How to Promote Your Business Locally - 21 Ways

Are you looking for ways to promote your business? Are you a new business or have you been open for years?

In this post, we'll be going over 21 ways to promote your business locally.

Some of these methods are free and others are paid. We guarantee you that you'll find some helpful methods in this post.

So let's kick it off with the first one!

1. Get yourself a website!

If you’re not online, your business is going to die… probably. Most people search for businesses online to:

• See if they have a particular product and if it’s in stock
• If that business exists in their area
• The most positively rated business in the area
• See if the business is open (especially on occasions such as bank holidays)
• Find directions
• Make price comparisons

As you can see, people make so many decisions on your business based on its online presence.

You can easily set a website up for yourself using WordPress at an affordable price.

Here’s a great tutorial on how to create a website quickly:

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You can also use ShopAppy to set up a vendor page for your business. ShopAppy will allow you to sell your products/services on their platform.

2. Use Google My Business to its fullest

Google My Business is a platform designed to help your business show up for location types of searches.

For example, let’s say you have a baking business in Derby and someone Google’s “bakery Derby”. Google will show a map listing which looks like this:

As you can see, this box takes a large portion of the search results so the user will most likely click on businesses listed there. 

The Google My Business search result allows users to see your business’s location, directions, see customer reviews, display information about your service and allow them to access your website.

How do I get on my business to the top of the listing?

1. First, sign up to Google My Business. From here you can fill in all your details such as the service/products you provide, serving areas, opening/closing times, location, photos etc.
2. Add the main keyword you want to rank for in the “Business Name” section. This is going to help you rank for your main search term. For example, if you're a bakery in Derby, your business name could be “Brownie Points - Bakery Derby”. This way you have your business name and keyword.

3. Add your business name, phone number and location to the footer (very bottom) of your website. This will let Google know that your business is located within a particular area.

4. Create lots of citation links. Sign up to as many directories as you can such as Yelp, Yellow Pages, FourSquare, HotFrog etc. This will further help Google understand your business is well established and trustworthy. Create at least 70 directories for your business. This part can be a very tedious process but you will be grateful you did it. 

However, you can easily outsource this task to a freelancer at a reasonable cost.

Here’s a great resource going into more detail about ranking on Google Maps.

3. Use ShopAppy

ShopAppy is an online platform that brings local businesses online. It’s a way to support your local high street. Selling a range of products such as groceries, toys, electronics, clothes, books, games, home items and much more.

With the current state of the world, local businesses are suffering the most. Many have shut down and many more will follow. ShopAppy is a great way to support your local community and local economy.

Taking money away from giant corporations such as the cold hands of Amazon and bringing warmth to local businesses.

Our towns and cities feel like a REAL community when the high streets are full. It shows that people are around and supporting each other. It’s a magical and warm feeling when the highstreets are bustling.

You have the option of getting the item delivered to your doorstep or picking it up from the business.

4. Use Geo Targeted Facebook ads

If you have a Facebook page, you can run ads targeting your town. For example, if you have a female boutique shop in Bristol. You can run an ad that ONLY targets females in Bristol.

This way you’re making sure you’re reaching your audience, unlike a traditional newspaper ad.

Here’s a great tutorial:

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5. SEO! SEO! SEO!

SEO stands for search engine optimisation, it’s the process of optimising your website to show up for search terms related to your business on search engines such as Google.

OK, so if that sounded complicated, here’s an example, let’s say you’re a supplement store in Derby, you would want to rank on Google for search terms such as “Supplements Derby” and “Best protein powders”.

If you’re a driving instructor in Burton, you would want to rank for “driving instructor Burton” and “Driving lessons Burton”. 

How do I show up for searches on Google?

This is a very big and broad question, ranking on Google entails a lot of things but we’ll be breaking it down piece by piece.

Google My Business

Google My Business is a platform created by Google for you to list your business. It helps your business show up for location searches. For example, if you’re a plumber in Burton, your business would be qualified to show up for the search term “plumber in Burton”.

This result would appear within the Google map pack listing and will look something like this:

1. To be listed on Google My Business, first you need to sign up to it.
2. Next, fill out all the necessary details such as open hours, pictures of the business, services offered etc.
3. After all this is filled, make sure your keyword is in the “Business Name”. For example, if you’re a driving instructor in Burton, your title could be “Motor School - Driving Instructor Burton”. So you have your actual company name and then the keyword you want to rank for.
4. Sign up to directories like Yelp, Yellow Pages, Foursquare etc. In these directories you’re going to include your Name, Address and Phone Number as well as a link to your website. Create as many of these as you can, you can also use a service to do this.
5. If you have a website, include your Name, Address and phone number at the very bottom (footer) of every page.

