local conversations to get your store’s name out there.
5. Give back to your community
Giving back to your local community is a great way to build a strong local presence for your retail store. There are many ways to give back, such as donating products or gift certificates to local charity auctions, sponsoring local events or providing discounts to local groups.
When you give back to your community, you’ll not only be helping out a good cause, but you’ll also be getting your store’s name out there. And, you may even attract some new customers who appreciate your store’s commitment to giving back.
Be sure to promote your community involvement on your store’s website and social media channels. And, you can also distribute flyers or postcards in your local community to let people know about events you’re sponsoring.
6. Capture market share with local advertising
Local advertising is another great retail marketing strategy to reach potential customers in your area. When you target people in your area with ads, you can attract new customers and increase your store’s brand awareness.
There are many different types of local advertising, such as search ads, social media ads, OTT ads, digital billboards and more. You can work with one of our Ad Specialists to develop a local advertising strategy that will work for you.
Make it a point to monitor your local advertising performance so you can see how well your ads are performing. Be sure to adjust your ad campaigns as needed to ensure that you’re getting the most out of your local advertising efforts.
7. Get more five-star reviews
Getting more five-star reviews is another great way to build a strong local presence for your retail store. When you have a large number of positive reviews, you can attract more customers and increase your store’s credibility.
There are many ways to get more reviews, such as asking your customers to leave a review after they make a purchase, sending follow-up emails after a customer’s purchase or embedding the Top Rated Local reviews widget on your retail website.
Not only can having a higher average star rating help you win new customers, but it can also help you to rank higher in local search results. So, if you’re not already focused on getting more five-star reviews, now is the time to start.
By following these local retail marketing tips, you can help to build a strong local presence for your store.
The Marketing 360® all-in-one retail marketing platform has everything you need to get it right. From one place, you can develop a convertible website, master SEO and content marketing, connect with your community on social media and so much more.
