4 Ways To Promote Your Local Business
Promoting a local business is just like promoting any other kind of business; you need to make sure that you are offering a product or service that people actually want, and then tell them that you are offering it!
If you are a local business there are a few additional—and powerful—steps that you can take that will start to create a loyal customer base in your area. Once you have that, you are definitely on the right track.
Tell your story
Storytelling is one of the most powerful ways that you can promote your business, and this is particularly true for small businesses.
Human beings love stories, that’s why they’ve been used throughout history to get important messages across. They’re powerful because they’re memorable, and they evoke an emotional response in whoever is listening.
If you want to use storytelling for your business, then first you need to work out what the most important point that you want your potential customers to take away is. Is it a value that your business holds, for example; are you on a mission to save the planet? Or is your message about the quality of your product? Whatever it is, this point is what you need to have in mind when you’re telling your story.
Next, you need to ensure that your story resonates with your audience and that you create an emotional connection. If you’re promoting a local business then you can easily relate to your audience over your shared locale, and evoke emotion that way. It can also be a good idea to share some vulnerability. For example, did you struggle to secure funding? Or perhaps there’s a personal vulnerability behind your business idea.
Use blogs and social media to tell your story, to let your customers get to know you, and to build their loyalty.
Give out coupons
A great way to get people in your area to give your business a shot is by using local coupons. You can use coupons to offer money off or other discounts and special offers, which means that people in your local area are more likely to try your business.
Once people have tried a business in their local area and had a good experience, it’s likely that they will keep going back.
Get involved in the community
Getting involved with community organizations is a great way to show the people in your area your values, and get them to feel an affinity towards you. It will make people more likely to want to support you if you are supporting a cause that they feel strongly about.
Offer loyalty programs
Loyalty programs are very effective in ensuring repeat custom, because you actively reward people who keep coming back to you.
The key to an effective loyalty program is to make sure you truly are adding value. Coffee shop loyalty schemes—where you get your tenth coffee free—are a great example, as customers in the local area are more likely to keep going back to the coffee shop in question if it is of benefit to them.
Not only that, but you’ll make your customers want to share their positive experiences with friends, which should bring you even more customers!
