Everybody who hasn’t been in a cryogenic state for the past couple of years has heard about TikTok. It’s the newest social media platform where users create and share 15-second videos known as TikToks. While a lot of the content includes lip synching or dancing, more local businesses who target young audiences are turning to TikTok as a way of connecting with potential customers.

You might be thinking, great – how do I do that? I know nothing about TikTok! Not to worry. We’re here to help, and by the time you’re finished reading this article, you’ll have the basics down and you’ll be ready to get started.

Who’s Using TikTok?

Let’s start with audience because honestly, TikTok isn’t for everybody. If your target audience is business people, you should be focusing on LinkedIn and Facebook, not TikTok. Here are the numbers you need to know:

TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide

60% of US users are between the ages of 16 and 24

The average user spends 500 minutes each month on the TikTok app

Nine out of 10 TikTok users access the app more than once per day

23% of internet users in the US have seen at least one TikTok

TikTok is used by twice as many women in the US as men

Businesses have spent more than $50 million on TikTok

We should also note that the average age of TikTok users is increasing with the age of the app, which was first launched in September of 2016. While businesses have been slow to adopt its use, we expect that to change in 2021.

How to Create a TikTok Business Account

Creating a business account on TikTok is easy. Download the app to your phone or tablet and then follow these steps:

Tap “Me” on the menu bar at the bottom of the page and the tap “Sign up” to connect with your mobile number or email address.

From the “Me” menu, click the three dots at the upper right corner of the page and then tap “Manage My Account.”

Choose “Business Account” from the “Switch to Pro Account” menu.

Choose the business category that best describes your company.

Choosing a business category allows TikTok to provide you with customized content via its algorithm. These four easy steps will enable you to set up your TikTok business account quickly – and you’re ready to go!

How Do Businesses Use TikTok?

TikTok is a social media app and that means that there are two ways to use it. The first is to create content and hope that it gets attention without you paying to promote it. While that’s not a great idea on Facebook thanks to its algorithm, TikTok users can go viral without spending any money. The second option is, of course, to use TikTok’s advertising platform to run ads and get your content in front of your target audience.

If you know how to create an ad on Facebook, you can create an ad on TikTok because it works the same way. You’ll select an ad objective and target audience, then create a headline, video, and call to action for your ad. Using TikTok business, you can access detailed analytics and metrics to track your ad’s performance.

Ideas for TikTok Marketing

TikTok comes with a suite of video creation and editing tools. A hallmark of TikToks is that they are sped up, which allows users to share longer video content that still fits within the 15-second timeframe.

Of course, you can use other video editing software as well. The makers of TikTok have created CapCut video editor, a companion app that you can use to access additional video editing tools. It’s available for both Android and Apple devices.

While a lot of TikTokers focus on creating silly content to share with their followers, there’s a growing trend toward informative content ideas that can work for businesses. Here are some suggestions.

Create a tutorial or how-to video. TikToks are ideal for how-to videos because speeding up the content allows you to put a lot of information into a brief video – ideal for today’s short attention spans. A quick scan of TikTok will show you that even private users are making how-to videos for cooking and craft projects.

D...

Everybody who hasn’t been in a cryogenic state for the past couple of years has heard about TikTok. It’s the newest social media platform where users create and share 15-second videos known as TikToks. While a lot of the content includes lip synching or dancing, more local businesses who target young audiences are turning to TikTok as a way of connecting with potential customers.

You might be thinking, great – how do I do that? I know nothing about TikTok! Not to worry. We’re here to help, and by the time you’re finished reading this article, you’ll have the basics down and you’ll be ready to get started.

Who’s Using TikTok?

Let’s start with audience because honestly, TikTok isn’t for everybody. If your target audience is business people, you should be focusing on LinkedIn and Facebook, not TikTok. Here are the numbers you need to know:

TikTok has 800 million active users worldwide

60% of US users are between the ages of 16 and 24

The average user spends 500 minutes each month on the TikTok app

Nine out of 10 TikTok users access the app more than once per day

23% of internet users in the US have seen at least one TikTok

TikTok is used by twice as many women in the US as men

Businesses have spent more than $50 million on TikTok

We should also note that the average age of TikTok users is increasing with the age of the app, which was first launched in September of 2016. While businesses have been slow to adopt its use, we expect that to change in 2021.

