The most successful startup companies all begin with the same strategy: strong marketing. It is not a secret that marketing can bring in big revenue, and the best strategies can be well worth the financial investment.
One of the most obvious strategies is to use social media marketing, and to the right audience with the right product this approach is worthwhile. However, social media marketing is not always the best answer for your startup marketing needs. An often overlooked method of marketing is what is known as local SEO marketing, and it is worth investing your marketing resources.
What is local SEO marketing?
Digital marketing is the best way to spend your marketing dollars, but most startups do not really understand what it is or why digital marketing matters. More people are online now than ever before, using their smartphones to search for whatever they need, no matter where they are: on vacation or across town.
The rise of smartphones directing people to local businesses has changed the way those businesses utilize SEO to bring traffic through the door. Local SEO is designed to provide results based on the location of the person searching. For instance, if someone searched for ‘closest salon,’ the results in Google will bring up a map with locations to choose from based on where that person is standing. By utilizing local SEO marketing, you can bring in both local and out-of-town traffic directly through your door. Almost all of that foot traffic will spend money on location.
How to optimize local SEO marketing.
The next big question is: how do you capitalize on local SEO to drive that traffic through your door? There are a few different options to consider.
1. Get on local-friendly sites. Yelp, Trip Advisor, and Google are great places to start. With some of these sites, it is as simple as registering your business. With others, you need some way to get your foot in the door; and when you do, you need to have reviews to help build credibility.
2. Write local articles for your website. These shouldn’t be just any article. Include a “best of” article in which you review 3-5 of your competitors (but not yourself). These should be honest reviews in which you include direct links to their websites, location information, and phone numbers. This may seem counter-intuitive; however, when potential clients search for that particular business in your area, the locations listed and the honest reviews will help build your credibility. Believe it or not, readers will trust you and be more likely to select your business than your competitors.
Don’t limit yourself to just your competitors though. Write best or worst of articles about other local businesses outside of your specialization but related to what you do. For instance, if you are a salon that only does hair, write an article about salons that do manicures or day spas. This increases your credibility and local SEO ranking.
3. Create local places pages. This is listed last, but is actually more important. Visit Yahoo, Bing, and Google and create a local places page. These are simple enough to create. All you need to do is register, enter your business information, location, phone number, and hours (if relevant).
There are other strategies that work, but these three will help get you off to a good start with local SEO marketing.
