More customers want to support the local business economy. According to a survey by Sykes, one in five Americans planned to support small local businesses in 2020. In another report by OnePoll and Groupon, 75 percent of consumers said they intend to support local businesses more often. However, with the local business activity thriving, there are now many options for them to choose from – making it even more important that local businesses invest in marketing and distinguish their business from their competitors. By nailing their local customer service regime and changing up their branding tactics to align with local values, small business owners can tap into a valuable but often unnoticed demographic: their local community.
Perfect Your Customer Service With Your Local Customers
According to a survey by Kissmetrics, 71 percent of customers have ended their relationship with a business because of poor customer service. Great customer service also influences customer spending levels – two in three customers say they are willing to spend more with a business if they experience positive customer interactions. For a small local business, each lost customer could equate to $243 lost in income, and the difference between profit and loss.
While businesses are busy focusing on marketing their business online and reaching bigger audiences, local customers are a key metric that is often missed when it comes to generating leads and traffic for the business – both in store and online. The first step to improving your local customer service is to secure a local phone number for customer queries and communication. Businesses can also utilize local customer pulse surveys or suggestion boxes to listen to queries, concerns or suggestions from local residents.
Use Your Branding To Resonate With Your Local Connection
Customers value a business with ties to the local community – ties that they can identify with. Customers value local businesses because they claim they can provide more personalized customer service and are generally more trustworthy. However, they also say that they would love to see local businesses capitalize on their connections to get more personal – including in their choice of branding. One way to do this is to design a business logo that incorporates the local community. For instance, the colors of Dallas, Texas are known to be navy and white, which can provide some guidance for your brand colors if you live in the area. Your brand name matters too: when looking at naming methods for your business, consider incorporating your local target market with a customer validation survey, and work towards a business name that reflects both your brand and your target audience.
Optimize Your Local SEO
Local businesses should also optimize their content for their local customers. For 85 percent of customers, proximity is very important when making inquiries or purchasing a product. Over 50 percent of mobile searches also lead to local in-store visits within a single day, according to estimates by Google. To begin improving your local SEO, open up a Google My Business Account. Businesses can also encourage local customers to leave a review of the business online by providing an after-sales rating card or online link.
Finally, create your business content around local events in your area of business. Blog posts or video content highlighting what is going on in the local community will garner the interest of local residents. Partnering with other local businesses/charities, meanwhile, will help to boost your brand visibility.
If you want your business to stand out, your customers should be at the heart of your strategies. Your local customer base is more important than you think. Optimizing your content, customer service, and business design to appeal to both local and wider customers means you can help your business stand out on both fronts.