How to Create a TikTok Business Account

Creating a business account on TikTok is easy. Download the app to your phone or tablet and then follow these steps:

Tap “Me” on the menu bar at the bottom of the page and the tap “Sign up” to connect with your mobile number or email address.

From the “Me” menu, click the three dots at the upper right corner of the page and then tap “Manage My Account.”

Choose “Business Account” from the “Switch to Pro Account” menu.

Choose the business category that best describes your company.

Choosing a business category allows TikTok to provide you with customized content via its algorithm. These four easy steps will enable you to set up your TikTok business account quickly – and you’re ready to go!

How Do Businesses Use TikTok?

TikTok is a social media app and that means that there are two ways to use it. The first is to create content and hope that it gets attention without you paying to promote it. While that’s not a great idea on Facebook thanks to its algorithm, TikTok users can go viral without spending any money. The second option is, of course, to use TikTok’s advertising platform to run ads and get your content in front of your target audience.

If you know how to create an ad on Facebook, you can create an ad on TikTok because it works the same way. You’ll select an ad objective and target audience, then create a headline, video, and call to action for your ad. Using TikTok business, you can access detailed analytics and metrics to track your ad’s performance.

Ideas for TikTok Marketing

TikTok comes with a suite of video creation and editing tools. A hallmark of TikToks is that they are sped up, which allows users to share longer video content that still fits within the 15-second timeframe.

Of course, you can use other video editing software as well. The makers of TikTok have created CapCut video editor, a companion app that you can use to access additional video editing tools. It’s available for both Android and Apple devices.

While a lot of TikTokers focus on creating silly content to share with their followers, there’s a growing trend toward informative content ideas that can work for businesses. Here are some suggestions.

Create a tutorial or how-to video. TikToks are ideal for how-to videos because speeding up the content allows you to put a lot of information into a brief video – ideal for today’s short attention spans. A quick scan of TikTok will show you that even private users are making how-to videos for cooking and craft projects.

D...

Want to beat your competitors and drive sales? Then you’ve got to up your marketing game. To help you turn heads and boost conversions, check out these marketing trends for this year.

1. Social Commerce

Social commerce allows customers to buy your products by clicking on social media posts. The idea is to offer a fast and convenient shopping experience. Social commerce can help to boost sales, and engage customers. You can include social commerce as part of interactive content. According to Insider, ‘US retail social commerce sales will rise by 34.8% to $36.09 billion in 2021.’ As your competitors start to jump on the bandwagon, you can’t afford not to.

2. In-Store Experiences

Throughout the pandemic many people missed shopping in person. To improve your marketing, focus on creating unique in-store experiences. Consumers like the opportunity to take a selfie, so ensure that you create plenty of Instagram worthy spots throughout your store.

Quirky in-store experiences might include one-off events, augmented reality, pop-up booths or workshops. There are so many ways to get creative with your in-store experiences. Focusing on experiences is one of the best marketing tips you’ll get this year!

3. Live Stories

Hubspot recently reported that, ‘one-third of the platform’s most-viewed Stories are from businesses.’ It’s not just Instagram where brands can showcase their Stories, LinkedIn recently added a Stories feature of its own.

Stories are like slide shows which feature either videos or images. The Story lasts just 10 seconds per page, and is usually only available for 24 hours. Brands are using Stories to draw attention to industry topics, or to show content about their brand and products.

4. User Generated Content

Your users will already be making their own content about your brand. Customers like to make videos or take photos of themselves as they use your brand products. This content works exceptionally well for marketing purposes. User generated content is authentic and it’s often engaging and fun. With the help of UGC you can humanize your company, and engage with your customers.

Only use UGC content that conforms to your brand values. It’s important that you remain consistent across all channels, your website and your apps.

