CT Web Marketing Blog

If you own a small business, you’re no doubt always on the lookout for methods that will allow you to advertise on the local level. Small businesses don’t usually need national attention, but getting exposure on the local level can sometimes feel like it must be far more difficult to obtain.

Fortunately, this need not be the case. Keep reading for some easy, but effective, methods.

Advertise on Mobile Apps

Every month another study comes out that confirms the fact that we’re all addicted to our mobile devices. The silver lining, however, is that this gives small businesses an excellent venue for advertising. Many of us are hunched over our smartphones because we’re busy messing around with some app.

Most of these apps allow advertising on them. Better still, they’ll allow the kind that targets specific areas. So, you can advertise on an app, but it will only appear for people who live in your city. That way you aren’t paying for people who live too far away to ever become customers.

Get Your Company Name on a Grocery Cart

Everyone has to go grocery shopping, and most people use a cart when they do. Ask your local grocery if they’d allow you to have an ad put up on their carts. This is an easy way to get right in front of a local audience, on a regular basis and for a prolonged period of time. The best part is that many locally owned grocers will accept bartering for payment.

Become Involved

If you want to attract locals, you have to get involved with locals. Though running a small business can be a very time consuming endeavor, you need to spare some for getting involved in the community. This is a great way to meet people from all over your area and get them interested in what you have to offer.

Cross-Promote

The fact is you’re not the only small business in the area looking to grab some attention. As long as they aren’t direct competitors, consider trying to cross-promote with other businesses. Something as small as putting up fliers in each others’ buildings can have a positive impact. Of course, if you can be more creative with your methods, you’ll experience even better results.

Advertise on Facebook

Unlike other social media platforms, people within the same network on Facebook tend to share that same network in real life, as well. Put another way, people who are friends on Facebook, tend to actually be friends in the real world, too. For this reason, a good option for advertising locally is starting a Facebook Fan Page. The more people who like it, the more people—within their real life, local network—will see their friends vouching for a small business and take notice.

Also, unlike a personal profile, a Facebook Fan Page can actually be crawled by Google and other search engines. So, if you haven’t already, start a Fan Page for your small business.

While it can certainly be an uphill battle, there is plenty you can do as a small business to get your name out there. Using the above methods, focus on the local level and begin seeing results soon.

Source:

http://yfsmagazine.com/2013/06/08/4-low-cost-local-marketing-tips-for-small-businesses/#axzz2qRtReI2P

http://www.cio.com/article/742129/10_Mobile_Marketing_Tips_for_Small_Businesses

http://www.examiner.com/article/8-ways-to-advertise-locally-for-free-online