Arlington is a town in Virginia, US, famous for its Arlington Cemetery, where several Civil War generals are buried. Nowadays, Arlington is mostly known for its Shopping Malls (which include the Pentagon Metro station), sports franchises, and its inhabitants’ love for BBQ sauce.
Arlington is a part of the larger Washington Metropolitan Area (the metropolitan area that encompasses Washington DC and its suburbs), and thanks to its excellent train and bus connections to the rest of the Metropolitan Area, it is easily reached from almost all parts of the country.
Due to its strategic location between the North and South Parks, Arlington is a hub for tourists who want to explore the beautiful city and its surrounding areas. If you are a business owner or manager in this area, you are almost certainly aware of how important it is to get online and keep up with social media marketing and SEO. Not only does it make it possible to access a potentially worldwide audience, but it also allows you to be always be in touch with your current customers (and potential new ones).
However, whether you are a local business or a brand from the outside, getting online and using social media correctly is not as easy as it seems. Not only will you have to navigate the technical aspects of operating a website or social media account, but you will also have to understand the importance of local SEO, content creation, and content distribution.
In this guide, we will examine some of the most important aspects of local online marketing, including:
Find Your Niche
If your product or service is relevant to people in your area, get relevant! No one wants to read about news or events that have no relevance to them. When developing content for your website or social media accounts, try and find topics that are relevant to your location. If possible, you should use local experts or at least hire local ambassadors to help you disseminate news and information about your town or region.
For example, if your product is health-related, consider providing information on the local health clinics, the most popular restaurants, or the up-and-coming restaurants in your town. The possibilities are endless, and it is a great way to gain authority in your industry. When your content is relevant, it is more likely to be shared by your audience, which naturally leads to more people discovering your product or service. In other words, having relevant content is good for business.
Keep It Local
When possible, make sure that your content promotes only your local area. If you are writing about a national or global issue, make sure that it is relevant to your location. For example, if you are writing about the political unrest in Turkey, you should probably avoid using terms such as ‘Türkmenistan’ or ‘Turkish Airlines.’ Instead, try and use relevant terms such as ‘Armenia’ and ‘Aegean Sea.’
Try and promote your area and its products and services without being too localized. While it is great to focus on the issues that are relevant to your area, you should also try and include international news and events that affect your town or region. For example, if you are writing about health issues, make sure that you are aware of the latest scientific discoveries taking place around the world.
By regularly posting international stories, you will be able to gain credibility with journalists and bloggers who cover those topics. In other words, being ‘just a local business’ will not cut it anymore; you need to establish your authority in the industry by being the expert in your field.
Attracting Local Audience
Once you have identified your niche, the first step is to find a way to attract local customers to your business. If you are opening a coffee shop that serves local products, make sure that you buy only the best from nearby farms and bakeries. Similarly, if you are opening a hair salon in the town, make sure that your suppliers provide high-quality hair products that can be used in the mixing bowls of the area’s most talented hair stylists. Additionally, when a customer orders from your eatery, be sure to go the extra mile to ensure that their food arrives fresh and in a timely manner. Word of mouth advertising via social media channels is still one of the most effective ways to get the word out about your business, and it is a proven fact that people tend to love to eat and drink where they live.
Use The Right Metaphor
When using metaphor, choose your words carefully. For instance, if you are comparing your product to something else, make sure that your metaphor relates to the product or service that you are promoting. If you are selling luxury goods, compare your product to an expensive automobile or a luxury resort. Metaphor is often used in advertising, so it is essential that you master the art of using it effectively.
Create A Buzz
If you are interested in creating buzz or attracting attention, take a look at the most successful marketing campaigns of all time. The majority of these campaigns are local in nature, and marketing experts suggest that they have 3 things in common:
- they started with a bang
- they used social media
- they ended with a whimper
Make sure that you follow these tips, and before you know it, you will have a booming business that is recognized throughout the entire region.