Getting Behind Your Local Business
As a business owner it makes sense to go after the big contracts and projects. As a business owner it is also easy to get carried away and continue to pursue work outside of your immediate area. Both of these tactics could actually result in loss of potential local business. Word-of-mouth is extremely powerful, especially within local communities so there needs to be an acknowledgement in your marketing plan of generating leads through local businesses in your community while creating a strong and trustworthy name for your business.
Technology has allowed businesses to ‘operate’ and service outside of their immediate area by eCommerce and outsourcing through websites. The internet will undoubtedly be responsible for a majority of your business, even if it is local clientèle. Potential customers will automatically research your business, check out your website and may even look up some reviews on your service. If you have a good name within your local area, the potential for backlash is minimal.
This movement of encouraging residents and other business’s in your area to use the services of your business due to it’s location, works both ways. If you, as a business owner, make an effort to primarily use the services of local businesses in your area, the work will most likely come back to you in some way whether it be directly from that business or referrals.
Some benefits to promoting your business locally include:
- More opportunities for repeat customers
- Customers often appreciate the personal approach of putting faces to names
- More potential for word-of-mouth referrals
- Easier to create a natural networking circle
- More convenient for your operations if the work is closer to your head office
- Pursue opportunities of potentially working with your competition (out-sourcing etc)
- Will improve the SEO on your website if you emphasize your location for people searching for local business services
While it is important to keep those big spending clients coming through the door, it may be worth spending a bit of time and money putting together a structured marketing campaign for your own postcode. If you need any advice on what would work best for your business locally, give us a call today.