8 Powerful Ways to Market Your Local Brand

Marketing is a powerful tool that can help a brand position itself on the market and grow as a business. This is not an easy task and many companies fail to understand the importance of using more than one means to put themselves out there. New businesses also have to deal with a lack of budget resources, but that is not necessarily something to pull them down. Just check out these powerful ways for marketing your local brand that can work with a limited budget, effort, and patience.

1.   Take advantage of social media

Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, LinkedIn, and others are social media where a large number of people spend considerable time. Regardless of if you like them or have a personal profile there, your company undoubtedly need this online presence to grow. Before you do that, however, you need to know your target audience because that will help you decide which of these platforms to use. You can’t master them all, so you need to focus on those that will speak to your consumer base and engage them with your brand.

2.   Content should be a priority

When it comes to content, you need to satisfy two types of ‘audiences’: your potential customers and Google so you rank high in the search lists. Today, you can share information about your local brand in various ways, like podcasts, blogs, videos, and/or articles. You can create your own channels for this and also be a guest on others, providing the maximum exposure for your business. The best thing about all this is that you can produce your own material if you know how, or hire freelance employees through websites, like Upwork and Freelancer. Quality content will not bully people to use your products and services, but tell them your story and help them understand why your local brand is the right choice.

3.   Communicate with your consumers

Customers will leave comments, reviews, questions, and all of them need a response from you if you want to create a positive image about yourself. Communicating with your customers is not only for their benefit but also for your local brand. If you connect with them, even if the feedback is negative, they will perceive you as trustworthy and someone who cares. This can not only influence the buying decision of the potential customers but also make you reliable and give you a loyal following of consumers. No matter how uncomfortable online reviews may be, you need to respond kindly to each and show that you care how your product affected your customers.

4.   Try influencer marketing

Influencers are a big deal today and using them can significantly help with putting your brand under the spotlight. Influencer marketing makes up for 75% of campaigns among the businesses in order to give their brands more exposure. These powerful online trendsetters use blog reviews, vlogs, social media posts, endorsing, and podcasts to promote their client’s services and products. They have thousands to millions of followers who want influencers’ advice on the brands.

5.   Partner up with other businesses

While some businesses may be your completions, others may be a perfect fit to partner up and help each other. This type of piggyback marketing can not only increase your credibility but also of your partners. Look for suppliers, manufacturers, and vendors that would go well with your local brand and can recommend you to their consumers. Being recommended by another business is a big deal since it paints your brand as trustworthy and what you are offering is worth someone's time and money.

6.  Add some traditional marketing to it

Billboards and TV ads are expensive, but there are some other ways to market yourself traditionally. The truth is, digital marketing may be the prevailing form of advertising, but it still has a lot of benefits from the old-fashion ads. For example, custom logo mats are a nice touch to tell your consumers they are in the right place. Moreover, you can give your best customers these mats as a ‘thank you’ to put on their doorsteps which can spread the word about your brand among their guests. In a way, this is a kind of word of mouth marketing, still considered to be one of the most powerful tools of advertising a business.

7.   Organize giveaways and contests

Since you already have means to publicize your activities, you can use them to connect more with your target consumers. One of the ways to do so is through fun and engaging events, like giveaways and contests. This can barely cost you anything but can bring a lot of customers your way. For example, use social media to give away your products with only a couple of conditions: that the person follows your profile and shares the contest on their story. That will spread the word about your brand and at the same time increase the number of your followers.

8.   Employ online advertising

While TV, radio, and printed media are still part of the advertising campaigns, they demand a lot of money and their effects are not easy to follow. On the other hand, digital marketing is cost-affordable, more focused, and you can easily measure its progress and adjust it, if necessary. The most popular ways of online advertising are Google Pay Per Click and Facebook ads. Newsletters are still pretty efficient in spreading the word, especially if you add a birthday coupons, discounts, and surprise rewards from time to time. Email is often underestimated, but it is actually an excellent way to let your consumers know about all the promotions and sales coming their way.

The verdict

Marketing your local brand is not about using one channel of promotion, but combining two and more to create a successful campaign for your business. With the rise of digital marketing, you can promote your brand even if on a small budget and stay in continuous touch with your target audience. However, don’t forget that some traditional strategies can still garner quite the attention for your brand. So, being able to incorporate it all into your marketing plans may just be the perfect way to spread the word to your consumers.