How do I rank my website?

If you have a website, this is how you rank it. If you don’t have a website, you can very easily create a WordPress website.

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So now you have your own website, here’s how you optimise your website…

1. Keyword research

Keyword research is finding search terms related to your business. There are many methods of doing keyword research, including paid and free methods.

Here’s an effective way to do keyword research for free…

Use Google auto suggests, when you type something into Google, it’ll automatically finish it off. So if you type into Google, “driving instructor” it will suggest terms such as ‘near me’ ‘locations’ etc.

This is because people have already searched for these keywords. And this is how you know these keywords are actually searched for so you know you’ll be getting clicks to your site.

2. On page SEO

On page SEO is optimising the actual elements of your website’s pages. This is incredibly important. If you’re using WordPress, install a plugin called RankMath. 

After you’ve installed RankMath, go to the page you want to rank, you’ll be able to edit the meta title. Insert your target keyword in the meta title.

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Next, make sure you add your keyword into the H1 tag, this will typically be the title of the page.

Now make sure you’ve written some copy. Write about the service you offer and make the copy compelling.

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And that’s how you put your website on Google. Of course, there’s a lot more that goes into it but those are the basic things you need to do.

6. Ask for reviews

Often people will be on the fence on whether or not they should purchase from your business. So what they’ll do is look for reviews, see what others have said. This is the best way to push them off the fence and into your business.

You can use popular platforms such Google My Business and Trustpilot for people to leave reviews.

If you’re a small local business, you should just stick to Google My Business. If you have an eCommerce shop, you should use both Google My Business and Trustpilot.

Once you’ve set up your Google My Business account, customers can easily leave reviews. By accumulating positive reviews, more people will buy from you since so many people are having a positive experience with your business.

7. Use Google Ads

Google Ads is a platform designed to allow you to serve advertisements on the search results page, YouTube and popular websites.

It’s mostly used to serve ads on the search results, above the organic listings. This way you can skip organic search battles and get straight to the top. It’s best used in combination with your organic search results.

The way Google Ads work is you have to pay each time someone clicks on your ad. The cost varies depending on how much other advertisers are bidding on a search query.

You can do a lot with Google ads, including what search terms you want to show up for, the locations and times.

Here’s a great tutorial on how to setup Google Ads:

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8. Use vehicle branding

If you’re like most people, you’re always driving… that’s a fantastic advertising opportunity right there.

Let people know what you do and what they can do. For example, if you run a bakery, you can paint your car in a bakery style theme. This way they understand what you are. Then include your contact number and address.

Here’s a great example by a lawn care company:

Great example

9. Stop sleeping on video

Video content is a hot trend and it’s here to stay. Video reveals a lot more about the product than images.

Businesses that show off their products and services show how proud they are. That they’re willing to put their business completely out there. It creates authority and trust in the space, showing that you're a leader in your area.

The best way to start with video is to start a YouTube channel creating video tutorials. Let’s say you’re a bakery, you could show people how to bake and people may be more inclined to come in themselves to try your product.

It shows that you know exactly what you’re talking about.

Another way to use video is to take a 360 shot of your products, showing how they look and work. This helps answer a lot of questions a potential customer may have.

10. Use affiliate marketing

Affiliate marketing is using other people to promote your product or service in return for a commission. 

Let’s say you sell cars and you hire someone to sell your car, you give them a portion of that sale, for example, a 10% commission.

This incentivises people to talk about your business and it’s a cost effective strategy to make sales. You’re using other people’s networks to enhance your business.

11. Use the Facebook marketplace

Many individuals, companies small and large are using Facebook marketplace to promote their products including Lamborghini dealerships and small businesses.

If you have a Facebook account, you can easily list the items you want to sell on there. List your products, price and how to pick up your item or if you deliver.

The best thing is, there are no fees involved for selling your products.

12. Cross promote

You can team up with other businesses to help you promote your business. For example, if you run a bakery, you can reach out to gyms and say you’ll provide some low fat and high protein food.

Or maybe you run a massage service, you could ask a local gym if they’re willing to recommend their customers to your service and in return, you recommend your clients to join the gym.

You can reach out to businesses and ask if they would be willing to keep some leaflets about your business on their reception desk.

13. Use guest blogging

Guest blogging is blogging for a website that’s not yours.

By guest blogging for other businesses, their customers may read your guest blog post and consider trying out your business. For example, let’s say you run a cake shop and write a recipe style blog for your local bakery, their readership may be interested in trying your food out.

