Ultimate Guide to Digital Marketing For Your Local Business
Ever felt like marketing your local business online is like piecing together a puzzle without a picture? You're not alone! This guide will give you a foundational framework to supercharge your digital marketing efforts and see the growth your business needs. In this guide we will go through:
Creating a ideal customer profile
Keyword research for maximum visibility
The 4 stages of a customer journey
Having a clear picture of these digital marketing actions, will help you craft a strategy that resonates with your audience on the Sunshine Coast.
Creating an Ideal Customer Profile
How do you market your business and services without knowing who your ideal customers are? By creating customer personas/profiles, this helps you target your marketing efforts more precisely and address the needs of your audience. From the channels you will use to reach them, through to the message you convey and what offer you will use to seal the deal.
How to Create Customer Personas:
Research Your Audience:
Use tools like Google Analytics, social media insights, and customer surveys to gather data about your audience.
Look at demographics, interests, behaviours, and pain points.
Identify Common Traits:
Group similar traits together to form distinct personas.
Consider factors such as age, gender, location, job role, and challenges.
Create Detailed Profiles:
Give each persona a name and backstory.
Include their goals, challenges, preferred communication channels, and how your service can solve their problems.
Use Personas in Marketing:
Tailor your marketing messages and strategies to each persona.
Ensure your content resonates with their specific needs and preferences.
An example of a customer profile:
Alex is a 35-year-old female owner of a small law firm on the Sunshine Coast, married with two young children. With a Bachelor’s degree in Law and earning $140,000 per year, she values quality service, work-life balance, and continuous learning. Her goals include expanding her client base, improving team efficiency, and developing new legal services, while her pain points are scaling the business without overworking and difficulty delegating tasks. Alex prefers personalised coaching, actionable insights, and a supportive community to help her achieve sustainable business growth. She engages primarily through email, Instagram, LinkedIn, and personalised coaching sessions.
Keyword Research for Local Business Marketing
Keyword research is crucial for improving your online visibility, SEO and ensuring your content reaches the right audience. Here’s an overview of how to do keyword research.
Brainstorm Keywords:
Start with a list of relevant topics related to your business services.
Think about the terms your customers might use to find your services when searching online.
Use Keyword Research Tools:
Tools like Google Keyword Planner, SEMrush, Ahrefs, and Ubersuggest can help you find the right keywords.
Look for keywords with high search volume and low competition.
Analyse Competitors:
Identify which keywords your competitors are ranking for.
Use tools like SEMrush or Ahrefs to get insights into their strategies.
Focus on Local Keywords:
Include location-based keywords to target local customers (e.g., "Sunshine Coast beauty salon").
Optimise for phrases like "near me" searches to capture local intent.
Incorporate Keywords Strategically:
Use keywords in your website content, blog posts, page titles, and descriptions.
Ensure your content remains natural and engaging while integrating keywords.
Understanding the Customer Journey
Before setting out your digital marketing strategy, it's vital to understand the customer journey. This journey consists of four key stages: Awareness, Consideration, Purchase Experience, and Advocacy. By tailoring your marketing efforts to each stage, you can guide your potential customers from their first encounter with your business to becoming ambassadors and referrals.
Stage 1: Awareness
What it is:
The Awareness stage is where potential customers first realise they have a need or problem. They might not be actively searching for your solutions yet but are becoming aware of their situation and needs.
How to approach it:
Your goal here is to put your business on their radar. Use advertising to create brand awareness or highlight common problems that your business can solve. Think social media ads, Google Ads, or even community events.
Tips:
Leverage Social Media Ads: Target local demographics with ads that speak to common problems or needs. Platforms like Facebook, Instagram. LinkedIn & Tik Tok allow you to pinpoint your audience based on location, interests, and behaviours.
Engage in Community Events: Participate in local events and online community groups to get your business name out there. Whether it's a local fair, a charity run, or a community workshop, showing up and engaging with your community builds brand recognition and trust.
Content Marketing: Publish blog posts or videos addressing common issues in your industry to attract organic traffic. For instance, if you run a beauty salon, you could create content on skincare tips for the Sunshine Coast climate. This not only helps with local SEO but also establishes your authority in the industry.
Stage 2: Consideration
What it is:
Now your potential customers are aware of their need, customers enter research mode. They compare your business and solutions against others to find the best fit.
How to approach it:
Content marketing stands out in this stage. Craft informative and educational content that positions your business as the best solution. Answering potential customers' questions and providing valuable information builds trust and positions you as an authority in your industry.
Tips:
Create Detailed Guides: Write comprehensive guides or how-to articles related to your industry. For example, a trades business could publish a guide on "How to Choose the Right Contractor for Home Renovations".
Customer Testimonials: Showcase testimonials and case studies to build credibility. Share stories of satisfied customers, highlighting the problems you solved for them and the benefits they received.
Interactive Content: Use quizzes, calculators, or tools that help users understand their needs and how your services meet them. An interactive tool like a "Home Renovation Cost Estimator" can engage users while providing valuable insights.
Stage 3: Purchase Experience
What it is:
This is the stage where customers make a decision and convert into paying customers. A smooth and positive purchase experience is crucial.
How to approach it:
Make the purchasing process as seamless as possible. This is where your customer service and ease of transaction come into play. Ensuring a hassle-free experience can turn a one-time buyer into a repeat customer.
Tips:
Google and Meta Ads: Utilise Google and Meta (Facebook) ads to capture bottom-of-the-funnel leads. These platforms allow you to target users who are ready to make a purchase, ensuring your ads reach those with high intent to convert.
Customer Relationship Management (CRM): Use a CRM system to capture customer information for targeted communication and loyalty programs. A CRM helps you track interactions and personalise follow-ups, enhancing the customer experience.
Personalised Follow-ups: Send personalised thank-you emails or messages after purchase to enhance customer satisfaction. A little appreciation goes a long way in fostering customer loyalty.
Stage 4: Advocacy
What it is:
After the purchase, customers can become raving fans, silent satisfiers, or roaring critics. Your goal is to cultivate raving fans who spread the word and bring in new customers.
How to approach it:
Exceptional customer service and post-purchase engagement are key. Encourage satisfied customers to leave reviews and share their positive experiences.
Tips:
Encourage Reviews: Prompt happy customers to leave reviews on Google, Yelp, and social media. Positive reviews boost your online visibility and attract new customers.
Loyalty Programs: Implement loyalty programs to reward repeat customers. Offer discounts, special deals, or exclusive content to keep them coming back.
Engage on Social Media: Interact with your customers on social platforms, responding to feedback and showcasing user-generated content. Share their stories, photos, and testimonials to build a community around your brand.
Putting the Pieces Together
By viewing your digital marketing tacticts through the lens of your customer, you gain a clear picture of where to focus your resources. Each stage requires a different approach, but together, they form a cohesive strategy that can significantly boost your business's online success on the Sunshine Coast.
Short on time but want to grow your business?
Contact us today to get a customised Digital Marketing Blueprint tailored to your unique needs. Let's work together to captivate, convert, and grow your audience and drive impactful results on the Sunshine Coast!
