Localism is a consumer preference for brands and businesses located geographically close by that meet the specific needs and behaviors of local communities and tap into the specific culture of a place.
Customer engagement is key to brands' success
An exaggerated variety of products are offered every day in the lives of consumers: this leads to the difficulty of fixing in one’s mind a specific brand, remembering only quality and function of the product.
What is Brand Engagement? It is the building of a solid and long-lasting relationship of trust between brand and customer, so that the buyer is influenced by positive emotions every time he/she deals with the company, both during the purchase phase and during other interactions with the brand (reviews, comments and shares on posts, word of mouth, etc.).
A good marketing strategy must absolutely increase Brand Engagement, to give buyers that extra something that makes the difference between any company and our brand. This is the touchpoint to intercept to establish an affective relationship with customers and make them feel unique.
Localism fosters brand engagement
During 2021, despite the reopening of many stores, localism has not diminished. In fact, we are seeing a renewed commitment to local communities.
The trend toward localism accelerated during the 2020s as people were forced to stay out of the area where they reside, but even before the pandemic froze life as we knew it, people around the world were moving toward a more local, neighborhood-oriented lifestyle. This growing trend among consumers, described as “localism,” has disrupted retail and changed the way people consume and interact with brands. It’s a trend that saw a predictable surge during the Covid period, but is now being maintained in response to ethical needs as well.
According to research conducted by Google on consumer behavior, about 46% of users search for information on local businesses and 88% of them visit or call the store in the next 24 hours. Today, online searches for local businesses are increasing by the day, which is why developing a local marketing strategy becomes imperative to make yourself known nearby and find potential customers.
But what is meant by local marketing and how can we use it to promote and increase sales?
Local marketing: how to promote a local business
Digital competition is getting tougher and tougher: how do you intercept new customers online and then invite them to the physical store? How to keep the most loyal ones? A central role is played by local marketing, the set of communication and promotion techniques that allow the geolocation of a company.
Local marketing tends to the online promotion of a local company and to the construction of brand awareness, that is the knowledge of a brand in a precise area. In this way new customers, really interested, discover to have on their territory what they were looking for.
Facebook and Instagram
Social media, such as Facebook and Instagram, can prove to be a very valuable channel at the local level: they help maintain direct customer contact and build audience loyalty to your brand. You can use them to:
- Spread exclusive offers and discounts
- take advantage of advertising to promote your products or services and reach those who are in the territory of your interest
- offer a customer service.
Google My Business
Google My Business is a tool offered by Google developed specifically for local businesses that want to manage their online presence with the goal of getting found by potential customers and capturing their attention.
- It helps manage all of your business locations from a centralized tab;
- Helps your brand rank on Google through keyword optimization;
- Helps the user to get all the necessary information related to your business;
Google Ads
Google Ads Local campaigns are custom-built to promote interactions with local locations and encourage users to take an action, such as visiting the store, calling the facility or asking for directions. For even greater results combine your Google Ads campaign with a Local SEO strategy.
Local SEO
Local SEO is a set of search engine optimization activities based on providing relevant search results based on a specific location and a specific local search.
Alessandro SesterWeb Project Manager
@ Starsystem IT
Pubblicato il 23 December 2021
Starsystem IT srl Business Center “Ponte Regio”, Loc. Fratte, 49 – 38057 Pergine Valsugana, Trentino, Italy