You can also reach out to local bloggers or vloggers in your town, city or county. You can Google search something along the lines of ‘bloggers in Manchester’. Make a list of people to reach out to and offer them something for free.

This is a great way to get exposure for your business.

14. Encourage word of mouth

The oldest form of marketing is word of mouth. It’s old but gold.

The best way to encourage word of mouth is to give an amazing service, go above and beyond. Show your hospitality.

For example, if you’re a barber shop, offer your customers/guests some tea. If you’re a local takeaway, offer some refreshing sweets or a lollipop, it’s nothing huge but it shows people that you care.

If you’re a chiropractor, make sure to actually solve the patient’s problem instead of making sure they come back every week.

It’s all about providing an amazing experience. Make your product/service the best in your area.

15. Hold a competition

Give people a reason to pay attention to your business, one way you can do this is by holding a competition.

You can give away something like a service you provide or your product. You can even give away a gift voucher.

However, keep in mind that there will always be lots of freeloaders. People who will only enter the competition just to win that free thing but they’ll never spend a penny with you. And this will be most people, probably.

But you’re not trying to get people spending money with you because of the competition, that would be a bonus. Instead, you’re trying to raise awareness for your business and get your name out there. Letting people know that you exist.

You can run a competition on social media, saying that you’re giving away a free coffee machine and to enter the competition, you must tag someone in the post. This is a great way to raise awareness.

16. Get in touch with your local newspaper

Your local newspaper is always looking for a story, something that’s going to get clicks, so make sure you give them exactly that. Have something interestings they could write about you.

If you sell something interesting like celebrity body pillows, your local paper might find that an interesting story.

If you’re a new business that’s recently opened, let the newspapers know, they may be willing to share it.

17. Use Instagram

Instagram is one of the most popular social media platforms out there. Unlike many other platforms like Facebook and Twitter, Instagram still allows you to reach your followers organically.

This means you don’t have to spend money on ads in order to reach people.

If your business is highly visual, you sell clothes or cakes, Instagram is amazing because it’s designed to be a visual platform.

And even if you think your business does not have a visual aspect, you can find one. For example, if you’re a chiropractor, you can make videos on patient journeys before and after results.

Find a visual angle and go with it.

How do I market my business on Instagram?

First of all, make sure the images and videos you publish look good. You don’t want things to be blurry but crisp and clean. Most smartphones these days can accomplish this.

When you upload your content, make sure to include lots of relevant hashtags. You can include up to 30 hashtags on a regular post and up to 10 hashtags on a Story.

Make sure to use every hashtag as that’s how people will search and find you. 

Do not include very competitive hashtags like #spiderman because you’re probably not going to show up for spiderman in the Instagram search.

Go for longer style hashtags like #spidermancake if you’re a baker. However, you want to make sure people are actually searching for these hashtags.

To confirm that they are, just start typing in your hashtag and if Instagram finished it off, that means people have already searched it.

PRO TIP: Keep your hashtags saved on your phone so you can easily copy and paste them in.

Make sure to post regularly and engage with people.

An amazing strategy you can use is just commenting on other people’s posts.

This way people are seeing your profile, some will click and some people will follow you.

18. Use the refer a friend method

Recommending a friend is one of the oldest and effective ways to get new customers because a friend is referring you, not a stranger. And of course, you’re more likely to listen to a friend’s opinion. 

Incentivise your customers by giving a certain amount of money like £10 for referring a friend or a discount, free product etc.

It’s an old, simple but effective way to get some new customers.

19. Capture email addresses

If you’ve already got a website up and running with people coming to it, you can set up an email capture form.

When people opt-in, you can send automated emails to them. Telling them about your products and educating them on it.

For example, if you’re a fitness instructor, you can send people emails on different exercises they should be doing and then sell them on some more lessons with you.

Of course, there is a technical setup to this so you may have someone set this up for you. Or you can learn how to do it yourself, it’s not super complicated.

Here’s a video to help you get started:

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20. Use direct mail

Direct mail is one of the oldest forms of marketing but it’s still used today for good reason and that’s because direct mail still works.

If you’re launching a new business, send a direct mail blast in your town or city. This will let everyone know you’re present.

If you’re launching a new product or have a sale on, send out a direct mail blast, letting everyone know what’s happening.

Make sure your leaflet stands out, make it bold, bright and tell them exactly what you offer. Make sure to also include your location and contact information.

21. Give samples

If you sell food items like ice cream, cake, jelly etc. you can give people a taste test. Allowing people to test your product before buying and deciding if it’s right for them.

This shows the confidence you have in your product and it also creates rapport. People feel like they owe you something since they got it for free. It creates trust and confidence in your brand.

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