3 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Raise Local Awareness for Their Business

3 Ways Entrepreneurs Can Raise Local Awareness for Their Business Building a brand doesn’t have to start at a global scale, you absolutely can raise local awareness to build a successful business.

Promoting your business and raising awareness about your brand is an ongoing task for all entrepreneurs. This is a crucial aspect of both increasing loyalty among the existing clientele, as well as of attracting new audiences. When it comes to the primary location of your company, it is important to engage your local community, and therefore establish a trustworthy relationship. With local support, your business model will have more positive exposure and better foundation for reaching to wider areas. There are numerous methods and strategies you can apply to increase your brand’s credibility while associating it with the community.

Be present on social media

We are living in the digital era, and the largest part of the population is present on social media. This can be used to your advantage, as it is an amazing way to reach out and connect with people, engage them and furthermore get some feedback. And that is a precious aspect of it because unlike printed advertisements or billboards, it is not a one-way street. Create a page or a profile for your company and start sharing! Think of your target group and develop a strategy to follow in shaping your brand’s image. Facebook and Instagram accounts are a must, but you should ask around if there is anything else quite popular in the area.

Presence on social media will be beneficial for you in various ways. Some of the first to do steps are to publish the essentials, such as your contact information, business hours and the exact location. On messenger, your potential customers will be able to reach you 24/7, which leads to building trust among them, hopefully converting them. Then, create an album where you will post the pictures of your products obligatory with prices in the description. Tag the place your company is located on each picture and post, showing that you care for it. If you are hosting any events, you can create an online event and promote it accordingly. Other people will be able to respond, share or even check-in.

A crucial part of this local awareness strategy is not to publish only promotional content. You should support other local trends, charities, musicians, school fairs etc. Networking is always a great idea! Furthermore, post about all relevant events which are also important to the area. Showing people you are engaged will result in a positive image. Social media will also allow you to publish stories and remind people of your brand on a daily basis. People can leave reviews and leave comments, and you should always be grateful for any kind of feedback. Even in cases of constructive criticism, take it as a suggestion and try to improve. You can share promotional codes for discounts, create contests or questionnaires where the winner will get a gift from your company.

Humanize your company

People are always more attracted to brands which are not just some faceless corporations. For this reason, you need to have an approach showing you care about your community, your employees and the quality of your service. You could share wholesome personal stories of your employees, interesting articles about the origin of your products or ideas. One of the most popular forms for the last several years turns out to be video content. An amazing way to engage your local community is to announce you need volunteers who will help you create video tutorials! Other than starring in the video, they should be rewarded by items with the logo of your brand, further promoting it.

Another way to get closer to locals is to get involved and sponsor relevant events or even sports teams. If your company provides sponsorship, you will be associating your brand with positivity and encouragement. For example, consider having your brand’s name or logo on jerseys of your local team, as the audience will establish a connection with their love of a sports team and your company.

Provide promotional material on every possible occasion, and think of categories which are visible. For your potential customers, we are talking shirts, hats, tote bags and car stickers primarily. And for the networking part and other neighboring stores and institutions, consider customized outdoor mats for a gift. You can put your logo on them, and everyone who visits your favourite local bar, restaurant or even school will see it! And not only that, as you are actually giving something useful for the convenience of the owners. Another idea is providing local cafes or bars with customized coasters with wholesome, funny and inspiring quotes next to your logo.

Invest in local SEO and PPC

Investing in website marketing is a necessity for a while now, as most people will use search engines when in need of a product or service. This is why you should target a certain city or a geographical area, as that is often included while they are searching. Increase in the ranking will get you on the first page of search engines, and direct people to your company. Just make sure you have a phone number listed, so your potential customers can immediately call you. Optimization for search engines is a useful practice for business and will have long-term beneficial effects.

On the other hand, for the instant results you can invest in paid advertisements on various platforms. Try to investigate the most popular sites, of course, besides YouTube and Google. You can also ask about applications and games which are frequently downloaded to include in your targeting.

Conclusion

Giving back matters, and this is especially true in case of a relationship between a company and its community. The community of its employees, the community that surrounds it, the community of its customers. Your attitude towards the city you live in and your business is located will largely influence other people’s attitude toward you. Understand that genuine involvement in local activities shows that you care, and people will appreciate it. You are able to do good while promoting your business and raise awareness of your brand. Being community-oriented leads to customer loyalty and shows your strong and righteous values.

by Chris London of Pixel Productions Inc. The Everything Design Company