5. Event Marketing

Events give you the opportunity to meet your customers in the flesh, and establish real connections. Event based marketing allows you to engage new consumers, improve your social campaigns, and offer innovative experiences. Virtual events platforms offer tools for live interaction such as surveys, polls, 1on1 chats with hosts, you can check out Everytale for such a service. Putting on a great event takes lots of planning, so it’s best to start getting organized well in advance. Great events should focus on personalized customer experiences, to make a real impression on your attendees.

Remember not all marketing has to happen online, people are ready to get back out there and experience the world. What that means is, events are all the rage! Digital billboards are another great way to promote your company in the real world. To learn more, check out Allvision Billboards.

All your strategies should be focused on your consumers. Keep referring to your customer values, to help you develop the right strategies.

Search engine optimization (SEO) is a marketing term that’s thrown around quite often. That’s because of how essential it can be to your company’s advertising strategy. Best described as the act of optimizing your website content for search engine rankings, it almost guarantees visibility for your company.

While this might seem complicated, there are some areas that are simpler than others. Though you could hire a personal assistant like Dave Conklin to do it for you, you could also do it yourself.There are a few SEO measures, specifically, that you can look after.

SEO Tips You Can Do Yourself

Keyword Research

You won’t be able to implement SEO practices on your website unless you know what you want to rank for. In many cases, companies use industry jargon when setting up their website. That’s shown especially true in the text of the site, which is where you’ll do most of your optimization.

But, you need to ask; is this what potential customers are searching for? What are they going to type into Google when searching for a company like yours? Is that reflected in the content on your website?

You’ll need to determine the answer to each of these questions. Keyword research is the way to do that. There can be several ways to go about this, each of which are quite effective. Failing to go about it, however, means that any SEO you do could be ineffective.

Though this could be slow and painstaking, it will make a significant difference when you implement any other measures in the future.

Title Tags

Sometimes, a minor tweak to your website’s pages can make a significant difference. Armed with your keyword research, you can adjust the title tags across your website. You should do this for all of the pages you want to rank well.

You can do something similar with the ‘Headings’ tag inside your content. These changes will let search engines read through and categorize your content much more effectively. As a result, you should see a boost in your SEO.

While this could take time, depending on when search engines index, you should see an increase in your rankings over time.

Knowing Your Competition

It’s often recommended that you check out what your competitors are doing. That doesn’t exactly mean the companies that sell products or services just like yours. Instead, it’s the ones that rank well on Google and other search engines.

Search for terms that best describe your business and identify who comes up the most. This will give you ideas for content that could rank well online. While you’ll have to create content to a better standard and ensure it’s well optimized, it can be an effective strategy.

That doesn’t mean copying your competitors wholesale, however. Instead, you should adapt their ideas and develop your own content.

Wrapping Up

SEO as a whole can be quite complicated. As a result, you can often find yourself overwhelmed by trying to cover it. That’s especially true if you’re juggling your other marketing strategies and other business operations.

Often, outsourcing parts of your marketing can be recommended. Not only will it free up your time to work on other things, but it’ll be more affordable than you’d think.

Wouldn’t it be great to find some simple tricks that would help you leap ahead of your competitors and see your small business soar to new heights?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growth hacks – little tricks you can use to fast-track your growth and increase your sales and profits. By definition, a hack is meant to be simple – something you can do right away. Sometimes hacks are clever and weird things but sometimes, they’re well-documented things that small business owners overlook.

Let’s focus on the later because I’m willing to bet you’re not doing some of these things. Here are 7 growth hacks that I think you need to start using – today.

#1: Use Content Upgrades to Grow Your List

You know what an upgrade is. It’s something that allows you to increase the value or utility of something you’ve already purchased. In the case of a content upgrade, it’s a free piece of content that you use to attract new subscribers and leads.

Let’s say you have just published a killer blog post, but you have some content that you didn’t include. Maybe it’s more detail about one of your points. Maybe it’s a list of tips and tricks.

Whatever it is, try offering it as a freebie at the end of your post. You can make it your call to action or even a pop-up that appears when people try to close the window or hit the back button. Something simple like “Enter your email to get a free growth hack cheat sheet” can help you grab readers’ attention and get their emails before they leave.

