The Power Of Using Social Media Marketing For Local Businesses

Local businesses are reaping the rewards of using social media as a powerful marketing tool - it's a great way to raise your profile and engage with potential customers, and do this without a huge financial investment. Social media has proven itself in gaining results when it comes to digital marketing and is now at the forefront of most brands and businesses - both local, national, and international. A quarter of all UK digital ad spend (£3.3bn) was funneled in to social media platforms in 2018 according to eMarketer forecasts, with the total invested in the medium set to overtake TV by 2020.

Social media marketing has allowed small businesses to be key players on digital platforms without having the same budget as multi-million international brands - you just need creativity and time! Social media marketing allows you to create campaigns which target thousands of people, drive traffic back to your website or blog, and most importantly measure the results of your campaigns through programmes like Google Analytics.

If you're not convinced that your small local business can benefit from local social media marketing, here are some things you may want to consider...

Why Use Social Media Marketing As A Local Business?

Platforms like Facebook and Instagram focus on helping small local businesses reach the right audience and make the most out of their social media marketing tools - so they have allowed brands to use direct targeting of customers based on where they live, how old they are, what their interests are - as detailed as what films they like watching! So you can have a small budget when advertising, but ensure that your ad hits the right people. If you're going organically, you can advertise in local community groups (we have many set up in and around Hampshire which are happy to promote local businesses and services!)

Social media has given everyone the opportunity to go viral - but unless you're the next YouTube comedian, or Zoella, you probably want to narrow down your posts and make sure your local community knows that you're a local business (for examples a business in Hampshire) and you sell the kinds of products they are looking for.

To summarise, here is why social media marketing is important to you as a small local business:

• Target your ideal audience

• Engage with customers who will buy from you

• Earn a trusted reputation

• Build your brand awareness

Social Media Marketing in Hampshire: Case Study

I work with many Hampshire based businesses on their social media marketing as a manager, and as a consultant. I started with this particular Hampshire client a couple of years ago, and we wanted to own the Hampshire consumer market for a niche service. Their office is based in Hampshire, they serve many homes in Hampshire and surrounding areas - so it made sense for us to tailor our strategy, including social media marketing, to a Hampshire audience.

One of the first things we did was to use social media marketing to target Hampshire and the surrounding areas: we create organic content and set up paid advertising social media campaigns which would target Hampshire customers and drive them back to a dedicated Hampshire landing page on the website. We used the platform to build connections similar to our industry in Hampshire, or completely new businesses who would want to participate in our viral videos and fun shareable content to gain engagement from customers who may have never thought of the service my client offered before. Because we were gaining momentum in Hampshire by creating social media campaigns tailored to our Hampshire based audience who we targeted not only with location but also with interests, age, gender and connections, we had a high rate of traffic to our landing page via social media. Add a dedicated Google Adwords strategy to target the same area and you're onto a winner!

Social Media Marketing Should Be A Part Of Your Your Business Strategy

You should consider social media marketing for your local business - it's cost affective, immediate, easily measured, and tailored to your target audience.

Personally I have used social media marketing as a key way to generate business in Hampshire - I make genuine connections on Instagram, and work with those businesses who have the same ethos as my brand - which is why we make a dream team with my clients. But If I didn't create those connections, I think it would have taken me a lot longer to build my brand awareness in the area!

If you would like to talk about your local social media strategy, please contact me using this form - I love to chat to businesses and come up with tailored creative solutions which are perfect for your brand!