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The Myth of the Silver Bullet

 

No Silver Bullets: The Realist’s Guide      local-marketing-flow

 


to Successful Local Marketing

 

 

“With so many marketing channels dividing customer attention, there is no ‘Silver Bullet’ that drives local marketing success. It’s time for a more realistic approach.”

 

The Myth of the Silver Bullet

 

You don’t have to look beyond your smartphone, mailbox and surrounding neighborhood to see that your options to reach customers are changing and expanding at an accelerating pace. With so many channels dividing customer attention, there is no “Silver Bullet” that alone can ensure success. Rather than a single answer, successful local marketing today requires a combination of tools to target customers wherever they are, and help them find you wherever they look for the products or services you sell.

 

All it takes to get started is an understanding of who your customers are, where you are most likely to find them and how they prefer to be reached; plus an execution strategy to cultivate their interest, fulfill their information needs and encourage them to take action.

 

6 Keys to Maximizing Your Local Marketing

 

Optimize for the mobile Web. More than half (54%) of the people in the U.S. have smartphones,1 as do 47% of Canadians.2 And those numbers continue to climb. Take advantage of the platform today’s customers increasingly use to find local products and services. Clearly, if your website is not mobile-ready, it can cost you business and hand it to your competition. At the dawn of the mobile age, a website optimized for smartphone and tablet users is an essential platform for successful local customer engagement.

 

Leverage local search. Customers look online before heading out the door. Raise your local search ranking to be sure you are the first one they visit or call. With the right planning and execution, local search can create an immediate spike in customer traffic and a lasting effect on overall visibility.

 

Get direct results with direct mail. Consumers still prefer printed mail. With new postal options and personalized printing technology, targeting local prospects with high impact printed mail has never been easier and more affordable.

 

Integrate your direct and digital marketing. Cross-channel shoppers spend up to 10 times more and are 25-50% more profitable than those who rely on a single medium to make their buying decisions. Make the most of your print and digital marketing by integrating direct and digital marketing. (Source: Shop.org)

 

Drive decisions inside and outdoors. Dynamic in-store displays and out-of-store ads like vehicle wraps and signage are a traffic-building one-two punch in your local marketplace. Keeping it simple and direct is the best way to create images and messages that attract immediate attention, drive motorist traffic to your door and help them decide to buy.

 

Leverage “happy.” Customers are more likely to trust you if their peers say they can. Cultivate positive reviews and referrals to attract new customers at minimal cost. Devote dedicated attention to cultivating and tracking referrals, but also leverage all of your existing marketing campaigns to extend referral incentives as widely as possible.

 

1comScore MobiLens service data
2Ipsos Reid’s “Mobil-ology Study,” January 2013.

 

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