#2: Use Exit Intent Popups

Speaking of popups, you should be using them. I know, I know; they’re annoying and some people use popup blockers.

So what?

Research shows that popups are effective and exit-intent popups are ideal because they grab visitors’ attention at a crucial moment. Maybe they’ve looked at your product but balked at the price. A strategic popup offering a coupon or discount code could be the only impetus they need to stay on your site and buy your product.

#3: Retarget Your Visitors

What happens when someone visits your site and doesn’t complete your opt-in form or buy a product? If the answer is, “Nothing” then you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to give those visitors the nudge they need to take the next step.

Retargeting uses a tiny piece of code called a pixel to identify people who leave your site without taking a specified action. You can then show those people a retargeting ad based on what you want them to do. Some examples include:

Completing your opt-in form

Paying for items in their shopping cart

Scheduling an appointment

I recommend Facebook and Google retargeting for the best results.

#4: Prioritize Social Proof Use Social proof

Don’t underestimate the importance of social proof in the form of customer reviews, testimonials, and comments. According to Bright Local, 84% of consumers trust online reviews and testimonials as much as they would a personal recommendation from a friend.

I’m amazed by how many local businesses don’t highlight social proof on their websites. Your reviews and testimonials should be front and center, not hidden on some interior page. It’s not reasonable to expect your site’s visitors to go hunting for what they need. Make it easy for them to find it and you’ll almost certainly see an increase in your conversions and sales.

#5: Use Calls to Action on Social Media

You wouldn’t create a landing page or publish a blog post without a call to action – or at least I hope you wouldn’t! But I’m always seeing social media posts from local businesses that don’t include a call to action. Don’t make the same mistake.

A call to action is needed because it tells the people who see your post what you want them to do next. Believe it or not, they may not know! Whether you want them to redeem a coupon, enter a contest, sign up for your list, or leave a comment, you need to tell them if you want to get the result you expect. They’re not mind readers!

#6: Solicit Customer Feedback

Speaking o...

Wouldn’t it be great to find some simple tricks that would help you leap ahead of your competitors and see your small business soar to new heights?

Well, I’ve got good news for you. I’ve been thinking a lot lately about growth hacks – little tricks you can use to fast-track your growth and increase your sales and profits. By definition, a hack is meant to be simple – something you can do right away. Sometimes hacks are clever and weird things but sometimes, they’re well-documented things that small business owners overlook.

Let’s focus on the later because I’m willing to bet you’re not doing some of these things. Here are 7 growth hacks that I think you need to start using – today.

#1: Use Content Upgrades to Grow Your List

You know what an upgrade is. It’s something that allows you to increase the value or utility of something you’ve already purchased. In the case of a content upgrade, it’s a free piece of content that you use to attract new subscribers and leads.

Let’s say you have just published a killer blog post, but you have some content that you didn’t include. Maybe it’s more detail about one of your points. Maybe it’s a list of tips and tricks.

Whatever it is, try offering it as a freebie at the end of your post. You can make it your call to action or even a pop-up that appears when people try to close the window or hit the back button. Something simple like “Enter your email to get a free growth hack cheat sheet” can help you grab readers’ attention and get their emails before they leave.

#2: Use Exit Intent Popups

Speaking of popups, you should be using them. I know, I know; they’re annoying and some people use popup blockers.

So what?

Research shows that popups are effective and exit-intent popups are ideal because they grab visitors’ attention at a crucial moment. Maybe they’ve looked at your product but balked at the price. A strategic popup offering a coupon or discount code could be the only impetus they need to stay on your site and buy your product.

#3: Retarget Your Visitors

What happens when someone visits your site and doesn’t complete your opt-in form or buy a product? If the answer is, “Nothing” then you’re missing out on a HUGE opportunity to give those visitors the nudge they need to take the next step.

Retargeting uses a tiny piece of code called a pixel to identify people who leave your site without taking a specified action. You can then show those people a retargeting ad based on what you want them to do. Some examples include:

Completing your opt-in form

Paying for items in their shopping cart

Scheduling an appointment

I recommend Facebook and Google retargeting for the best results.

