As a business owner, you’re no doubt seeking to grow your brand and optimize your performance. If you’re in retail, perhaps you’re trying to increase foot traffic, or if you run a restaurant or bar, perhaps you’re trying to boost sales when guests are dining out.
Regardless of what kind of business you have, I’m sure that being more local-focused is something that’s on your list of goals. But beyond simply being more local-focused (which many businesses strive to be), there are other benefits—both direct and indirect. It can come from more locally-focused businesses.
One way that this can happen is by simply making it easier for customers to find the locations where they want to buy products directly from the source (i.e., “locally-focused”). It means having the opportunity to tailor your business activities in a way that’s most relevant to each customer’s needs. So today I’ll share 6 tips on how to do just that and make life easier for yourself along the way!
Embrace the Diversity in Your Neighborhood
Diversity is good for business. Diversity is good for the community. Diversity is good for the world. Diversity is good for the economy, environment, and future.
Not only does diversity benefit your community as a whole but it can also be an advantage to your business and help you stand out from competitors in your industry. For example: if you’re a local restaurant owner in an urban area of New York City with a wide variety of restaurants nearby serving different types of food from all over Asia (Thai, Indian and Vietnamese), why not add Korean BBQ to expand your menu?
Or maybe add some Latin American dishes such as tacos or burritos? The more diverse your cuisine becomes, the more likely customers are to visit your restaurant because it will become unique compared to others around town with only one style of cuisine represented on their menus!
Another way to do it is to adapt to the diverse resources available based on the weather conditions of the area you serve. If, say, you cater to clients based out of Marsden Park suburbs, you need to check the weather in Marsden Park. This will help you formulate an offering that is in line with the local conditions.
Create a Relationship With Your Community
Social media has become the most prevalent way to interact with the community, so it’s important to use it to your advantage. Whether you have a Facebook page, Twitter account, or Instagram profile, there are countless ways you can use social media as a hub of local information and connect with other businesses in your area. Here are some ideas:
Use Twitter to follow local government accounts and retweet any relevant news stories they publish. You can also engage with them directly by replying to their tweets or sending them direct messages when appropriate.
Connect with other local businesses on Facebook by joining groups dedicated to supporting independent stores in your area (for example: “Local Independent Bookstores,” “Local Boutiques Only” or similar). You can share articles relevant to business owners on this platform.
If you want more visibility from these groups’ members (and from people investigating these topics), post quality content regularly. These should address issues relating specifically to small businesses (like how much it costs for insurance in general terms).
Use Instagram as another way of promoting yourself as an expert in your field. You can curate images related specifically to what makes your business unique (for example pictures of products that only sell locally).
So people searching for such things can find exactly what they’re looking for via hashtags.
Use Local Hashtags on Social Media
Use local hashtags to connect with local customers. There are many Twitter, Instagram, and Facebook hashtags that you can use to promote your business, get more customers, and build your brand. The best way to find these hashtags is by simply doing a Google search for them, or going through the most recent posts in your area on social media.
Use hashtags for increased visibility. There are millions of users on each network who may never know about your business unless you let them know! Make sure that every post has at least one hashtag so it can gain exposure from other users who might not otherwise see it without the tag in place.
Get Involved With Local Events
Volunteering is a great way to give back to your community and meet new people. You will also be able to get an insider’s view of local events, as well as your industry.
By volunteering at an event, you can not only help out but also learn more about what makes your community tick. You’ll get to know who organizes the event and who takes part in it (suppliers, competitors, and customers).
It means that when one of these people comes into your store or restaurant they’ll recognize you from having met before. They’ll be more likely to buy something because of how friendly they remember being treated by you!
Support Local Businesses
Supporting local businesses is a great way to help the economy and build stronger relationships with your community. It can also help you build stronger relationships with your customers and suppliers.
You may be thinking “But I’m an online business!” or “But I’m based in London or New York City! How can I support local businesses?” The answer is simple: by purchasing goods and services from local businesses while encouraging others to do so as well.
Locally Focused
The world is getting more and more global, but that doesn’t mean you should forget about your local community. It’s important to stay focused on the people around you if you want to be successful.
Conclusion
We hope that by offering up these tips, we’ve helped you figure out ways to keep your business local-focused. We think that focusing on the local community has endless benefits for any business, and it helps contribute to a better world for all of us.
The most important thing to remember is that every community is different and requires its approach. By getting creative, thinking outside the box, and constantly evolving with our communities, we can create a relationship with them that will last for generations.