Businesses have been hit hard by changes in rules about opening, social distancing, and the in-person services they are allowed offer. With each of these changes, existing business models and traditional marketing strategies pretty much went out the door. Local companies must now adopt new ways of thinking and leverage new approaches to serving their customer personally and safely. An online strategy is one of the best ways to meet the current challenges. Companies who quickly respond to the market with online offerings are having great success, even in these times. The following are some of the marketing strategies that can achieve great results in today’s business world.
Facebook Ads for Local Business
In a time when every day looks like yesterday, social media sites like Facebook provide welcome relief from the boredom of stay at home life. You can take advantage of this and use Facebook targeting to create localized ads that are designed to reach qualified customers in your immediate neighborhood. Ideally, you want to cultivate a personal connection with these neighbors, your potential customers. Knowing that your business is here for them during this time builds a bond of ‘we are all in this together and we are here for you’. Once you have established this rapport you can begin to offer tailored products or services that directly target each demographic group.
Create New Offerings That Appeal
The boredom of being at home and having each day feel the same as the last is crushing to human beings. It’s like being in an endless loop of the movie Groundhog Day. As a smart local business, though, you can help change that by creating exciting offerings that bring some joy to people’s lives. Let’s look at an example.
If you supply medical marijuana (MMJ) cards and you’re based in Missouri, why not use the internet to reach out to a new client base? Clients can apply for a legal Missouri medical marijuana card online by answering a few brief questions. This saves patients precious time and money as they won’t have to drive across town and sit in a packed waiting room. Local restaurants can design special cook at home menus where they provide recipes and all the raw ingredients for customers to cook their favorite dishes in their own kitchens. This is an experience that gets the whole family involved.
Keep It in the Neighborhood
By targeting customers in your immediate area, you are building a bond that can last for years. You want to be known as the business that took care of everyone when they needed it most. By truly caring about your neighbors and your customers, you can constantly refine your online offerings and keep them excited with new ideas and products. Some restaurants have also become even more valuable in their neighborhoods by selling top quality goods that their neighbors need. Basically, they are local country markets, offering fresh fruit, eggs, meat and hard to find supplies. Their customers feel cared for and feel safe; because they can pick up top quality items they need locally instead of having to fight their way through a very crowded big box store.
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