#4: Prioritize Social Proof Use Social proof

Don’t underestimate the importance of social proof in the form of customer reviews, testimonials, and comments. According to Bright Local, 84% of consumers trust online reviews and testimonials as much as they would a personal recommendation from a friend.

I’m amazed by how many local businesses don’t highlight social proof on their websites. Your reviews and testimonials should be front and center, not hidden on some interior page. It’s not reasonable to expect your site’s visitors to go hunting for what they need. Make it easy for them to find it and you’ll almost certainly see an increase in your conversions and sales.

#5: Use Calls to Action on Social Media

You wouldn’t create a landing page or publish a blog post without a call to action – or at least I hope you wouldn’t! But I’m always seeing social media posts from local businesses that don’t include a call to action. Don’t make the same mistake.

A call to action is needed because it tells the people who see your post what you want them to do next. Believe it or not, they may not know! Whether you want them to redeem a coupon, enter a contest, sign up for your list, or leave a comment, you need to tell them if you want to get the result you expect. They’re not mind readers!

#6: Solicit Customer Feedback

Speaking o...

Search engine optimization, or the art of making sure your website will rank high in search engine results, is a mandatory part of every marketing strategy. Search engines such as Google or Bing will ensure your website can be found organically, ensuring your digital presence can grow naturally. Unlike advertising, SEO relies entirely on clean strategies, such as learning your data analytics and creating an informative and relevant blog. You can also reach out to professionals to support your SEO effort, such as an SEO agency that can tailor your activity to meet the latest algorithm changes. Copywriting services will also be a game-changer for small businesses. It can be tricky for a small team to make time to curate a blog, so it’s a good idea to leave it to a professional SEO writer.

But boosting your SEO rankings doesn’t only involve on-site work. There’s a lot you can do online and offline that will also boost your rankings. Here is an example of some of the hardest-working non-SEO activities that have positive SEO results.

Make Your Brand Name Visible

Ranking algorithms monitor the popularity of a brand. Popular brands are more likely to appear high in the rankings because search engines react to search volumes. Therefore, getting your brand on every mouth (and keyboard) will help boost your position in SERPs. Something as simple as branded vehicle wraps should be designed for brand awareness and customer acquisition. However, they also have a positive influence on SEO as people who see the vehicle in town will be searching online for the brand name or the catchphrase. Ultimately, not everyone will remember the URL or phone number they’ve seen in traffic. But they are likely to remember enough to google it at a later point. A banner campaign will also have a similar effect on local SEO. Boosting branded keyword search encourage search engines to bring your website higher in the results.

Share Your Message with Other Experts

Informative content is a great thing. But with over a billion blogs on the web, it’s tough to stand out against the competition. Yet, you can become a guest expert on other platforms. Guest blogging is popular. But the truth is that competition is still intense, even when you publish on another blog. It’s worth considering platforms that receive less competition. As of April 2021, there are approximately 2 million podcasts and around 850,000 active podcasts where you could appear as a guest. Getting booked as a guest on a podcast allows you to promote your expertise and get your brand out there. As most podcasts include a short bio of the guest, you’ll also share your website URL. But even if listeners don’t check the bio, they’re likely to search online to find out more about you. The same principle also applies to vlogs, with over 31 million YouTube channels. Compared to blogs, it’s a less competitive environment.

Plan a Giveaway Event

Everybody wants to win a free gift. Running a competition on your social media profiles or directly in your venue will create a buzz of activities. Competitions serve a dual purpose. They drive brand awareness and also increase customer acquisition. But competition is also something people talk about and recommend. Online users are likely to hear or read about the competition and check your brand before entering. This will boost your rankings dramatically. Branded keywords, social media referrals, blog backlinks, there’s so much competition activities can do for SEO.

Tell Your Instagram Story

Unsplash – CC0 License

Social media content naturally extends your SEO activities. Social media signals contribute to ranking, as the Google algorithm recognizes signals such as the number of tweets, Facebook shares, mentions on sites such as Reddit, Tumblr, etc. Additionally, social media activities enable backlink building. But, social media also increase brand awareness and brand search. Instagram stories are among the most popular tools to get noticed and create a buzz aro...

