Local Marketing Strategies: Why They Are Best (+ 3 Tips)

Can small businesses compete with established brands that have huge budgets? Yes, and one of the tactics a Chicago marketing strategy consultant maximizes is to go local.

This blog post introduces you to this high-performing technique, covering its benefits and three solid tips your team can include in your plan:

• Define your brand.
• Combine online and offline local marketing tactics.
• Break down the market into segments.

Learn from this article the basics of advertising in your community. Let’s go!

Watch this video to find out more about how Digital Authority Partners can create a great marketing strategy for you!

Why Is Local Marketing Effective?

Also called geo- or location-based marketing, local marketing promotes products and services to a specific demographic and area through online and offline strategies. 

These methods are useful for generating leads and satisfying customer demand at any point in the customer lifecycle. 

Because it is small business friendly, a Chicago marketing strategy consultant usually includes it when designing a holistic advertising plan. 

About 99% of the businesses in the United States are small or micro, with many earning no more than $200,000 a year. This might be slightly higher than an average employee's annual income, but owners have to spend on other items as well.

Marketing, for example, usually accounts for 5% to 8% of the budget. Companies also have expenses that include salaries, taxes, production, and business permits and licenses, to name a few.

Although the internet seems to have leveled the playing field regarding brand competition, many small and micro-businesses struggle to grow or even fail because of a lack of resources.

Local marketing helps these enterprises scale because it is cost-effective. They can:

• Limit their marketing resources to a particular demographic.
• Design more targeted campaigns that provide high conversions.
• Pivot their marketing strategies easily to quickly adapt to changes.

It also enhances the user (UX) and customer experience through:

• Tailoring content and messaging to the specific needs, preferences, and cultural nuances of the local audience. 
• Offering location-specific promotions and deals that increase engagement.
• Fostering a positive and relevant brand identity to the community.

3 Local Marketing Strategies That Deliver Results

Through the use of local marketing, small businesses can be as competitive and successful as their big competitors. However, the way to achieve and maintain this benefit is to know the “secrets” of how to do it right.

Here are three results-driven local marketing techniques that your team can use to get started:

   1. Define Your Brand

Local marketing is competitive, especially if you are a B2C small or micro-business. As mentioned, the majority of enterprises belong to this category. 

Defining your brand differentiates you from hundreds of similar competitors, including beating the big names at their game. It even enhances the user and customer experience by creating a unique identity that resonates with your target audience. 

When your brand has a distinct identity and value proposition, customers are more likely to remember and connect with it on an emotional level. This connection fosters loyalty, leading to repeat business and word-of-mouth referrals.

How do you develop a solid brand? The answer is contained in two factors: a compelling story and visual design. 

Suppose you are a small boutique roastery in the Chicagoland area. A Chicago marketing strategy consultant might propose the following:

• Build a relatable story focusing on your passion for coffee and the journey to discover specific flavors.
• Identify your purpose by emphasizing your commitment to donating a portion of profits to local charities or supporting programs that promote fair wages for coffee farmers.
• Use emotions and values by fostering a sense of community and togetherness. Create content showcasing your coffee shop as a gathering place for local residents to connect and share their stories.
• Deliver a consistent message and visuals across platforms by applying the same tone and language in your website copy, social media posts, and printed materials.
• Choose colors that evoke warmth and coziness, reflecting the comforting atmosphere of your coffee shop. 
• Develop unique patterns or illustrations inspired by coffee beans or Chicago’s iconic symbols to add depth to your brand’s visual identity.

   2. Combine Online and Offline Local Marketing Tactics

Although digital marketing offers unprecedented reach and targeting capabilities, especially for growing businesses, overlooking offline local marketing tactics is a missed opportunity. 

A synergistic approach that seamlessly blends both drives exceptional results for companies looking to make a lasting impact within their local communities.

This combination forges authentic connections, fosters trust, and leaves an indelible impression on your target audience. It is a feat that either would struggle to achieve alone.

The key is to develop marketing campaigns that introduce your brand while also addressing the concerns of your local market. 

Given the same example above, a six-month marketing plan might include these ideas:

• Update your website with a fresh design, showcasing your brand’s story, the coffee sourcing process, and your commitment to sustainability. Optimize the pages for mobile.
• Build an active social media presence. Regularly post engaging content such as coffee brewing tips, coffee bean origins, and customer spotlights. Encourage user-generated content with branded hashtags.
• Launch a series of online promotions. Examples are limited-time discounts, buy-one-get-one offers, and referral programs. Create a sense of urgency to drive online sales while promoting in-store redemption.
• Build and segment an email list to send personalized and targeted campaigns. Share exclusive offers, upcoming events, and behind-the-scenes stories to keep customers engaged.
• Host virtual coffee tastings or live sessions with your roasting team. Partner with local influencers for virtual collaborations to expand your online reach.
• Improve the coffee shop ambiance with branded decor that matches your online visual identity. 
• Participate in local events, festivals, and community gatherings. Set up a booth to offer samples and branded merchandise. Collect customer information for future engagement.
• Place QR codes on tabletops and menu boards in-store. These codes will direct customers to your online promotions, social media accounts, and loyalty program.
• Partner with nearby businesses such as bakeries or bookstores, to cross-promote one another’s offerings and expand your customer base.

   3. Break Down the Market into Segments

Market segmentation is a powerful local marketing approach. You can tailor your efforts with pinpoint accuracy by understanding the diverse needs of these segments. This provides the following: 

• Leads to higher customer engagement, conversion rates, and brand loyalty.
• Offers a window of opportunity to connect with your audience on a personal level.
• Helps you gain valuable insights into their behaviors, interests, and pain points.
• Customizes many aspects of your campaigns, from content to visuals and messaging.

How do you perform market segmentation? 

From competition analyzers to artificial intelligence (AI) platforms that process vast datasets, these cutting-edge tools help you quickly conduct consumer research. In doing so, you can delve deeply into their behavior, demographics, and preferences, which will be the foundations of your local marketing strategies. 

From the data, you are then able to build customer personas to humanize your audience and create personalized experiences for our coffee roaster, including the following:

• Sarah, the 32-year-old coffee enthusiast, is creative, enjoys trying unique and specialty blends, and values sustainability. She seeks out local businesses that prioritize ethically sourced beans. 
• Alex, a 28-year-old health-conscious urbanite, prefers low-acid coffee blends to avoid digestive issues, and looks for organic and single-origin coffee roasters. He enjoys attending coffee workshops and events to learn more about the roasting process.
• Mark, the tourist coffee connoisseur, is a 40-year-old frequent traveler to Chicago. He visits roasters to experience the city’s culture. For this reason, he relies on user recommendations and reviews and likes buying beans as souvenirs.

Summing Up

Local marketing gives everyone, especially small businesses, a winning chance to grow despite the intense competition, while simultaneously concentrating resources on results-driven efforts. 

All of these make local marketing a worthwhile addition to your promotional plans, beginning with the three tips discussed above. However, work with a seasoned Chicago marketing strategy consultant to amplify your desired outcomes. 

Digital Authority Partners (DAP) combines in-depth knowledge, innovative technologies, and customized strategies to reveal untapped opportunities to help you scale. Contact us today to learn more.