SmallBusinessNewz

Customers want convenience, good deals, and not to have their time wasted. Think about these three things before rolling out any marketing campaign.

That said, the following marketing methods will get customers in your door.

1. Local Search

More and more people are turning to the Internet rather than the phone book to quickly find local businesses. It is extremely important for you to be able to be found easily.

The best advice I can give you in this area is to optimize your site for local keywords, pay attention to both Google Maps and Google's Local OneBox, and work on getting authoritative links to your site to compete with the larger companies. I elaborated on these concepts a bit in an article last month.

2. Local Television Advertising

I went into a fair amount of detail on this subject in an article the other day. What it boils down to is if you are going to run television commercials, try to maintain a balance of professionalism and interest.

Television viewers typically don't like sitting through commercials when they're watching their favorite program, so it is up to you to keep their interest.

If done well, a local TV ad can be one of your best tactics to lure customers into your store/office.

3. Yellow Pages

Yes, the Internet has gained tremendous popularity for consumers looking to find a local business quickly and easily, but it's not time to rule out the yellow pages just yet.

An ad in the phone book is still a worthwhile investment because many people will use the phonebook until the day they die.

4. Direct Mail

I'll be the first to admit that I hate "junk mail". It fills up my mail box day after day, annoying me to no end. BUT, every so often, there will be a nice offer that gets my interest that I will follow up on.

As I've said repeatedly, minimize customer annoyance. Remember that innocent consumers checking their mail at home hate junk mail just as much as you. Don't send things out unless you truly feel like you are offering something that will really interest potential customers. Otherwise, they'll start to associate your brand with characterizations like "those guys that keep sending me all of that crap in the mail".

5. Signage

Evaluate your physical signage, as this is the most important tool for attracting people who happen to be walking or driving by your store/office.

Besides your main sign, have secondary ones that advertise current offers and other things to attract attention. It's all about hooking them in. I discussed this and several other ways to attract customers from off the street here.

Bonus: 6. Word of Mouth

I'll throw word of mouth in there too because it can be very powerful, but for it to work right, you have to give them something to talk about, and you have to get people in the door before they can spread positive chatter about you.

Using as many marketing methods as possible is going to be in your best interest, and I feel that those above will be your best options to get customers to your local business. But don't limit yourself to these. What methods do think are the most effective?