Since their launch in August 2016, the interactive, real-time nature of video, image, and music-based Instagram stories has become a mainstay of social media campaigns with staying power, heralding an age where brands can enjoy the benefits of more time-consuming content like video in true low-fi, fly on the wall style. Now, as stories soar onto Facebook as well, brands looking to find any form of success on social media need to think about the stories they’re telling, and the bestsellers that they need to beat, or at least learn from, to find success here.

With 400 million users making Instagram stories even more popular than runaway successes like Snapchat, there are luckily already plenty of brands writing the right narrative to get themselves seen here, and any one of them could prove the perfect role model. Whether you’re new to the world of Instagram or are simply struggling to write a narrative that your followers feel invested in, we’re going to consider some companies that are quite literally taking their stories by storm right now.

1. Converse

Unsplash Image: CC0 License

Converse has always made its name by appealing to the alternative masses, making the uncool cool, and harvesting a cult following that’s taken it from strength to strength since its launch way back in the early 1900s. Now, these iconic baseball-style trainers are yet again leaning on their iconic cult standing by creating a social media presence worth following. On Instagram especially, the brand is using the media options available to its full advantage by uniquely realizing that stories are no standalone thing. Rather, Converse picked up early on to the fact that real success here means writing an ongoing series that connects feed to story for seamless, free-flowing traffic that goes both ways. This is a strategy that Converse launched with the release of their x Golf Fleur, feeding into the repetition mindset that, most definitely, worked out pretty well in this instance.

2. Glossier

Unsurprisingly for a brand that was literally born out of social media, Glossier is also bossing it on the stories front, and it does so by understanding its following so well that it comes across like a friend giving advice. Instead of 2D story uploads, Glossier takes things to the next level with interactive, audience-focused story uploads that include Q&As, link-offs to interesting articles, and polls to get the audience involved. Taking the full media offerings of modern-day stories by the horns, Glossier also provides a rich media journey by taking the time to add music to Instagram story uploads through their playlists and more. When alternated with the brand’s feature products or information on pop-up shops, these rich stories provide a reliable and comfortable shoulder for customers who are way more likely to buy down the line.

3. Twitter

Unsplash Image: CC0 License

We all know that the age of competitive advantage is nigh, with every brand now better able to watch and track their competition online without any risk of discovery. This has heralded an age where trends move faster than light as brands always try to one-up each other, but Twitter has boldly taken the competitive bull by the horns where its story uploads are concerned. Far from watching Instagram from the shadows, Twitter has swaggered right into stories by sharing highlights from its main feed in true ‘this is where the ‘real’ stories are,’ style. Bold, perhaps, but swipe-up links attached to each of Twitter’s highlight uploads have seen them converting a fair amount of traffic away from their closest competitor by using the very advantages that competitor puts on the table. It’s bold, it’s cheeky and, more importantly, it’s working out pretty well for them.

4. Everlane

It’s difficult to find a better example of the benefits of social media than is evidenced in Everlane’s story uploads. This digital-first apparel brand made its name on Snapchat, so its skill in the video format should be no su...

In three little words, Nike was able to build a seemingly omnipresent marketing campaign. ‘Just do it,’ has become its defining phrase, one that leads the brain to immediately think of what the brand looks like, from its colors to its typeface.

It was in fact, not just the words alone that did the trick, as with most good marketing campaigns, a great deal of research, time, effort and expertise helped along the way.

In order to make sure you build a better marketing campaign for your next effort, here are some tips you might want to consider.

Get with the Times

Marketing should not exist in a vacuum, and since society is consistently evolving, so too should businesses who wish to present a modern and relevant brand to the world.

This means laying your finger on the pulse of today, while keeping a keen eye on the world of tomorrow. Socially conscious consumers and corporate responsibility are understandably becoming mainstays of business, so using this to your advantage and incorporating themes of transparency and awareness into your campaign is important.

SEO Is Still a Must

Digital marketing can be one of the most valuable allies of any business wanting to tap into a wealth of opportunity in the online realm.

