What Is Hyperlocal Marketing?
Hyperlocal marketing is a marketing method that hones in on a targeted audience in a local area. This takes the concept of local marketing–which focuses on a specific city or region–and narrows it even further to a very specific geographic location like a block or a neighborhood. The idea is that even though you’ll have a smaller pool of viewers, they’ll be highly qualified and, therefore, more likely to convert.
The most common example of hyperlocal searches is when people use the modifier “near me” in their keyword searches. So, “plumbers near me”, or “the best personal injury attorneys near me”, etc. The goal of hyperlocal marketing is to capitalize on these super-specific searches and direct people to your site or store.
Not sold? Here are some stats on hyperlocal marketing that we think may convert you:
- 75% of people who search locally visit an offline store within 24 hours (Local Search Association)
- 28% of local “near me” searches result in a purchase (Think With Google)
- 50% of mobile users are most likely to visit a store after performing a local search (Search Engine Watch)
- 500% growth in “near-me” searches since 2015 (Think With Google)
So, now that we’ve got you hooked, let’s dive into some hyperlocal marketing ideas from the digital marketing experts at Surefire Local!
8 Surefire Hyperlocal Marketing Ideas to Broaden Your Online Presence
1. Promote your latest 5-star review in an ad on Google/Facebook
Did you know that 92% of consumers read online reviews before making a major purchase? Think about the last time you picked a new restaurant–we know you read the reviews before you punched in the address. When your customers are thinking about starting a new home project, that’s a heavy investment, and they’re absolutely going to read reviews about your business before making a decision.
With Google and Facebook making it easier than ever to rank and review our experiences with local businesses, you have to make sure you’re leveraging that powerful content. Use your good reviews to your advantage by re-purposing them in your ad campaigns. Have a 5-star rating? Advertise that too! This is one of our favorite hyperlocal marketing ideas because it’s high-impact and low-effort.
If you don’t have any reviews on Facebook or Google, start encouraging your customers and employees to rate and review you through email campaigns, text drip campaigns, and social media posts.
2. Get your business categories correct on Google My Business, Yelp, Facebook
Business categories are often overlooked when you’re developing your online directory listings, but it is crucial that your business is listed correctly. When you advertise with the big three (Google, Yelp, and Facebook), your ads show up in response to consumer queries based on your categories. Your organic rankings are also influenced by your business categories.
For instance, if you are a chiropractor incorrectly listed as a massage parlor, you are much less likely to show up when someone types in “chiropractors near me.” Search engines prioritize consistent and relevant information, so make sure you’re labeled correctly across all your business listings.
You can also tag categories you don’t want to appear for when your ads are shown, so be sure to take advantage of that process to avoid paying for unqualified clicks!
3. Build specific landing pages for every campaign; tailored to a specific location
If you’re not already tracking conversions and building local landing pages–start now! Local landing pages are constructed just like your normal landing pages, but with local modifiers. So instead of the catch-all “roofing company”, your keyword focus should be on “roofing company in [your city]”.
Building specific pages for specific locations can feel redundant, but it helps search engines sort through your services and show people the best possible results when they type in “roofing company near me.”
Just be sure that your local landing pages have:
- A clear call-to-action
- An image that complements your value proposition
- Answers to your audience’s top questions
- A clickable phone number
4. Leverage ad extensions and call-only ads on Google
Call-only ads can be a lifesaver for businesses with complicated sales processes, custom pricing, or slow conversion times–this is especially true for service-oriented businesses. Instead of adding the extra step of a landing page, call-only ads encourage people to click on your number and call right away!
Just make sure that you use hyper-specific ad copy to cut down on unqualified calls. Let prospective customers know exactly what services you offer and what your competitive differentiator is. For example:
“Best Priced Home Cleaning Services in [City]. Occupied and Vacant Home Cleaning.”
Or:
“Expert Divorce and Family Law Attorneys. Free Consultations. Pay When You Win.”
5. Engage in conversations taking place on Nextdoor
Nextdoor is an app that all service-oriented local businesses should be aware of. It’s a place for homeowners to connect with their neighbors and share information. The app’s popularity has increased wildly as social distancing has become “the new normal” and people are spending more time than ever in their homes.
According to Nextdoor, about 1 in 4 conversations that take place on their app are home-related. People asking for recommendations for local plumbers, electricians, cleaning services, attorneys, vets, etc. are a huge portion of that conversation. As a local business, you can use this to your advantage by monitoring and engaging in those conversations.
Posting “Before and After” posts for your business, sharing educational content, utilizing video content, and crowdsourcing recommendations can all help put a spotlight on your business and increase traffic on your profile and site, which, in turn, can up your SEO for those specific neighborhood locations.
6. Optimize your Google My Business listing
It’s a badly kept secret that Google tends to prioritize its own products when it comes to search rankings. That’s why it’s imperative that you optimize your Google My Business listing. Your Business Profile is the listing that appears in Google Maps, the local Google Search results, and the right-side “Knowledge Panel” that appears for verified businesses.
And since Google ranks Business Profiles by overall quality and relevancy to search terms, it’s the perfect place for hyperlocal optimization. Make sure that your profile is completely and correctly filled out and use area-specific terminology to show up for more search terms and win more customers.
Your Google Business Profile is managed through your Google My Business account, so make sure that you have claimed your business and completely filled out the profile with photos, videos, bios, reviews, and relevant information. And the best part–it’s completely free!
7. Tag your location on social media – Instagram, Facebook
When people search for “near me” search terms, often they are shown the Google Map Pack as well as relevant local social media posts. Tagging your location on social media–both in your profile and on your actual posts–increases the likelihood that you’ll be seen in these “near me” searches for businesses like yours.
It’s also important to tag your location and use local hashtags so that your posts will be seen by people who are specifically searching social media for your services. If you use location tags in your social posts on Facebook and Instagram, you’re more likely to pop up first when someone searches “Pools” or “HVAC company” or “Remodeling”.
You should also be sure to use location-specific tags, hashtags, and language in your Facebook and Instagram Ads to increase their likelihood of being seen by qualified local customers.
8. Create a main “Service Area” page and individual location pages on your website
A clear, uncluttered site structure for your services and location pages can help you rank higher organically and improve your internal linking structure. It also improves user experience by reducing the number of clicks they have to make to access the information they want to see.
Generally speaking, the best way to structure this hyperlocal strategy on your site’s menu is to have a main “Service Area” page, with individual location pages located as subpages underneath. This improves your internal linking strategy because menu links have more authority than footer links, which gives your internal links more “bang for your buck”.
This strategy allows you to decrease customer confusion while increasing SEO for all of your different locations. You can also use these location pages as localized landing pages for ad campaigns (provided you structure them as discussed in number three above).
Take These Hyperlocal Marketing Ideas to the Next Level With Surefire Local
If you’re looking for more hyperlocal marketing ideas or you need help implementing any of these strategies, contact Surefire Local to schedule a free demonstration of the Local Marketing Platform.
This customizable software creates a comprehensive dashboard for your business’s online presence that allows you to monitor and respond to reviews, set up email marketing campaigns, post content to your site, edit your online business directory listings, post to social media, and more–all in one place!
It’s the one-stop digital marketing shop for busy local business owners and marketing directors who want to increase their online presence without sacrificing even more of their precious time off. Learn how to optimize your business for hyperlocal search, today!