Crafting a Local Business Marketing Plan: A Comprehensive Guide
Creating a local business marketing plan is essential for any business aiming to thrive in its local market.
Here is our proven plan we managed to generate hundreds of cash for our clients during the last 5 years with this exact system. We will walk you through the steps and strategies to build an effective marketing plan tailored to local success.
1. FUNDAMENTALS:
1.1 Market Research
Understanding your local market and identifying your target audience are the foundational steps.
- Social Listening:
Scout social media groups and competition reviews to understand your target audience's goals and pain points - Conduct Surveys and Focus Groups:
Gather direct insights from your potential customers to understand their needs and preferences. - Analyze Local Competitors (Benchmarking):
Identify what your competitors are doing well and where they are lacking. This can help you find opportunities to differentiate your business. This will be your benchmarking for what you've to offer. - Utilize Tools like Google Trends and Local Market Reports:
These tools can provide valuable data on local search trends and market conditions
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A list of at least 3 ideal potential customers, sorted by how frequently they buy and the size of their orders/deals.
Each will have a list of their goals, pain points, and their buying behavior. - A list of competitor's offers that had done well in the previous period.
- A list of competitor's content that had done well in the previous period.
- A keyword plan for highly searched related topics, and how they relatively compare to each other.
1.2 Define Your Unique Selling Proposition (USP)
Clearly defining what sets your business apart from competitors is crucial.
- Make it About Them:
A good USP is always Customer-Oriented, make sure to serve something your customers want and your competitors are not there yet to get the right edge that will fuel your business to success. - Communicate Your USP:
Ensure that your USP is consistently communicated across all marketing materials and platforms.
Examples of Highly Successful USPs:
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Airbnb — “Belong Anywhere”
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Uber — “Everyone’s Private Driver”
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Slack — “Where Work Happens”
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Tesla — “Zero Emissions. Zero Compromises.”
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WeWork — “Make a Life, Not Just a Living”
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Spotify — “Music for Everyone”
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Zoom — “Video Communications. Empowering People to Accomplish More.”
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Blue Apron — “A Better Way to Cook”
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Stripe — “The New Standard in Online Payments”
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A clear positioning statement which will clarify your Unique Selling Point (USP) to your potential clients.
1.3 Refine/Craft Your Offers
Regularly refine your offerings to meet customer needs and stay competitive.
- Customer Feedback:
Continuously gather and analyze customer feedback to understand their evolving needs and preferences. - Focus on the Value:
Don't let them assume what value they will get, Show them the transformation that will happen in their life if they acquired your product/service. - People won't hear you unless they trust you:
It doesn't matter if you think your product/service is pure gold, people won't move an inch unless they trust/suspect what you've said is true. - Tangible & Measurable works:
If you can't promise a measurable result you are not good enough for them. - Minimize the Effort & Time from their side:
People will always choose convenience and instant gratitude over anything else. ensure that you make it easy to work with you and use your product/service. - Innovate and Adapt:
Introduce new products or services based on customer demand and market trends.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A clear offer statement for each product/service you have that highlights the outcome/transformation they will get, minimizing any risk, effort & time on their part.
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2. SET A SMART OBJECTIVES
2.1 Sales Objectives
Growth is about grabbing attention and the only way to do that is to "Want more sales, Shake more hands"
- Check Your Current Sales Conversion Rates (Cold Outreach):
From historical data or industry insights, determine how many deals you get from 100 potential clients (Lead) - Calculate The Number of Leads You Need to Hit Your Sales Target:
Determine how many sales you need do to get the sales target, then divide them by the conversion rate to get the number of leads required to hit that target.
[ie. 500k / 10k(unit price) = 50 units, 50/0.02 (conversion rate) = 2500 Lead]
2.2 Market Exposure Objectives
Growth is about grabbing attention and the only way to do that is to "Want more sales, Shake more hands"
- Traffic/Reach:
Set a number to reach each month to be able to get the sales you need and match your competitor's growth. - Building Trust (Page Likes/Followers):
People consider high engagement pages/content as highly trusted than 3-digit pages
[ie. they will trust a 100,000-follower page a lot more than a 500-follower page]
this means you should always aim to be higher than your direct competition.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- Clear Sales & Marketing Objectives with time-bound duration and tangible and measurable numbers to track.
Want to escape the hustle?
Contact us right now and ask for our build for you marketing systems
3. TACTICS & MECHANISMS
3.1 Utilizing Content Marketing
Regularly refine your offerings to meet customer needs and stay competitive.
- Choose the Right Platforms:
Identify where your target audience is most active and focus your efforts there. - Engage Regularly:
Post regularly, engage with followers, and respond to comments and messages promptly. - Use different types of content:
Make sure NOT to bore them with the same kind of content topics and formats all the time. - Customer Reviews and Testimonials:
Collect and showcase positive customer reviews and testimonials to build trust.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A Calender filled with content topics to be produced and published accordingly.
