Mistakes Local Businesses Make When Trying to Grow

If you have a local business that you want to grow, your marketing and growth tactics are going to be very different from an online business. A local business is going to have a completely different audience and customer journey from an online business, as you provide an experience that is in person. This can be very valuable and effective if done in the right way. You need to be able to drive foot traffic to your business, from both locals and tourists. It is a fine balance between a variety of different tactics that you need to utilize to be able to see success in your business.

While there are many things that you can be doing, there are also a variety of things that you need to avoid. Unfortunately, there are many activities that small, local businesses do that hinder their growth rather than help it. To ensure that you are doing all the right things in your business, and you know what to avoid, here are some of the most common and important mistakes local businesses make when trying to grow their business.

Not Having an Online Presence

An online presence is really important for any business. Unfortunately, most local businesses are missing the trick, because they make the mistake of not thinking they need an online presence, or having social media accounts relevant to their business.

While part of that thinking is true - many businesses will utilize social media to reach a global audience and drive traffic to make sales on an online store, which is not necessary for a small local business.

However, an online presence, through social media platforms and search engines, will be able to drive more foot traffic to your local business. The majority of people are using the internet, whether they are conducting searches on Google, or they are scrolling through Instagram. Everyone local to your business will be online, so you must get your business online and learn how you can be visible to your target audience. This is a great way to connect better with local customers and show the people behind the brand. An online presence will significantly help the foot traffic in your local business grow.

Not Getting Involved in the Local Community

If your business and your employees are not getting involved in the local community in some way or another, you are making a big mistake that will cost your business greatly. As a local business, you have an advantage over online businesses, as you have a community of people right on your doorstep. You must utilize this. There are a variety of ways you can do this. For example:

• Your business can be the sponsor for charity events or school events
• You can host local events in the community that are for a good cause
• You can get involved in networking events set up by other businesses
• You can host coffee and cake mornings at your business or something relevant to what you do
• Your employees can take a day off to volunteer once a month at a charity or to clean up the community
• You can offer open days to let the public in

You must find a way to get involved with the locals in your community. This will help increase brand awareness amongst the local community. You will find that more people are talking about your business, and therefore, visiting it. Tight-knit communities love businesses that get involved. You are more likely to become the go-to in your community if you get involved.

Not Having Local Business Details

Some local businesses do not make it easy to find or even know that they are local businesses. Some businesses will try to be more cost-efficient and set parts of their business up online, which can often mean you don’t have a local address or phone number on your official documents or marketing materials like your website. It is really important that you register your business locally, and set up local phone numbers for your business. This will help people know that you are local. It will also help your search engine optimization (SEO) efforts as search engines will also understand, through this information, that you are a local business and you will be more likely to show up in the search results when a user makes a relevant search.

Not Tailoring the Customer Experience to the Locals

There is likely a specific vibe or culture that your local community has. This is normal for all local communities. A big mistake you can make is ignoring this, and not telling the customer experience to the locals. It is really important that you do your research and you are aware of your target audience and what they need or want, in a product or service, but also in the customer journey they will go on. You will need to consider how your local community operates, and how you can ensure that your business fits into this dynamic and tailors the customer journey to their needs. You want to be included and seen as part of the local community if you want your business to grow.

Not Making Your Business Purpose Clear

Your business must have a clear purpose. Many businesses will make the mistake of trying to run a local business that does everything for everyone, and this is a big mistake. If you try to cater to too many people, you are casting too wide a net and will not be able to market your business effectively. You must come up with a clear business purpose. This will help you market your product or service, and integrate into the local community. It should be utilized in all of your branding, packaging, messaging, and social media efforts. You want your target audience to know who you are and resonate with you enough to choose to invest in your business.

A local business is a great venture. Make sure you avoid these mistakes for a successful business.