How hyperlocal marketing drives big results for multi-location businesses

It is well into the new year, and most likely you have built out a comprehensive marketing strategy and have already started work on new and exciting campaigns. However, as a multi-location business, if your strategy does not include hyperlocal marketing, you are going to miss out on huge benefits this year! While far from a low hanging fruit, a hyperlocal campaign has the power to drive more foot traffic, deepen your brand’s ties to the community, and connect you to an engaged, relevant audience close to home. So, how does hyperlocal marketing work and how can you get start right away? Keep reading for all the details!

What is hyperlocal marketing and why does it work so well for multi-location businesses?

Over the years, marketing campaigns have become far more sophisticated, allowing you to meet your exact audience where they are rather than adopting a blind approach. Hyperlocal marketing takes this concept to the furthest degree by enabling geo-location targeting close to each location, and the closer the better. As geo-location is mostly used for city or towns, hyperlocal targeting zooms in to the blocks or streets surrounding the location, zeroing in on a very specific audience.

Because multi-location business might have locations in the same town or city, hyperlocal campaigns allow them to distinguish between clientele that would be perfect for one location versus the other. It allows them to connect more easily with their specific community, which may be the community on that street or a few blocks away. For instance, a local gym with locations only 10 minutes from one another might run different ad campaigns targeting the blocks around each gym to drive more foot traffic. One gym might find that their clientele prefers hot yoga in the morning and the other will target yin yoga in the evenings in response to demand. By using hyperlocal marketing tactics, both gyms can target users in their area without subtracting clients or leads from the other location, driving more foot traffic and conversions and fostering customer connections. This is why multi-location businesses benefit from hyperlocal campaigns.

Tactics for tailoring campaigns to individual store locations

Now that we know that it works, it’s time to put hyperlocal marketing into practice. As a multi-location business, start with the following initiatives or practices:

–        Optimize for local SEO – We’ve said it once, and we will say it many more times, each location should be optimized for local SEO, and in the case of hyperlocal marketing this means making sure each location shows up for “near me” searches. Ensure that each location has relevant content, a clear and updated address, mentions of local organizations and partners, FAQs if needed, and a Google Business profile. (This month, we also published an article discussing the benefits of Google Business profiles for each location, and if you manage more than one location, be sure to give it a read.) Overall, each location should show up in searches targeting the areas around the location, and even closer for hyperlocal marketing. Anyone that has their location on and discoverable will receive hyper local ads.

–        Maintain an active presence on social media, targeting local community groups – Social media is an incredibly useful tool for multi-location businesses! Each location may have their own profile, or it may just be a broader brand profile, but you should have an updated social media page and profiles for all relevant channels. Consider sharing local updates, asking for reviews from customers, joining and engaging in relevant community forums and groups, using local hashtags to improve impressions and discoverability, encouraging likes and shares from you community, featuring compelling local stories, and even offering exclusive promos and discounts for your social community. 

–        Invest in hyperlocal ads – This is the fun part! Start running targeted ads on the platform that makes the most sense for your brand, we recommend Google or social. However,  make sure you understand how to use the tools available to dial in your audience and tailor your messaging. Overall, make sure you have a clear budget, timeline, and goals for each ad campaign. Then, measure each location’s success and consider sharing insights between locations to ensure all around success. Another strategy to consider when it comes to local advertising is using radio, tv, and local podcasts and newspapers. While a somewhat old school approach, these avenues are still incredibly important to local communities and may deliver impressive results for a smaller initial investment. Just make sure you have a clear way to measure ROI.

–        Seek out and attend local community events – If you hope to target your local audience, it will be much more effective if they already recognize your brand. The best way to spread the word is to participate in local events and find opportunities to sponsor local teams or organizations. The more often local community members are confronted with your brand and the people from that location, the more likely they are to engage with the brand. Most communities these days host fairs and local events for businesses, and local sports teams are always looking for sponsorships or donations. This is a great way to engage with the community and partner with other businesses in the area. You can refer clients back and forth or offer special deals and offers. The options are endless.

 

Tools to ensure hyperlocal targeting success

Marketing tools are a dime a dozen, and it’s not uncommon to feel overwhelmed with the sheer number of tools providing services. For hyperlocal marketing, you shouldn’t need any specialized tools, but certain tools will make it easier. Consider the following:

• Google suite – This includes Google Analytics, Tag Manager, AdWords, Google Business Profile, and others as needed to keep track of metrics, such as engagement, clicks, keywords, audience demographics, and much more. The whole Google suite will ensure a smooth hyperlocal targeting experience.
• Social media – For both organic and ad campaigns, you can use a social media scheduling tool or the ad platforms provided by Meta and others for advertising. They are incredibly helpful in delivering insights in an easy-to-understand manner.
• Email marketing – Email is far from dead and can compliment your hyper local marketing strategy as long as you have a tool that is easy-to-use, updates when new contacts are added, and follows GDPR regulations.
• SEO tool – Hyperlocal targeting is much easier if you have a tool that helps outline relevant keywords and shows each location’s ranking for relevant keywords. SEO tools today will also provide relevant content suggestions and ways to improve domain authority.

Hyperlocal marketing is great for multi-location businesses and now is the perfect time to try it out! If you need help navigating your first campaign, contact the MDG team today. We’d be delighted to help.