When you’re running a business, it’s important to make sure that you are appropriately targeting your market. In many cases that means making sure that people in your area are seeing your ads and that you are getting conversions through that marketing. Whether you are looking to target the area where your business is located or hoping to branch out into a new area, understanding how to target an audience based on geography can help you to reach your audience effectively and bring in new customers.
Targeted Social Media Ads
Sometimes businesses that are looking to target a particular physical area forget about the options they have available to them online. With social media ads that are targeted at users from a particular area, you can harness the power of social media to reach people in the geographic area you are hoping to reach. This can also be useful if you are hosting an event in a particular area or even running or attending a conference in a particular locale. With social media targeted marketing, you can find the people you want to attract to your business using the areas where they live and are using their devices.
Use SEO Keywords
SEO is essential because it can move you to the top of searches, and this becomes even more important when you are trying to target a particular area. When you use SEO to target a geographical location, you can make sure that your results come to the top of the list when people are searching for businesses like yours near them. This is essential because, for many people, that is actually how they decide which businesses to use. Most people don’t look beyond the first few search results, so if you can show up at the top of the search for businesses in their area, that gets your foot in the door as a business they will use.
Billboards
A classic method of reaching a geographical audience is to use billboards as part of your marketing strategy. This old-school method can help you to reach a wide audience, especially since commuters and people simply out for a drive will see your advertisements without needing to seek you out. Even if all a billboard does is get your name and website into a potential customer’s mind, it will help your business since you will come to their mind the next time, they need to purchase a product or service that you provide. This kind of advertising has years of evidence supporting its efficacy.
Vehicle Advertising
If you have a fleet of vehicles for your business, you have an awesome opportunity to constantly advertise in your area. Getting your cars wrapped or painted with your logo and contact information can make your business easily recognizable and ensure that people in the area know about your business. Once you have your cars labeled appropriately, you should also take steps to protect that work so the advertisement stays legible for as long as possible. You won’t have to wax your car as often with ceramic coating. Use your fleet to its utmost potential so you can get more out of your cars and reach a broad geographical audience.
Host Social Media Contests
A social media contest for people in your area can be a great way to build a local buzz and bring people into your business and onto your website. With your contest, you can encourage current customers and followers to reach out to others in their area and to share your posts with their followers. It can be even more helpful to have a part of the contest require customers to come into your location. A scavenger hunt or any contest with a gift certificate as a prize can help make this happen and make your business more exciting and approachable to the local audience.
Sponsor a School or Sports Team
Sponsoring a school or sports team can help you to garner attention and to build goodwill in your community. People appreciate businesses that are giving back to the community, so this kind of advertising can do great things for your business. Most public schools have openings for sponsorships, and this can be an easy way to get your foot in the door. Remember many of the parents and employees at these schools are potential customers, but beyond that, people who drive by the school or attend sporting events will also be able to see the name of your business and will likely have it on their mind next time they need your services.
Get Involved in Community Events
By getting involved in community events, you can become a recognized brand in your area. The more often you are seen at fairs, carnivals, and other city activities the more familiar and approachable you will become to your local audience. Community events are also often cheap to participate in which can make it possible to target your local audience without needing to spend too much of your marketing budget. Follow community programs online so you can keep track of these events and participate as much as possible.
Build Connections with City Leadership
In addition to getting involved in community events, it can also help to build relationships with city leadership. This can get you and your business into conversations about vending needs for the city and help you to reach an even wider local audience. Work to foster strong relationships with the city leadership so you can be in the loop and have a good idea of what kinds of city events and general needs your business could be a part of. When you have a strong network of community leaders, you are in a great position to get your business out to the community.
When marketing for your business, it’s important to make sure you do all you can to target the right people. No matter what business you are in, these tips can help you to target a geographic location and get the reach that you need to become even more successful.
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