Understanding Local Marketing Services
Local marketing encompasses a wide range of strategies and tactics designed to improve a business's visibility and engagement within a specific geographic area. When researching potential local marketing companies, it's important to understand the various services they offer and how they can contribute to your overall goals.
One of the foundational services of local marketing is local SEO (Search Engine Optimization). This includes optimizing your Google My Business listing, building and managing local citations (business listings on directories and review sites), and implementing on-page and
technical SEO best practices to improve your website's local search rankings.
Many local marketing companies also offer local PPC (Pay-Per-Click) advertising services, such as managing and optimizing Google Ads and Bing Ads campaigns targeting your specific geographic area. This can be an effective way to drive immediate local traffic and conversions while complementing your organic local SEO efforts.
Social media marketing is another crucial component of local marketing, as platforms like Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter provide opportunities to connect with and engage your local audience. Local marketing companies can help you create and execute social media strategies, including content creation, community management, and targeted local advertising.
Content marketing, such as blogging, video production, and local event promotions, can also play a significant role in building brand awareness and credibility within your local community. Local marketing companies can assist with developing and distributing relevant, engaging content tailored to your target audience.
Additionally, services like email marketing, reputation management (monitoring and responding to online reviews), and local influencer collaborations may be offered by some local marketing companies to further bolster your local presence and reach.
Understanding Local Marketing Services
When researching local marketing agencies, it's crucial to understand the typical services they offer, what those services entail, and their potential impact. Here's an overview of common local marketing services, example tactics, and key performance indicators (KPIs):
| Service |
Key KPIs |
| Local SEO |
Local search visibility, local ranking positions, local organic traffic |
| Local PPC Advertising |
Local ad impressions, clicks, conversions, cost per lead |
| Social Media Marketing |
Local social following, engagement, traffic from social |
Evaluating Local Marketing Companies
You know your goals and the services you need - now it's time to vet potential local marketing partners. Don't just go with the first agency you find. Take a deep dive into their credentials:
Portfolio & Case Studies
An agency's past work is a window into their capabilities. Study their portfolio of local marketing campaigns for other businesses, preferably in your industry. Look for successful case studies demonstrating measurable results like increased local rankings, web traffic, lead gen, etc.
Client Testimonials
Satisfied customers are a telling sign. Read through testimonials on the agency's website and third-party review sites. But don't stop there - reach out to some of their current clients and ask for honest feedback on working with the company.
Local Expertise
You want marketing partners who speak the language of your community. Agencies with a physical local presence and staffers familiar with the nuances of your area can craft resonant, hyper-local campaigns. Check if they've worked with other nearby businesses too.
Factors to Consider When Choosing
Expertise and experience aren't the only things that matter when vetting local marketing firms. Keep these additional factors in mind:
Industry Specialization
Some agencies take a generalist approach, while others laser-focus on select industries. An agency with specialized knowledge of your business vertical can provide more customized, effective marketing solutions.
Data-Driven Approach
The best local marketing strategies are informed by data and analytics. Prioritize companies that take a metrics-oriented approach to campaign planning, execution, and optimization based on tangible performance indicators.
Pricing Structure
Transparency around pricing and engagement models is crucial. Understand if you'll pay a recurring retainer, per-project fees, commission on ad spend, or some combination. Get pricing estimates upfront and ensure their model aligns with your budget.
Working With Your Local Marketing Partner
Once you've selected a local marketing company that checks all the boxes, it's time to start working together towards your shared goals:
Set Clear Expectations
Have an extensive kick-off meeting to establish responsibilities, communication protocols, deliverables, deadlines, and processes for providing feedback on both sides. Leave no area of ambiguity.
Consistent Communication
An agency can't read your mind - keep an active line of dialog. Have recurring check-ins to review campaign performance, make adjustments, and ensure current efforts align with evolving priorities.
Performance Tracking
Agree on the key metrics that will be used to evaluate success, such as rankings, traffic, leads, sales, ROI, etc. Determine the cadence and format you'll receive performance reports in.
By working hand-in-hand as true partners with your local marketing company, continuously exchanging insights and optimizing along the way, you'll be able to maximize results.
Measuring Success and ROI
At the end of the day, the true litmus test for any local marketing campaign is whether it drove tangible results for your business. That's why it's crucial to have a clear process for measuring success and calculating return on investment (ROI).
Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Work with your local marketing company to identify the key metrics that will gauge performance across channels like:
- Local search rankings for priority keywords
- Website traffic from local/geographic sources
- Volume of online reviews and overall rating
- Local social media engagement and follower growth
- Quantity of leads generated
- Revenue from local customers
Monitoring and Analytics
Leverage tools like Google Analytics, Search Console, SEMrush, and others to continuously
track your KPIs in real-time. Look for agencies that provide custom marketing dashboards delivering automated, consolidated reporting.
Calculating ROI
To determine true ROI, you'll need to weigh the cost of your local marketing investment (agency fees, ad spend, etc) against the stream of new revenue driven by their efforts. Look at metrics like:
- Customer acquisition costs
- Average customer lifetime value
- Total new sales from local customers
By analyzing ROI holistically across channels instead of looking at siloed tactics, you can gauge the overall revenue impact.
Building a Long-Term Partnership
While delivering short-term results is important, the most effective local marketing is an ongoing process of continuous optimization. As customer behavior and market conditions shift, so must your strategies.
That's why the ideal agency partner is one you can build a long-lasting collaboration with, pivoting and evolving campaigns together over time. Here are some tips:
Foster Open Communication
Marketing isn't a "set it and forget it" endeavor. Have honest discussions about what's working, what's not, and where you see opportunities. Encourage a free-flowing exchange of ideas in both directions.
Stay Agile
Consumer habits, search algorithms, platform policies - change is constant. A rigid agency unable or unwilling to adapt as needed will struggle. Look for partners that embrace agility as a core principle.
Leverage Their Expertise
A leading local marketing company lives and breathes this space every day. Take advantage of their specialized knowledge by having them recommendations on new strategies, tools and channels to explore.
Invest in Training
As your business grows, you may want to bring more marketing capabilities in-house over time. A good agency will provide training to successfully transfer skills to your team.
By fostering a true long-term partnership mentality, you'll be able to extract maximum value from your local marketing efforts, now and in the future.
Conclusion
In the competitive landscape of local business, having a strong online presence and effective marketing strategies is essential for success. By partnering with the right local marketing agency, you can tap into specialized expertise, drive more qualified local traffic, and ultimately boost your bottom line.
If you're ready to take your local marketing to new heights, look no further than
Pixel7 Media. Our team of local experts will craft a tailored strategy to help you dominate in your area. Contact us today for a free consultation.