Keeping up with SEO is still a must, as your competitors will likely be doing the same, and making sure your brand appears before theirs on the search engine rankings can give you a huge advantage.

If you needed some help from the experts in this department, you could take a look at www.clickintelligence.co for some greater insight into how the professionals deliver results through an effective digital marketing campaign.

Understand Your Competitors

Finding out as much as possible about your competitors can help you better understand your own position in the current market, and what you need to do with your own campaign that proves to be different (and better).

By understanding your competitors, their agenda, target audience and successes, you can start to build your own marketing campaign in a totally unique direction, one that hopefully manages to emphasize the reason why your products and services are the ones worth turning to.

Utilizing the Relevant Channels

If you are trying to reach your target audience through TikTok, but your target audience prefers Instagram, there is little chance you are optimizing your marketing efforts.

Accessing your target audience through their preferred channel is vital if you aim to put your resources to the best use possible.

This requires you to define your demographic as best you can, as this can help you decide on which approach is best to take. A multichannel approach is generally best if you can afford to spare the time and money, but even then, it is important to figure out how effective each channel will be in terms of your reach.

In doing so, you might be able to save yourself some money that would be more effective in other areas, such as paying for higher quality content, extending the length of your campaign or sponsored advertisements.

Whether you’re a real estate agent, a local restaurant or a contractor, if your business serves a specific locale, marketing is important. If you want to grow your customer base, you don’t have to use expensive marketing channels like radio, you can use digital marketing and social media to increase your visibility. There are a few effective strategies that can help you get more ROI out of your marketing dollars, and they aren’t that difficult to implement. Here are a few ways to market your local business more effectively.

Search Engine Optimization

Whatever service you provide in your town, people’s search for your business starts online. Whether someone is looking for a Mexican restaurant in Arizona, a print shop in Albany, or a real estate agent in San Diego, the majority of your customers are going to do a Google search to find you, and search engine optimization is how you can increase your visibility there. According to a car locksmith in Chicago, “SEO has been very pivotal to the growth of our customer base, and it’s how many new people find us. It has allowed us to help more people.” In order to do SEO at a high level, you really need a great strategy. It all starts with the keywords you target. Using a keyword research tool, you can find out what people in your town are searching for in relation to your service, and then you have to create a really great website where you have content that has those keywords.

SEO is a long term investment, and not a quick thing, but if you do the work and do it correctly, it will definitely pay off. If you want faster results, you can do PPC where you can pay the search engine to advertise, and your search results will come up right at the top of the Google result.

Play Up Your Referrals

The second way people are going to find out about a local business is from their friends and family. Word of mouth is going to play a big role in your ability to get new customers. The question is, how do you increase the likelihood of someone recommending your business to their loved ones, peers and colleagues? First, you have to provide a really good service, a service that people will never forget. Once you’ve done that, it’s easier to ask for their referrals. Secondly, you have to stay top of mind through marketing, so make sure you have a strong social media presence, that you’re active in your community, and use an email newsletter to stay in touch. That way, people are going to remember you, and when someone is looking for someone who does what you do, you’ll be the first person they think of and mention.

Remarketing

If you want your digital marketing strategies to be more effective without spending a lot of money, remarketing is how to do it. For example, if someone has gone on your website, or watched some of your content, you can make sure your online presence follows them around the internet. If people have already seen your content, you might as well market to them again.

Set Up a Google My Business Profile

Google My Business is how you can make your business more visible on the world’s most powerful search engine. When people look for you online, this profile will appear and become the first thing they see. To get the most out of your Google Business page, treat it like a website, and upload content and photos to it. That will actually help you rank better, and give people another way to get into your world.

Increase Your Reviews

Online reviews are how businesses build up their credibility, and increasing those reviews is one of the smartest things you can do. If you have customers and clients who love what you do, ask them to give you a review. You can even incentivize them to give you a review by giving them a gift card, or if your business is food-based, a free meal. If you really invest time and effort into your reviews, you will start to bring in business just from that.

When your business is very specific to a local area, you have to make yourself a prominent part of that place,...