Succeeding in lead gen for startups can be a steep uphill climb. If you are struggling to get prospects locally, you need to reflect on your marketing practices. If you use it right, digital marketing lets you push products and services, establish a robust local presence, and identify the best people to keep sending marketing and promotions. Here are things you should keep in mind about localized marketing.
Start with keyword research
Think of what people search on Google to find a business with your specialty. For example, if you sell pet food and supplies, people might type phrases like “Pet food in [Your City],” “Pet supplies nearby,” “Pet food near me,” and more. You can also find more keywords using the “suggested” searches on Google.
Ensure your business is on Google Maps
No one will visit your in-store location if they don’t know how to get to it, so make sure your business is on Google Maps. Ideally, your business should appear next to local competitors and have the best, most accurate information listed. Local businesses comprise nearly half—about 46 percent—of Google searches. An incorrect listing could deter these people from looking up your site.
Create a Google My Business listing
GMB accounts are free to create, and you can do local lead generation when people can quickly access basic information about you like your name, address, phone number, or email. A GMB account makes it likely for you to come up in the top three results on a Google search, increasing your chances of drawing in local customers.
For U.S. businesses, you can leverage “call history,” which uses call forwarding to track potential leads. With call history enabled, you can access a full list of numbers that had called the business through Google, as well as the time the calls came in.
Use local service ads
When you have local service ads, it is an indication that Google trusts your business. The green checkmark beside your ad indicates the “Google Guarantee,” which is a great first impression for any company. Local service ads also let you include past ratings and reviews from customers, which also earn trust from leads. Finally, local service ads can be voice search optimized, a significant benefit now that 20 percent of searches are voice-based today.
Produce localized content
Create articles, videos, and other content that relate directly to your area. In-depth guides like articles titled “Everything You Need to Know About X,” “How to Do X in (Your City or State,” “Top 10 X in (City or State),” and more. You do not have to create written posts only; you can also produce eBooks, emails, webinars, and other types of lead magnets. Consider your audience—are they more likely to watch videos or read long-form content? Create items your audience will find impossible not to click.
Conclusion
Gaining prominence in local search involves much of the same things you would do in regular SEO efforts. When you’re optimizing your ranking for local search, you need to consider what locals look for, how they find businesses, and what compels them to visit.
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