By Jodie Manners

4 years ago

If you own a local business you may have been wondering how you can direct the right customers to your website. You might be looking into localized content marketing but you’re just not sure where to start or what sort of content to provide. You’ve probably even heard that you should be blogging, right? In […]

If you own a local business you may have been wondering how you can direct the right customers to your website. You might be looking into localized content marketing but you’re just not sure where to start or what sort of content to provide. You’ve probably even heard that you should be blogging, right?

In this article, we’re going to be talking about why localized content marketing for businesses is so important, and we’ll be sharing some ideas you can use to attract your ideal customers to your blog.

So many local businesses still overlook the power of localized content marketing. But you won’t! By getting your content strategy in place now, you can stay strides ahead of your local competition.

Why do local businesses need a localized content marketing strategy?

You might be wondering why your local business would need a localized content marketing strategy when the majority of your customers are already locals. Especially if they know you through reputation or word of mouth. Well, I’ll ask you this… Wouldn’t you like more customers? 

It’s important that your business can be found easily online. 72% of consumers who performed a local search visited a store within five miles and 28% of those visits ended in a purchase. So, it pays to be seen in the SERPs.

Here are just a few benefits of having a local content marketing strategy:

  • You can reach even more people in your local area
  • You’ll build trust and familiarity with people who may not have previously heard of your business
  • You can be more easily identified by visitors or newcomers to your local area.
  • You’ll improve your domain authority and SEO
  • It’s a great opportunity to build your email list among local people
  • It increases engagement with your ideal customer and keeps you in the forefront of their minds
  • It means you can retarget local readers with social media ads
  • You’ll have content to share on your platforms
  • You can build internal links for on-page SEO through your blogs
  • Websites with a blog have 434% more indexed pages and generate up to 126% more leads

If that has not convinced you, there’s nothing that will. 

Bonus tip: A good content strategy drives traffic to your website. If you don’t already have a self hosted site with your own domain name, now is the time to get one so your business can be more professional and memorable.

What should a local business blog about?

The key to writing blog posts that attract local people is either creating content that will specifically interest locals, such as things related to the City or the town your business operates in, or creating content around popular keywords that people in your area are searching for.

While keywords are important, it’s even more important to create engaging content that your ideal customers will want to read and share with their friends. So, let’s take a look at some things you can blog about…

Share your story

This one is a great idea for your first blog post. Introduce yourself, your business and share your story. How did you get started? What makes you different? Do you have any funny anecdotes about your business journey? 

Stories like this humanise your brand, making your business feel more friendly, positive and approachable. Which is exactly the type of business local shoppers appreciate.

Your expertise

It is likely that you are more knowledgeable about your field of business than most of your customers. Share your expertise with your audience by blogging about things that they might find useful, such as ‘how to’ guides, or posts that offer solutions to problems they might have. 

If you are a cleaning company, share your knowledge about how to remove mold, clean at the end of a tenancy, or make an oven look new again. 

A person searching for these tips online is likely to need the services of a cleaner. Even if they don’t need anything but advice from you now, you’ll be in the forefront of their minds when they do.

Share the success story of one of your customers

Share before and after pictures of a project you have been working on. If you are a builder or decorator, it could be a renovation project. If you are a hairdresser, the customer who’s look you’ve drastically changed. And gardeners could share before and after pictures of landscaping projects.

Top 10 Best In your City

Create a list of 10 of the best shops/restaurants/events/art galleries in your city. The key here is not to list your direct competitors, but other local businesses that your customers would find useful. So, if you run a wedding venue, list the top 10 florists in the area. 

People love to celebrate their local area. These kinds of posts help them do just that. And, you have the added benefit that the businesses you mention are likely to share your content on their social media channels or reciprocate by including your business in their future content.

Interviews with local experts

We’re talking local heroes, business owners working in related fields, academics and researchers. Anyone who has something relevant to say that your audience will care about. 

Thinking back to our cleaning company, something their audience would find useful is an interview with local estate agents about ‘end of tenancy cleaning mistakes people often make’. 

Local events and activities – What’s on this month in *Your City*

Create a list of events and activities in your area. This is the type of blog post that is likely to get lots of shares on social media from locals. You can capitalize on this by inviting them to like your page, including your business’s details in the post, or placing links to your key landing pages.

Final Thoughts

Digital marketing is an important part of your business, regardless of whether you are a global or local brand. Localized Content marketing can be a great way to organically reach new customers. It’s easy to get started, so all local businesses should be taking advantage of this strategy to stay ahead of their competitors. With the right approach, you will soon start to see your ROI rise and watch your business continue to grow.

If you’re interested in more details about content marketing or would like to find new ways to improve your localized content marketing, check out Emil Kristensen’s article on How to Create Smart Content to Improve Your Marketing Strategy.

If you want to learn more about local SEO, have a look at Andrea Volpini’s article about structured data for local SEO.

Jodie is a Creative Copywriter, SEO enthusiast and graduate of the University of Cambridge. She’s been generating profit with her words for over a decade. In her 10-year non-profit fundraising career, she raised over £2million for NPOs through face-to-face sales, management and expert training. She writes copy that inspires action and loves to help ethical and creative business owners, solopreneurs and non-profits find their voice and get ahead online. 

Jodie Manners

Freelance Copywriter

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