- A list of the platforms to use
- A Selection list of what to be posted for your target audience based on their preferences and habbits.
3.2 Boosting Visibility with Local SEO Strategies
Using these strategies will give you an edge over other businesses when someone near you searches for your product/service.
- Google My Business:
Create and optimize your Google My Business profile to improve local search visibility (Google Maps). - Local Keywords:
Incorporate local keywords in your website content to attract local searches. - Mobile-Friendly Website (Optional):
Ensure your website is mobile-friendly and optimized for SEO.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A Local Keyword List
- A List of high authority websites that we can backlink with to promote our business locally.
3.3 Sales Promotions
Why would the customers spend the time and effort to come to your store?
- Sales Promotions (Store Traffic Generation):
Choose a few products/services of each category you sell and make an attractive sales discount (Exclusive Offers) on them.
This strategy works ONLY if the product and the prices you choose are already known.
Use this as much as possible, (preferably twice a week for retail) - Upsell & Crossale Tactics:
Place these products next to other products with better margins and other categories that the client will use if they buy this product to increase the Average Value Order (AOV). - Next-Sale Tactics:
Give the client who visited your store a coupon/voucher on the next visit this will improve the Life-Time-Value (LTV) drastically.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A list of (Front offers - upsell - cross-sales - Next sales) offers for each week.
3.4 Accelerate The Results With Paid Ads
Boost your marketing efforts with targeted paid advertising to accelerate the results to the satisfactory level.
- Google Ads:
Use Google Ads to target local customers searching for products or services you offer. - Social Media Ads:
Utilize Facebook, Instagram, and other social media platforms to run localized ad campaigns. - Local Media:
Advertise on local websites, newspapers, and radio stations for broader community reach. - Sales Promotions (A MUST):
Ads won't get you store traffic without a great Sales-Promotion Strategy
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A Calendar with a list of sales promotions to run.
- Media Plan with an estimated budget to spend (at least 50% of your budget should go into Paid ads).
Find out how you should calculate your budget via our Marketing Budget Calculator.
3.5 Effective Traditional Marketing Methods
Don’t neglect traditional marketing tactics that can still be effective.
- Flyers and Brochures:
Distribute well-designed flyers and brochures in strategic locations. - It's a numbers game:
When it comes to flyers the more you distribute the better. make sure to deliver at least 1,000 each day till the whole area around you knows you will. it might take time but it's still placed as highly effective when it comes to local business marketing.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- Enought flyers to distribute for the first 90 days straight and then you can decrease the numbers.
3.6 Engage with the Community
Build relationships within the local community to increase brand loyalty.
- Sponsor Local Events:
Participate in or sponsor local events to increase visibility and show community support. - Collaborate with Local Businesses:
Form partnerships with other local businesses for mutual benefits. - Special Offers for Certain Groups:
Regularly announce an exclusive offer for certain social-media groups that are gathering nearby. - Customer Reviews and Testimonials:
Collect and showcase positive customer reviews and testimonials to build trust.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- Make a list of local events happening nearby, and determine if it will have your target audience to participate in.
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4. OPTIMIZATION
4.1 Follow ups
Keep track of your marketing performance and make data-driven decisions.
- Use Analytics Tools: Employ tools like Google Analytics and social media insights to monitor key performance metrics.
- Track KPIs: Focus on key performance indicators such as website traffic, conversion rates, social media engagement, and sales.
- Regular Reports: Generate regular reports to analyze performance and identify trends.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A Track sheet/software to use on a regular basis.
4.2 Always Have a Plan (B) - Risk Assessment
Be prepared for potential challenges and have contingency plans in place.
- Identify Potential Risks: Recognize possible obstacles such as market changes, economic downturns, and competitive pressures.
- Develop Contingency Plans: Create backup strategies for key areas of your marketing plan.
- Monitor and Adapt: Continuously monitor market conditions and adjust your strategies as needed.
Deliverables of this Stage:
- A Risk Register sheet with all potential risks, how to mitigate them properly, and who's responsible for each action.
Want to escape the hustle?
Contact us right now and ask for our build for you marketing systems
FAQ
Frequent Asked Questions
SUMMARY
A well-rounded local business marketing plan incorporates both digital and traditional strategies, emphasizing continuous learning and adaptation. By leveraging these tools and strategies, your local business can create a strong marketing presence that drives growth and success.
For further insights and detailed guides, explore the resources linked throughout this blog. Implementing these strategies can help your local business thrive in your community.
By following these steps and utilizing the available resources, your local business can create an effective marketing plan that drives engagement, builds brand loyalty, and achieves sustained growth.
