Local businesses have always catered to the local clients, thanks to the high footfall of locals and a fairly low budget for marketing. But the scenario has undergone a massive shift with the movement restrictions.
Over 5 Billion people were affected by the restricted free-willed movements post covid, with USA and particularly NYC at the top of the list. With such a huge population having its movements restricted within the country, moving away to search for better business deals has become an option of very few. Thus, business owners started catering to needs across their cities and towns, resulting in a change for most businesses.
With most retail stores, restaurants and service providers operating from a local area, they needed to carve out their niche in that particular market to stay relevant and compete with other players within the same locality.
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Local Marketing in the Pre-Pandemic Era
Before 2019, local marketing campaigns were used selectively by local businesses. Moreover, service-based industries were primarily using local marketing strategies to get recognized. However, the pandemic changed things as people weren’t allowed to travel or get products delivered to their doorsteps for a significant period. Therefore, even product-based firms started implementing select local marketing strategies to reach a wider and more indulgent customer base.
Why is Local Marketing More Important than Ever?
NYC based digital marketing firm, ProStrategix, has some great insights on how to make the most of your social media strategy in 2021. As mentioned by the company, it is essential for businesses to focus on local marketing in the coming years. They also mention the importance of creating a unique digital profile with which your customers can associate themselves with. By investing in a strong online identity for your business, you are generating an asset that will be extremely valuable in the future.
How Google is helping?
Google’s business search algorithm has also undergone a change and in 2021, local searches and results are automatically preferred, even if you do not use the ‘Near me’ suffix. This shows that reliance on local marketing is being experienced across diverse verticals.
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The Road Ahead
With Nike setting a precedent with its localized ‘Nothing beats a Londoner’ marketing campaign, things seem to be moving forward for most businesses when local marketing is concerned. While the value of global marketing campaigns is still existent, inbound and outbound local marketing solutions are expected to hog the limelight in the next few years to come.
Not just that, Local marketing allows business owners to be more expressive with their ideas, whilst making the best use of Local SEO, local events, display ads, and other relevant strategies. With more shoppers turning to their mobile phones, it is becoming increasingly obvious that local businesses need to start thinking about how they can take advantage of this new channel. Local marketing isn’t just about putting mobile optimised versions of your site online. To be truly mobile friendly, you need to have a seamless experience for customers on every touch point.
