Restaurants, retail stores, and many service-based companies rely on local customers to succeed in business. If you’re seeing more social media engagement from people across the country than from those in your region, your approach may require some tweaks.

According to Clutch,  24% of small businesses have yet to use social media. Even though this number is relatively low, I’m still shocked. They’re missing a massive opportunity by not having a social media presence, especially if they don’t have a website up either.

Search “restaurants near me” on Google, and it’s likely that many of the results on the first page are from Yelp, OpenTable, or Facebook. A video from YouTube – the second largest search engine after Google – may have a spot there too.

Ready to reach more local customers? Below I list ten ways to use local social media marketing to benefit your small business.

Targeting a Local Audience on Social Media

When creating a Facebook Page, adding the minimum information and starting to post content without a strategy is NOT the way to approach social media.

The insights I’m sharing about local social media marketing are the same tactics I use when managing social media accounts for clients whose success depends on regional customers.

Pro Tip: Verify that your business is an option on Facebook and Instagram for people to “check in.”

Pro Tip: Check local publications’ accounts to see if they have any branded hashtags that they share photos from. A feature from an established account can get a lot of new eyeballs to your local social media account!

Ask yourself what other accounts your buyer is likely to follow? If I were marketing Reiki services, I would engage with posts from yoga studios, yoga teachers, therapists, and other healers that do not offer Reiki. Note that these are not competing businesses.

Pro Tip: You can now join and interact with Facebook Groups as a Page. Talk about generating exposure in the right places!

It’s not a bad idea to follow accounts in your line of business either. It creates a sense of community and opens up a line of communication if you ever need support. Personally, I follow many other writers on social media.

Pro Tip: Partner up with non-competing businesses in your industry and hold a contest. Sharing each others’ social reach is mutually beneficial for brand awareness.

 

Pro Tip: Incorporate your business into the photographs! If you sell a product, add it to the frame. If you’re a solopreneur, get someone to take a photo of you at a place easily recognizable by locals.

Pro Tip: Identify a list of social media holidays that would interest locals and create posts around them. There’s a social media holiday for just about everything now, so it shouldn’t be difficult to find a few that tie into your locale AND your business. This social media holiday calendar from HubSpot is a great resource. 

Pro Tip: Edit the closed captioning for the video to make it more accessible to viewers watching without sound. 

Is Facebook part of your local social media marketing strategy? Even if organic views are down, I still recommend having a Facebook presence. Social proof is a significant decision-making factor for consumers. A Page with your information and recent posts helps build credibility.

Are you feeling overwhelmed marketing your business on social media? Set up a free 20-minute exploratory call to find out how I can help with training, set up, or managing your accounts for you.