At its core, hyperlocal marketing involves finding and maintaining your ideal customers by promoting your product or service to a geographical niche. This means you can target a particular city, region, zip code, or right down to a precise city block. Businesses can attract potential customers in a specific location using geo-tracking, browsing social media, or reading a local blog.
If you run a brick-and-mortar business like a small restaurant, traditional marketing methods may not cut it for you. For instance, if you want to compete with restaurants in the same area, running social or digital ads to target an entire city may not be as effective. That is because people who are looking for a particular restaurant are unlikely to consider a business that is hours away. But by targeting and focusing your marketing efforts on consumers within a few minutes of your restaurant’s location, you’ll likely see more in-store traffic and receive several visits per day.
Hyperlocal marketing is a perfect strategy for restaurants because it essentially increases foot traffic. Potential customers who may be in a particular area to shop or run errands won’t want to drive to find food and will most likely browse the web for reviews, listings, blog posts, and other content to get recommendations for nearby restaurants. This marketing approach is most valuable when you have a holistic strategy that encompasses all channels. Consequently, driving more visitors to your website is the first step to getting customers, but you also need the right messaging and content to get them through your doors.
What makes an effective hyperlocal marketing campaign?
A successful hyperlocal campaign will need fundamental components, such as a website optimized for search engines, a comprehensive Google My Business listing, targeted content across multiple channels, and a repertoire of positive reviews.
SEO and Google My Business listing are critical to any digital marketing campaign. Without these elements, the almighty algorithm won’t be able to place your restaurant under relevant search queries (such as the kind of food you serve) or the appropriate location.
Locally-tailored content is also crucial and can include a wide variety of tactics. From blog posts about local events to using geo-tagging on your Instagram posts—making sure your content is tailored to your location will boost your visibility in location searches on certain platforms. Engaging with other nearby restaurants and businesses will also get your social or online posts in front of local customers.
Online reviews will not only boost your Google My Business listing, but they will also build credibility and improve your reputation. The better your reviews, the higher you’ll rank. You’re also more likely to drive potential customers to visit your website, social media, or contact you (so ensure all that information is in your listing).
Businesses in busy or high-traffic areas should also consider hyperlocal marketing using non-digital tactics. If you own a restaurant or storefront, the most effective approach is to use visual cues within your immediate vicinity. Street promotions, for example, can be hyperlocal and very cost-effective. Many small businesses already use these methods, which might include putting outdoor signage in highly visible areas on surrounding blocks or renting a billboard off the nearest highway.
And it doesn’t stop at restaurants, either. Salons, retail stores, medical doctors, and franchises can also use hyperlocal marketing to drive foot traffic and attract new customers. Events like conferences, tradeshows, and concerts can also increase attendance with the use of a hyperlocal campaign.
How can hyperlocal public relations engage supporters for non-profits or event-based businesses?
This type of marketing does not only apply to advertising. A hyperlocal public relations campaign can create measurable results for brick-and-mortar and event-based businesses. A hyper-local PR approach might include a localized press release targeting neighborhood newspapers to help drive attendance at a community fundraising event. Another public relations tactic that can add value to your campaign is recruiting local bloggers and influencers to create content about the grand opening of a restaurant franchise or bed and breakfast.
Our agency has developed many hyperlocal public relations campaigns for our clients like Texas Black Expo. Their annual Summer Celebration is a landmark event, and every year we’re tasked with thinking of creative programs and content that will drive attendance and engage local sponsors. Whether it’s writing ad copy for radio promotions or developing content for a targeted Facebook campaign, all efforts are localized and focused on the city and surrounding counties.
Like any other approach, hyperlocal marketing is a long-term investment. Results are heavily dependent on the resources and time that you put into it. If you can successfully engage customers in your neighborhood or city, the easier it is to encourage repeat purchases or attendance and ultimately boost your bottom line.
What are your pain points when it comes to building relationships with local customers? Do you struggle with delivering clear and consistent messages about your products or services? Do you have a large online following but can’t seem to convert these “fans” to customers? Connect with us here if you need recommendations or have general questions about the right public relations solutions for your business.
